Consistently rated as one of the world’s greatest walks, and indisputably Australia’s best alpine trek, the Overland Track connects the eponymous features of the Cradle Mountain/Lake St Clair National Park across the central highlands of the island. Varying in length from the official 82.5km, Ronny Creek to Cynthia Bay, to well over 100km including side trips such as Mt Ossa (Tasmania’s tallest peak at 1617m), our rangers will be picking how adventurous their side trips are under the influence of the wild weather of spring. At 1545m above sea level, Cradle Mountain is the sixth highest mountain of lutruwita/Tasmania and the highest point of the Ranger Relay, while the finish at Lake St Clair is the deepest lake in the country (and consequently one of the ones guaranteed to be coldest, if our participants fancy a dip). Registration for the track is through a booking system, with a fee for the peak season between October and May. Walker numbers are restricted to minimize environmental impact and maximize the user experience, especially given the varying sizes and facilities of the huts along the way. This iconic trek ranges from rainforest and waterfalls to scree and buttongrass, and is the longest alpine section of the Ranger Relay.
Map by Phil Wyatt, photos by Jessica Hewenn.
The Ranger Relay will have just finished the Penguin Cradle Trail.
The next section will be the middle roads and Lake Pedder.
