Hike Tasmania's Maria Island

Your adventure begins in Hobart (nipaluna in the language of the muwinina and palawa peoples, who are the traditional owners of the land on which Hobart is now located). Meet your group at 8am before you hit the road for Triabunna where you’ll board the ferry to Maria Island. Today, there are several options, depending on the group’s fitness levels and interests. Challenge yourself with the 12km Bishop and Clerk hike and be rewarded with stunning clifftop and ocean views from the towering dolerite peak. Look up at the summit and you’ll see the peaks’ resemblance to a bishop, wearing a mitre, being followed by a clergyman. Or go on a leisurely guided walk around the northern end of Maria Island, taking in the fascinating history which includes seven years as a penal station, and the island’s time as a probation station, sheep farm and a cement factory during the Depression. Tonight, you’ll sleep in the old Penitentiary at Darlington, a World Heritage-listed convict site with comfortable beds. Unlike the convicts who frequently tried to escape Maria Island, you won’t be in a hurry to leave this beautiful spot. (L/D)

Starting from the settlement of Darlington, walk south along Maria Islands’ western coastline, to the Painted Cliffs which are famous for their patterned sandstone rocks smoothed and shaped by thousands of years of weathering. Further south stop for lunch and a perhaps swim at Four Mile Beach, the half way point on your journey to French’s Farm. Following lunch, pass over a headland to the beautiful pristine white sands, and aqua clear waters of Soldiers and Bloodstone Beaches where you can beachcomb and study shells with sand between your toes. At the end of Bloodstone Beach is Point Lesueur and ruins from the second convict era when Maria Island served as a probation station. After a moment of reflection, it is a short walk to tonight’s camp at historic French’s Farm where you’ll spend the night in Safari Style tents which have stretcher beds and comfortable bedding, solar lighting, folding stools, a bedside table and room to stand up inside. (B/L/D)

After a hearty breakfast, lace up your walking shoes and hit the trail to Haunted Bay or Robey’s Farm if the weather isn’t favourable for a long walk. The hike to Haunted Bay travels along kilometres of stunning beaches so beautiful and remote, it gives you a feeling of total relaxation and escape. Keep an eye out for Oyster Catchers and Hooded Plovers which dance along the beach in front of you, and Pacific Gulls and Black Swans floating in the bay. After passing First Nations Middens and walking through a tall Eucalypt forest, you’ll arrive at Haunted Bay for a picnic lunch. Following lunch, retrace your steps back to camp at French’s Farm and enjoy a pre-dinner swim or a sunset stroll among the wombats and kangaroos that call Maria Island home. (B/L/D)

After breakfast, it’s time to walk back to Darlington via the inland track, through a forest of Stringy Barks and White Peppermints and along an undulating track through the foothills of Mount Maria and over the upper reaches of Four Mile Creek. On your way to Darlington, visit the Oast House which was built by convicts in 1844 and used for everything from drying hops to wine making and even an abattoir in farming times. At the World Heritage-listed Darlington, you’ll have time to explore the convict buildings and learn about criminal reform, industrial foresight and Maria Island’s farming era. After a leisurely lunch, board the ferry for the trip back to Triabunna and the coach trip back to Hobart, arriving at approximately 5pm when your adventure concludes. If you would like to stay on in Hobart, we'll be happy to book additional accommodation for you (subject to availability). (B/L)