Wild and woolly walks through history

Whether it’s raining, snowing or sublimely sunny, don’t hide from the elements: lace up your boots and launch into a short winter walk.

It might be tempting to hole-up inside your cosy accommodation, but with the right warm winter woollies, Tasmania’s wild and history-rich places are always worth the visit. Wherever you are on the island, you’re never far from scenic short walks, and in the Off Season, you just might have the track all to yourself.

Try these great walks through history on for size.

Feel the power: Duck Reach Trail

Squeeze into your thermals and point your compass to Duck Reach, following a 6km return woodland trail within Launceston’s Cataract Gorge. Cross the South Esk River on the wrought-iron Kings Bridge, then head upstream to the old Duck Reach Power Station – one of the first hydro-electric power stations in the world (operating 1895–1955). Check out the interpretation centre here, then head for a pub in the city to re-warm your bones.

The land that time forgot: Huon Pine Walk

Leave the 21st century behind and head deep into primordial takayna / Tarkine rainforest, near Corinna on the west coast. Along the 600m return trail, ancient stringybark, King Billy pine and mountain ash branches tower above a tangle of native laurel, man ferns and shiny-leaved sassafras. Keen-eyed trekkers may spot an ancient Huon pine growing on the banks of the dark Pieman River, or clusters of fungi on the damp forest floor.

City history: Hobart Rivulet Walk

Beanies on: we’re off on a 5.4km return city walk with a difference. Set your sights on kunanyi / Mount Wellington and follow the freshwater rivulet that supplied 19th-century Hobart. Stop at the sombre UNESCO World Heritage-listed Cascades Female Factory convict site in South Hobart; the colder the day, the more you feel for the women and children who were incarcerated here between 1825-56. Continue to the warmth of the historical Cascade Brewery (1824) for a tour and a pint of Hobart’s signature brew.

Cape Tourville Lookout  

Here’s your chance to spy some of Tasmania’s most elusive marine life. Scan the sea for fur seals, sea eagles and dolphins as they pass this unspoilt corner of east-coast wilderness – you might even spot a humpback or southern right whale on its migration north from Antarctica. For a short walk (600m return), you’ll see a lot of coastline: the pink granite of the Hazards, Wineglass Bay, wind-whipped waves and the offshore wreck-magnet known as the Nuggets. These waters were once a hunting ground for Tasmania’s historical whaling industry – so much so that the blood-red sea inspired the name ‘Wineglass Bay’. These days, you’ll find only pristine turquoise hues here. Cape Tourville is within Freycinet National Park: parks pass required.

Wet and wild: Russell Falls

Inside Tasmania's equal-oldest national park, enclosed in rainforest high above an isolated creek, Russell Falls are best experienced after a few days of rain (another perk of hiking in the Off Season). The river within Mount Field National Park drops down a rock face into a great bowl, fanning a wide sheet of water that plunges another 50m into a pool lined by tall tree ferns. It’s a 1.4km return walk to the falls; another 10min further upstream, Horseshoe Falls crashes onto moss-covered rocks. National Parks pass required. Nearby on the Tall Trees walk, roam among a long-growing grove of Australia’s tallest tree species: mountain ash (Eucalyptus regnans).

Treasure island: Trousers Point Beach

With wide expanses of white sand, clear waters and a name straight out of a pirate book, Trousers Point on Flinders Island is one of a kind. Turn your collar against the north-westerly breeze and explore this wild beach on a 2km circuit. Head to Fotheringate Bay, with its granite caves, and gaze up at epic Mount Strzelecki, rising 756m out of the ocean. The name ‘Trousers Point’ is something of a fable among locals: some say it was inspired by sailor Richard Burgess’s dash – sans trousers – from a shipwreck; others believe the name originated a few years later, when a box of pants washed ashore from another shipwreck in 1875. Trousers Point is part of Strzelecki National Park: parks pass required.

High water: St Columba Falls

On one end of a 1.2km return forest trail in Tasmania’s north east, you’ll find the majestic St Columba Falls. Walk downhill past giant man ferns and ancient fallen trees dripping with moss, until the falls suddenly appear above you: the South George River crashing 90m down a sheer cliff. The falls’ upper reaches are often shrouded in mist, especially in winter when there’s five times as much water cascading downstream. Visit the falls in Pyengana after a few days of rain to be properly blown away. Be sure to read the interpretive signage while you’re here and learn stories of the past. Take Annie Beechey, for example: in 1908, she earned the moniker ‘Iron Annie’ after miraculously surviving in the dense, frosty Pyengana forest for nine days.

Want more?

Dive into Tasmanian heritage this winter with Off Season offers:

• Engage in a first-of-its-kind digital exhibition at the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery. Unshackled: The True Convict Story tells of historical resistors in Australia’s convict system who contributed to the struggle for Australian democracy.
  
  
• Be enthralled by Bass Strait Maritime Centre’s torchlit exhibits. Sip a sailor’s hot toddy in the Harbour Master’s cottage and settle into an interactive night of history and hospitality.
  
  
• Experience a stay steeped in history at Woolmers Estate: a remarkably intact World Heritage-listed Australian Convict Site in northern Tasmania. Tuck into a two-course local lunch and welcome hamper during your winter stay to fuel you up for wildlife spotting and stargazing.
  
  
• Stay by the docks at Triabunna Barracks. The 1840s sandstone barracks and stables offer cosy Off Season quarters – perfect for rejuvenating after a day of adventuring on nearby Maria Island. Receive homemade lunch in a ready-to-wear survival pack and hop aboard the Encounter Maria Island ferry to experience pure serenity in nature.