Capping off a year of (mostly) Australian hiking, my next hike is the 460-kilometer Tasmanian Trail, which crosses Tasmania north-to-south, from Devonport to Dover.
The Tasmanian Trail is a multi-use trail, meant for hikers, cyclists, and equestrians. Unlike most of my other hikes, it’s not really a wilderness trail. Instead, it largely follows rural backcountry roads, passing through many small towns as it traverses Tasmania.
Starting from Devonport in the north, the trail makes its way through farmlands and forests, then climbs up Tasmania’s Central Plateau, an expansive alpine environment with several large lakes. After dropping down from the plateau, the trail crosses more farmland, valleys, and mountains, to reach Dover, in the south.
Occasionally passing through private land, and with some of its designated campsites in towns or on private property, the Tasmanian Trail is the first trail I’ll hike that actually requires membership in its association to obtain the full route description and trail notes. Membership is also required to obtain a trail key, which is needed to unlock some of the gates along the way and gain access to some campsites and facilities. Without a trail key, or the instructions on how to access some of the campsites (or even, some sections of trail!), one could still make detours along public roads, but that would require skipping some sections of for more (possibly highway) roads.
After four straight coastal trails, starting off with the Great Southwest Walk and Great Ocean Walk at the beginning of 2025, the East Coast Trail in Newfoundland in June/July, and finishing with the Walk the Yorke a few days ago, the Tasmanian Trail will be a nice change of pace, trading beaches and cliffs and the roar of the ocean for forests, hills, and mountains.
As usual, I’ll be hiking the trail with my partner, CareFree. This will be the second time we’ve finished one year and started a new one on-trail (last time was New Zealand’s Te Araroa in 2023-24).
So, without further ado, let’s go hiking!