Maria Island walk
A 3 day guided Pack-Free walk
If you are looking for a walking holiday in Tasmania you can’t go past Maria Island on the east coast. Mountainous in the interior and surrounded by stretches of beautiful white sandy beaches, aqua waters and limestone cliffs, this island is a hidden gem unknown to many. Enjoy three days pack Free walk of Maria Island with your overnight bags transported for the entire journey leaving you free to soak up the spectacular scenery, admire the rich and abundant wildlife and take in the intriguing history.
Owner Mark Norek says “Maria Island holds a special place in my heart. I proposed to my wife Vicki on the top of the island’s Bishop & Clerk summit. This island is pure heaven and has everything you would want in a walking holiday including spectacular scenery, abundant wildlife and so much natural beauty. It’s one of Tasmania’s little gems that is unknown to many Australians. I’m very passionate about sharing the secret of this magical place with our guests”. Our team is dedicated to providing our guests with an enriching experience, quality and interpretive tours.
Pack Free Walking Experience
Walk with as little as your water and lunch
The biggest advantage of this tour is you don’t have to carry all your clothes for the entire tour, these will be transported for you each day. This is a big plus for our walkers, in that you will avoid carrying an additional 8kg or more on your back each day with your clothes and personal items. With Life’s An Adventure you will carry as little as your water bottle, camera, lunch and hat every day – a wonderful pack free experience.
Personalised Tours
Maximum of 10 guests
Our group sizes are small and intimate with a maximum of 10 people, we find this delivers more personalised service, a great social environment and has less impact on the environment.
100% Local Tasmanian Produce and wine
Included in your tour
Food is an element very closely connected with Tasmania and an important part of your walking experience on Maria Island with Life’s an Adventure. Providing our guests wonderful Tasmanian local produce, as well as supporting local business is paramount to us and where possible the majority of the food we consume on tour has been sourced from Tasmania.
Flexible Walking Itinerary
Choose what suits you
The great thing about our walk is the flexibility we offer. On day one you can choose to summit Bishop & Clerk mountain or perhaps enjoy a shorter walk without the ascents. Of course of any day you also have the option to opt-out of walking and simply soak up the scenery.
Our CEO Guides
Chief Experience Officers
Our guides are proudly 100% Tasmanian. We call them our CEOs – Chief Experience Officers! Our chief guides on the island, Jef & Danny are passionate, funny, knowledgeable and will go above and beyond to ensure your tour is every bit as memorable as you hoped.
Historic Penitentiary accommodation
Night 1 at Darlington
The remote Maria Island is a pure and natural environment with no hotels. The only accommodation available to the public is the historic convict Penitentiary: Although it doesn’t look like a penitentiary, this historic old building used to house convicts in the early 1800s. Staying here will definitely be a unique experience. Accommodation is basic and clean with woodfire heaters in each room. We provide sheets and pillows and you will need a sleeping bag (this can be hired from us). This is share accommodation based on 4 people sharing a large 6 person room. You can request your own room for an additional surcharge.
Beautiful Encampment Cove
Night 2 Camping in stand up tents
On the remote southern part of Maria Island lies pretty Encampment Cove. This has to be one of the most magical spots on the entire island to stay with stunning water views from your tent. We spend our second night here camping overlooking the beautiful cove.
Our guests will stay two in walk-in touring tents erected with off the ground camping beds. Arrive to find the magic fairies (your logistics guide) has transported your overnight bag and set up your tent. Inside your tent waiting for you will be your bag (no small feat).
Tonight relax around the campfire as a delicious dinner featuring local Tasmania produce and wine is prepared for your enjoyment.
21 Tourism Awards of Excellence
including Australia's best Adventure Tourism Company
Life’s an Adventure have won 21 Tourism Awards of Excellence including the Qantas Australian Tourism Award for Australia’s Best Adventure Company. Awards are great, but our biggest accolade which we value even more, is that our clients come back and travel with us time and time again.
Genuinely all-inclusive
You won't even pay for credit card fees
When you travel on one of our walking tours, you won’t be asked to put your hand in your pocket for extras along the way. All meals featuring local produce as well as Tasmania wine are included in your walking tour with nothing more to pay. You won’t even be charged extra for credit card fees.
NEW Flexiwalk Add-On
Cancel for any reason option
Our walking tours are all genuinely all-inclusive and once you pay for your tour there are no hidden extras. During your evening meals, you won’t need to put your hand in your pocket to pay for wine or beer as this is included in the price of the tour. We won’t even ask you to pay additional credit card fees when booking.
To find out more click on any of the below links:
WHY SHOULD YOU CHOOSE US?
Tour Itinerary
When comparing tours in this region, ensure you check all the inclusions. Some operators may ask you to carry your own clothes meaning you will be carrying an additional 8kg or more each day on your back. We won’t ask you to do this – our client’s overnight bags are transported each day, allowing you to walk with as little as your camera, water and lunch. With Life’s An Adventure we believe we provide exceptional value for money with all the creature comforts you require. Our walking tours include…
- Pack Free Walk with your overnight luggage transported to your accommodation EVERY day.
- Accommodation Night 1: Step back to the times of the convicts as we spend the night at the refurbished Penitentiary at Darlington.
- Accommodation Night 2: Camp under the stars on night 2 on the southern part of the island at Encampment Cove.
- 2 x delicious dinners featuring beautiful Tasmanian produce
- 2 x breakfasts
- 3 x lunches
- Fresh fruit and trail mix to enjoy during your walk
- Fine Tasmanian wine and beer and non-alcoholic drinks served with dinner
Please note: we advise drinking in moderation as walking can be strenuous. If you would like to enjoy alcohol pre or post-dinner you will need to provide your own. - Professionally guided – Our CEO’s – Chief Experience Officers are locals who are passionate, well trained and enthusiastic with the ability to bring to life a depth of information
- Boat transfers to Maria Island
- Return road transfers between Hobart and Maria Island
- National Parks Fees
- No Credit Card Fees
Please note: the only equipment you will need to bring is a sleeping bag. These can be hired from us for a fee of $40. Our bags are dry cleaned after every use.
SUGGESTED PRE-TOUR NIGHT: Hotel Grand Chancellor Hobart
MEET TIME: 7.00am in the foyer of the Grand Chancellor Hobart
TRAIL NOTES: Approximately 12kms. 6 – 7 hours walking with breaks. Medium to Hard grade
TERRAIN: The walk begins on formed gravel roads and crosses open grassy hills before becoming a narrow, natural trail that climbs steeply over uneven terrain. There is some rock hopping over large boulders and some scrambling up rocks to reach the summit.
WALK ITINERARY: The day starts in Hobart where you will meet our guides. We enjoy a scenic drive north winding up the coast to Triabunna where we join our boat and cruise across to Maria Island. The best way to get an understanding of the significance of the Island is with a walk around Darlington township to reveal the complex and intriguing past of the Island. Learn about the Ghosts, the hardships, the entrepreneurial spirit and sheer tenacity of those who came to live on the Island before us.
We then start our hike to Skipping Ridge for lunch. Our Lunch location is one of the best on the East Coast of Tasmania. Perched on Skipping Ridge we’ll enjoy magnificent views of Fossil Bay and Bishop & Clerk. During lunch, we will give you a brief geology lesson of the famous fossil cliff of Maria Island. The Fossil outcrop at Fossil Bay is recognised as world class and the best example of lower Permian strata in Tasmania, if not the world. Over the centuries the rise and fall of the seas have left a legacy of amazing sea creatures over 290 million-year-old fossilised into the cliffs. On the lower rock shelf, you can see a variety of fossils including sea fans, coral-like creatures, scallop shells and sea lilies.
After lunch, we hike one of the top 10-day walks in Australia. The walk takes you through grasslands, open forest and tall woodland, to the rocky slopes of the summit. The highlight of this walk is the views at the summit of Bishop & Clerk. These towering dolerite columns of the summit are named due to their resemblance to a bishop, wearing a mitre, being followed by a clergyman. From the summit on a clear day, you’ll be able to take in exhilarating views towards the Freycinet Peninsula. Life’s An Adventure owner Mark Norek says “this summit is so stunning it’s worthy of a marriage proposal and was the location I chose to propose to my beautiful wife Vicki”.
Note this walk involves hiking through a large area of rocky slopes to the summit, with some boulder scrambling near the top. For those that don’t hike to the top of Bishop and Clerk – our Logistics Guide will take you on an alternative walk back to Darlington where you can enjoy some free time.
After your guided hike, return to our accommodation in the world heritage township of Darlington where hot showers are available. Enjoy a delicious dinner featuring local produce and Tasmanian wine.
To get a real taste of what life was like on Maria Island, our accommodation tonight will be in the historic convict Penitentiary which has been refurbished with comfy bunk beds and wood fire heaters. This is shared accommodation based on 4 people sharing a large 6 person room. You can request your own room for an additional surcharge which will be on request at time of booking and is subject to availability of rooms.
TRAIL NOTES: Walk 11.6kms: Approximately 5-6 hours with breaks. Medium grade
TERRAIN: The trails uses well formed gravel roads and older 4WD trails over undulating terrain, varying from gravel and rock to sand underfoot.
WALK ITINERARY: After a hearty breakfast, we set out walking from Darlington inland. We follow Counsel creek through open Woodlands of large blue gums which dominate the area. This is wombat country and also one of the island’s best areas for bird watching. Here you may see the endangered species of the forty-spotted pardalote, fan-tailed or golden bronze cuckoos, or striated pardalotes. We continue over several bridges and the forest changes to tall stringybark, young blackwood and silver wattle. We continue towards Frenchs Farm and eventually reach beautiful Encampment Cove. As this part of the island is so remote there are no buildings or accommodation here, so our guide has been busy all day preparing your walk-in tent with off the ground beds for your comfort. Enjoy a short afternoon walk or relax at our campsite and soak up the views. Tonight enjoy a glass of wine or two over dinner as we chat about the day’s adventures.
TRAIL NOTES: Walk: Approximately 12kms. 5-6 hours walking with breaks. Walk: Medium grade
TERRAIN: Open grassy terrain. Well-formed gravel roads. Lightly undulating. Short section of walking on coastal rock shelfs to reach Painted Cliffs.
WALK ITINERARY: After a hearty breakfast, we set off together hiking toward Darlington on the southern part of Maria Island. We walk via Lesueur Point. The convict ruins at the point command a wonderful 270 degree plus a view of Mercury Passage and the local bays. The convicts would have loved the outlook when their cell doors were opened. There are many kangaroos on the open paddocks and the occasional wombat trundling around. We travel further along the Island’s coastline along the way exploring the historical remnants of Frenchs Farm. The farm was built by the French family in 1936 however is now an abandoned farmhouse. We visit famous Painted Cliffs which are stunning patterned and coloured sandstone, carved and moulded by the sea, and bordered by rock pools teeming with marine life before arriving back to Darlington. From here we transfer by boat to Triabunna on the mainland, where our minibus will be waiting to take us on the return journey back to Hobart. Our tour finishes at the Hotel Grand Chancellor Hobart, the end of a remarkable journey.
ARRIVAL TIME: Arrive back in Hobart at approximately 7.30 pm.
To find out more click on any of the below links:
Tour Availability
We run regularly scheduled tours from October to the end of April every year. Dates are listed below however availability changes by the hour – to see real-time availability click on the monthly calendar at the bottom of the page and select the month you require. We will also consider opening up a new departure date if we have enough demand. Email us at walks@lifesanadventure.com.au
SPECIALS
Check below to see if your preferred departure has a special savings. Conditions apply see pricing page.
Note: Spot Special save $150 per person & Super Earlybirds save $300 per person off “Normal Prices”.
| Date | Availability | Special Offer |
|---|---|---|
| 11 Feb 2021 | Available | Spot Special Saving |
| 18 Mar 2021 | Available | Spot Special Saving |
| 23 Apr 2021 | Available | Spot Special Saving |
| NEXT SEASON: | ||
| 27 Sep 2021 | Available | Super Earlybirds Savings |
| 4 Oct 2021 | Available | Super Earlybird Savings |
| 22 Nov 2021 | Available | Super Earlybirds Out |
| 19 Jan 2022 | Available | Super Earlybirds Out |
| 16 Feb 2022 | Available | Super Earlybirds Out |
| 21 Mar 2022 | Available | Super Earlybirds Out |
| 26 Apr 2022 | Available | Supear Earlybirds Out |
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PRIVATE GROUPS:
Date of your choice is available for groups of 10 people. Subject to availability.
Please contact us for more details on (02) 9975 4553 or email: groups@lifesanadventure.com.au
To find out more click on any of the below links:
Tour Prices
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FIRST TIME TRAVELLER SPOT SPECIAL
From
$
1749
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First time traveller with Life's An Adventure |
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DEPARTURES SHOULDER: PEAK SEASON: Spot special savings available on specific departures only when you pay in full at time of booking. Normal Price requires deposit then final payment due 8 weeks prior to departure. Shoulder season: 1 to 30 October and 1 to 30 April. |
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PAST PASSENGER SUPER EARLYBIRD
From
$
1649
/p
Travelled with Life's An Adventure previously |
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DEPARTURES SHOULDER: PEAK SEASON: Prices for client’s that have travelled with us before – please emails us for a special code before booking online. Spot special savings available on specific departures only when you pay in full at time of booking. Normal Price requires deposit then final payment due 8 weeks prior to departure. Shoulder season: 1 to 30 October and 1 to 30 April. Email us for your special code. |
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Private Groups Super Earlybirds
From
$
1649
/p
Departure of your choice |
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PRIVATE GROUPS DEPARTURES: SHOULDER: SHOULDER: PEAK SEASON: _______________________________ Additional Past Passenger discount does not apply. Shoulder season: 1 to 30 October and 1 to 30 April. Spot special savings available on specific departures only when you pay in full at time of booking. Normal Price requires deposit then final payment due 8 weeks prior to departure. |
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OPTIONAL
$
Xtras
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The following extras can be purchased with your tour: FLEXI-WALK ADD-ON |
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COVID Booking Guarantee
For terms and conditions on our special COVID-19 Booking Guarantee click here.
FlexiWalk Option – Cancel for any Reason
Click here for full conditions on our FlexiWalk Option.
Discount Information
PAST PASSENGER DISCOUNT: Those who have travelled with Life’s An Adventure previously, receive a past passenger discount of $100. In order to receive this discount please email us for your special “promo code” to use when booking. In your email, you should outline what Life’s An Adventure tour you have done with us in the past so we can cross-check.
EARLYBIRD & SPOT SPECIAL CANCELLATIONS: Refunds or cancellations are not permitted for Earlybird Deals or Spot Specials, however, transfers to another date are permitted 8 weeks or more prior to departure. We advise taking out travel insurance, in case unexpected circumstances prior to the trip, prevent you from joining this tour. Earlybird or Spot Special discounts cannot be used in conjunction with another offer. To receive these special discounts, full payment must be made at the time of initial booking. Flexiwalk Add-On option not available on these tickets.
Travel Insurance
We strongly advise our clients travelling within Australia to take out Travel Insurance. We have partnered with Cover-More to provide travel insurance to our guests. To get a quote or purchase travel insurance directly with them CLICK HERE .
Additional Information
- Prices are per person in Australian dollars and include GST.
- A deposit of $300 per person is required to secure your booking. (unless taking advantage of Earlybird or Spot Specials in which full payment is required at time of booking).
- Note: If you are booking within 90 days of your departure date – we will require full payment at the time of booking
- Prices are based on twin share of rooms. If you are travelling solo you may be required to share with someone of the same gender. If this is not suitable you can request to pay a single supplement, however, limited single rooms are available per trip so are on a request basis.
- Payments must be made online via our NAB (National Australia Bank) secure payment page via credit card (Visa or Mastercard) or over the phone.
- NO Credit Card fee applies.
- We advise taking our Travel Insurance to cover items such as cancellation of tour due to minimum numbers not met, or adverse weather conditions, injury, evacuation, delayed flights, illness, etc.
Booking Terms and Conditions
Before you book please read our Booking Terms and Conditions. Click here.
To find out more click on any of the below links:
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