Tasman National Park
Unofficial operator’s manual — geology first if the clock is short; Cape Hauy only with an early Hobart leave.
Independent guide · Not affiliated with Parks Tasmania · Content reviewed 2026-09-13
How to use this site: we explain logistics and day plans in plain English. Parks & Wildlife Service Tasmania sets alerts, fees, camping and official rules.Always confirm on the official Tasman National Park page and Parks Pass shop before you travel. This site does not show live closures.
Part of National Parks Guide Australia
This unofficial Tasman National Park guide is in that network. Not government. Compare parks on the hub.
Browse all parks → nationalparksguide.com.au
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Some stay, tour and gear links may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Parks Pass fees, Fortescue Bay camping fees and official Three Capes / Parks Tasmania bookings are never affiliated.
- Cape Hauy
- Tessellated Pavement
- Cape Raoul
- Three Capes Track
- Fortescue Bay
- Parks Pass
- Hobart day trips
- 2026 Arch closure
Before the walks
Fees, roads & map first
Questions most visitors ask before stacking capes and Historic Site tickets — answered in plain English, then checked on official Parks Tasmania pages.
The decision that shapes the day
Geology, Cape Hauy, or a booked hut walk
From Hobart you can do the northern geology comfortably. Cape Hauy needs an early start and legs for stone steps. Three Capes needs a booking. Pick one plan.
Most first-timers
Half-day geology
- · Tessellated Pavement + Blowhole
- · Arch/Kitchen only if 2026 works allow
- · Waterfall Bay Road as Plan B
- · Reverse clock before wildlife dusk
Open half-day plan →
Full day · early start
Cape Hauy
- · 9.4 km, Grade 3, ~4 hours, many steps
- · Fortescue via 12 km unsealed C344
- · Not Three Capes — no hut loop
- · Do not add Cape Raoul the same day
Open cape-day plan →
Booked · 4 days
Three Capes Track
- · 48 km, 4d/3n, Grade 3, max 48/day
- · Adult $650 — confirm live
- · Boat from Port Arthur, bus from Fortescue
- · No booking = walk Hauy or Raoul instead
Open booking overview →
Pick your path
What kind of Tasman day?
Filter ideas below. Fine weekends change Fortescue and Neck car parks more than they change cape wind.
First visit / late start
Eaglehawk Neck geology
Lookouts · tide · 2026 Arch works
Pavement, Blowhole, Arch/Kitchen if open. The honest Hobart half-day. Not Cape Hauy.
Signature day walk
Cape Hauy
Grade 3 · 9.4 km · ~4 hrs · Fortescue
Stone steps to the Totem Pole / Candlestick platform. Early Hobart leave. Parks Pass. C344 unsealed.
Longer, rougher cape
Cape Raoul
Grade 4 · 14 km · ~5 hrs · Stormlea
Different trailhead from Hauy. Do not stack both capes on a first Hobart day.
Booked hut walk
Three Capes Track
48 km · 4d/3n · max 48/day
Not a day-walk permit. If you cannot book, walk Hauy or Raoul on a Parks Pass.
Overnight
Fortescue Bay camping
Separate fee from Parks Pass
Book Oct–Apr; first-come May–Sep. Closest bed to Cape Hauy. Fuel-stove except designated fireplaces.
Clock failed
Left Hobart too late
Plan B — do not compress Hauy
Geology circuit instead of a 4-hour walk into dusk wildlife on C344.
Seasons
Same cliffs, different clocks
Wind and swell can flip any month. Use this as a planning snapshot, then check Parks Tasmania and BOM the morning you drive.
March–May
Autumn
Arch/Kitchen works closure runs 15 Apr–29 Sep 2026. Geology Plan B still works. Three Capes annual closure 13–26 Apr 2026 — Cape Hauy day walk not affected that window (verify).
Read more →
June–August
Winter
Shorter days, bigger swell and wind on the capes. Fortescue camping first-come May–Sep. Three Capes winter promo $485 new bookings 1 Jul–31 Aug 2026 — confirm live.
Read more →
September–November
Spring
Wildflowers on heath. Arch/Kitchen due to reopen after 29 Sep 2026 if works hold. Still pack a shell. Check bushfire alerts later in the season.
Read more →
December–February
Summer
Longer days, busier Fortescue and Neck lookouts. Book Fortescue 1 Oct–30 Apr. Fuel-stove only except designated fireplaces. Wildlife dusk still applies.
Read more →
Featured walks
Start with these three
Cape Hauy · Photo: JJ Harrison · CC BY-SA 3.0
Cape Hauy
moderateThere-and-back from Fortescue Bay through woodland and heath, then many stone steps to a viewing platform above Cape Hauy’s columns and sea stacks. Shares the last-day alignment with the Three Capes Track. Parks Pass required. Not walked for this guide — planning from Parks Tasmania.
- Grade
- Grade 3 — some bushwalking experience recommended
- Time
- 4 hours return (typical published time)
- Distance
- 9.4 km return
View guide →
Tessellated Pavement
easyFamous jointed rock platform at Eaglehawk Neck — pan and loaf formations depending on erosion along joints. Tide and spray matter. Parks Pass still applies in the national park. Pair with Blowhole (and Arch/Kitchen when those platforms reopen).
- Grade
- Short formed access — tide dependent
- Time
- 30–60 minutes plus tide timing
- Distance
- Short paths at Eaglehawk Neck
View guide →
Cape Raoul
hardFrom Stormlea Road through forest then coastal heath to Cape Raoul’s columnar cliffs. Parks Tasmania: 14 km, about 5 hours, Grade 4 — long, rough and very steep in places, limited directional signage. Different trailhead from Cape Hauy. Not walked for this guide.
- Grade
- Grade 4 — bushwalking experience recommended
- Time
- 5 hours return (typical published time)
- Distance
- 14 km return
View guide →
Park zones
Five precincts, not one loop
Neck geology, Fortescue/Hauy, Port Arthur/Remarkable Cave, Stormlea/Raoul, and the booked Three Capes product. Open an area for what not to get wrong.
Eaglehawk Neck
The first-timer peninsula circuit: Tessellated Pavement, Blowhole, Tasmans Arch, Devils Kitchen and Waterfall Bay — if the 2026 Arch/Kitchen works allow. Parks Pass required. Unsealed Blowhole Road (C338), limited parking.
Open area →
Fortescue Bay
The camping and Cape Hauy hub: unsealed C344, Parks Pass machine in the day-use car park, Banksia and Mill Creek camping (separate fee), boat ramp, token showers. Three Capes finishes here.
Open area →
Port Arthur side
South-western park access via Safety Cove Road: Remarkable Cave, Maingon Blowhole, Mount Brown, Crescent Bay. Three Capes check-in is at the Historic Site — a separate ticket from the Parks Pass.
Open area →
Cape Raoul
Grade 4 cape day from Stormlea Road. Shipstern Bluff context on this western access. Different trailhead from Fortescue.
Open area →
Three Capes
48 km, 4 days, 3 nights, Grade 3, max 48 walkers/day. Boat from Port Arthur, bus from Fortescue. Not a day-walk permit.
Open area →
Worth reading before you drive
- Three separate fees: Parks Pass, Fortescue camping, Three Capes — never one combined “park fee.”
- Arch/Kitchen closed 15 Apr–29 Sep 2026. Use Waterfall Bay Road, not the closed Devils Kitchen alignment.
- C344 12 km unsealed to Fortescue. C338 to northern sites. Stormlea for Raoul.
- Unfenced sea cliffs. Stay on formed tracks. 000 needs reception — do not invent coverage.
- Port Arthur Historic Site is a separate ticket. Never affiliated here.
- Official safety: Parks Tasmania — know before you go
Itineraries
Day plans that fit the drive
Printable timelines with packing notes and what to leave out if you run short of time.
3–5 hours on the ground (+ ~90 min each way from Hobart)
Half-day: Eaglehawk Neck geology
Tessellated Pavement, Blowhole, and — when the 2026 works allow — Tasmans Arch and Devils Kitchen. Honest Plan B if Arch/Kitchen is closed. Parks Pass required. Not Cape Hauy.
Open plan →
Full day (9.4 km return, ~4 hrs walking + Hobart drive)
Full day: Cape Hauy from Fortescue Bay
Leave Hobart early, unsealed C344 to Fortescue Bay, Parks Pass, then the Grade 3 Cape Hauy Track — 9.4 km return, about 4 hours, many stone steps, platform above the Totem Pole and Candlestick. Reverse before dusk. Not walked for this guide.
Open plan →
2 days / 1 night at Fortescue (or a Port Arthur / Eaglehawk bed)
Two days: Fortescue Bay camp + Cape Hauy
Night at Fortescue Bay campground (separate fee from Parks Pass) or a nearby commercial bed. Day 1: settle, optional Bivouac Bay or geology. Day 2: Cape Hauy with daylight margin. Book camp 1 Oct–30 Apr; first-come May–Sep.
Open plan →
Articles
Longer notes when you need them
Cape Hauy operator notes and two Plan B titles that name the failure — then verify live facts with Parks Tasmania.
12 min read
Cape Hauy operator’s guide: steps, C344 and the reverse clock
How to walk Cape Hauy as a day trip from Hobart — 9.4 km return, Grade 3, Fortescue Bay, Parks Pass, unsealed C344, and what not to stack on the same day. Desk research, not walked.
Read article →
8 min read
Plan B — Tasmans Arch and Devils Kitchen closed (2026 works)
Tasmans Arch and Devils Kitchen visitor site is closed 15 April–29 September 2026. What still works: Tessellated Pavement, Blowhole, Waterfall Bay via Waterfall Bay Road — not a gate-hop and not an automatic Cape Hauy.
Read article →
8 min read
Plan B — left Hobart too late for Cape Hauy
You left Hobart after 10am and Cape Hauy’s 4-hour return no longer fits a dusk wildlife buffer. Named failure, named Plan B: Eaglehawk Neck geology, not a compressed cape death-march.
Read article →
Free Tasman practical planner
Parks Pass vs camping vs Three Capes, C344 check, geology vs cape decision, 2026 Arch closure, packing ticks and official Parks Tasmania links — free, no email gate.
- Before-you-leave packing ticks
- Half-day Eaglehawk Neck geology vs Cape Hauy clock
- What to skip when Arch/Kitchen is closed or you left Hobart late
- Official Parks Tasmania links to verify conditions
Free direct download — no email required. Also available anytime from Maps & resources · Itineraries · Privacy.
Stays & tours
Optional stays and tours after logistics are solid. Kit searches live on the gear list. Official Parks Tasmania camping, Three Capes bookings and Parks Pass fees are never affiliated.
Nearby stays
Port Arthur · Eaglehawk Neck · Hobart
- Stays at Port ArthurClosest to Remarkable Cave, Three Capes check-in and the Historic Site
- Eaglehawk NeckNorthern geology sites and the isthmus — still a drive to Fortescue
- HobartDay-trip base — about 90 minutes each way via Sorell and the Arthur Highway
All Booking.com links open in a new tab and may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Official Fortescue camping, Parks Pass and Three Capes bookings are never affiliated.
Guided tours
Optional — useful when you do not want to drive the Arthur Highway
- Cape Hauy guided hike
- Cape Raoul wilderness cruise
- Tasman Island 3-hour cruise
- Browse more Tasman Peninsula / Port Arthur tours
A tour does not replace checking Parks Tasmania alerts, weather, or cliff safety yourself.
Some stay, tour and gear links may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Parks Pass fees, Fortescue Bay camping fees and official Three Capes / Parks Tasmania bookings are never affiliated. Affiliate disclosure · Privacy
FAQ
Common Tasman questions
Short answers for planning. Check Parks Tasmania for fees, alerts and track status before you travel.
Tap a question to expand the answer.
Do I need a Parks Pass for Tasman National Park?
Yes. A Tasmania Parks Pass is required park-wide. There is no separate “lookout ticket.” Fortescue camping and Three Capes bookings are separate fee systems. Verify current prices at passes.parks.tas.gov.au. Daily Pass planning figures commonly published: $49.15/vehicle (up to 8), $24.55/person; children under 5 free — confirm live.
How long from Hobart to Tasman National Park?
About 90 minutes via Sorell (A3) then the Arthur Highway (A9) in light traffic. No useful public transport to Cape Hauy. Add a dusk wildlife buffer on the return.
What should I do first on a first visit?
If time or fitness is limited: Eaglehawk Neck geology (Tessellated Pavement, Blowhole; Arch/Kitchen only if the 2026 works allow). If you can leave Hobart early and handle Grade 3 steps: Cape Hauy from Fortescue Bay (9.4 km, ~4 hrs). Do not stack both capes and a full Port Arthur Historic Site ticket.
Are Tasmans Arch and Devils Kitchen open?
Parks Tasmania alert (reviewed 18 August 2026): visitor site closed 15 April to 29 September 2026. Waterfall Bay from Devils Kitchen stays closed; use Waterfall Bay Road. Re-check alerts — end dates move.
Is Cape Hauy the Three Capes Track?
No. Three Capes is a booked 48 km, 4-day/3-night Grade 3 walk (max 48/day). Cape Hauy is a Parks Pass day walk from Fortescue that shares the last-day alignment with finishers.
Is Port Arthur Historic Site included in the Parks Pass?
No. It is a separate paid attraction. Cruises from the Historic Site are not Cape Hauy and not a Parks Pass substitute.
Is this site official Parks Tasmania?
No. This is an independent unofficial guide published by Farming Domains (Ian Piggott). For alerts, fees, camping and bookings use Parks & Wildlife Service Tasmania only. No public email on this site.