Cape Raoul Track

Guide updated 26 Aug 2026 · verify live track status with Parks Tasmania

From 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.

Decision summary

Best for: A longer, harder cape day than Hauy — dolerite cliffs, platforms and ocean scale
Skip if: You wanted Grade 3 steps from a campground, or a half-day from Hobart with Port Arthur still on the list.
Time needed: 5 hours return (typical published time)
Dogs: Not in the national park (Parks Tasmania rules). Assistance animals follow official policy — do not assume township streets equal park tracks.
Kids: Not a default kids’ walk. Cliff exposure plus Grade 4 distance is the filter.
Entry / booking catch: Parks Pass required. No extra day-walk permit. Not included in a Three Capes booking.
Today’s alerts: Check Parks Tasmania alerts (not this page)

Planning from official Parks Tasmania notes and published logistics — not a field-walk diary for this URL. Confirm signed distances and open/closed status on the day.

Do not pair: Do not stack Cape Raoul with Cape Hauy or Three Capes on the same day. Geology sites or a boat cruise are different products.

Turnaround: Reverse at will. The cliff-edge surprise early in the walk is a valid “this is enough” moment.

Treating Cape Raoul as “the other Cape Hauy” and starting after a Port Arthur morning — 14 km Grade 4 does not fit that clock.
Pairing Raoul and Hauy the same day from two trailheads an hour of peninsula driving apart.

Grade 4 — bushwalking experience recommended
5 hours return (typical published time)
14 km return
Effort: hard
Best for: A longer, harder cape day than Hauy — dolerite cliffs, platforms and ocean scale

Distance, grade, time and open/closed status change — verify on Parks Tasmania before you go.

Official Parks Tasmania info (verify status)

Cape Raoul from the lookout, Tasman National Park, Tasmania — Cape Raoul from the lookoutPhoto: JJ Harrison · CC BY-SA 3.0

Where you start

Stormlea Road trailhead

Leave the Arthur Highway near Nubeena via Highcroft Road, which becomes Stormlea Road. This is not Fortescue Bay and not Port Arthur’s day-use car park. Confirm the signed trailhead on the official Cape Raoul page.

How to get there

Hobart → Sorell → Arthur Highway. Near Nubeena take Highcroft / Stormlea Road to the signed Cape Raoul track start.
Parks Pass required. No public transport.
Do not assume the same unsealed-road story as C344 — check the official getting-there notes for this access.

How to do it (step by step)

Start at the Stormlea trailhead. The walk begins as forest then opens to cliff-edge country that can surprise people who expected a lookout stroll.
Continue on the refurbished track through heath and light forest. The cliffs stay close. Take lunch. Reverse the same way.
Shipstern Bluff is a related coastal destination on this side of the peninsula — it is not an automatic add-on to a 14 km Grade 4 return.

What to expect

Official notes: about 14 km return, 5 hours, Grade 4. Tracks may be long, rough and very steep. Directional signage may be limited. Supervise children; hazardous cliffs; unprotected edges.

The refurbished track climbs through open forest to a cliff edge that can take walkers by surprise, then stays near those cliffs through heath and light forest. Lunch at the cape views is the point — not a hut, not a loop.

Logistics

Access is Highcroft / Stormlea Road from the Arthur Highway near Nubeena — not C344, not Blowhole Road. Parks Pass. Fuel and a last shop belong in Nubeena or earlier, not at the trailhead.

This is the secondary signature day walk. Cape Hauy is the primary if you have one cape slot. Raoul is the “we have a full day and Grade 4 legs” choice.

Hazards and reverse

Cliff exposure, distance, weather. No tidal crossing on the graded walk. No snow on this coastal track. Reverse whenever energy, wind or daylight says so.

Packing list (shell, grip, water) lives on the gear hub— not as a merch wall on every walk. Pairing and Plan B: plan your visit · Arch/Kitchen closed Plan B.

Map (orientation)

Pin may be approximate. Confirm trailheads, parking and track status on Parks Tasmania before you drive.

Interactive map — pin may be approximate. Confirm trailheads and road status before you drive.

Open in Google Maps Get directions

Extra tips

Harder and longer than Cape Hauy. If you only have one cape day from Hobart, Hauy is the usual first-timer pick.
Carry more water and a warmer layer than the car park suggests.
Turn around when the group is done — the cape does not award bonus points for finishing on empty legs.

Often paired with Cape Hauy— only if energy and weather allow.

Area guide: Cape Raoul & Stormlea · Maps pin

Nearby stays (optional)

After the walk plan is solid: Port Arthur / Eaglehawk Neck / Hobart beds if you still need them. Kit searches live on the gear hub. Official Fortescue camping, Parks Pass and Three Capes bookings are never affiliated. Guided tours live on the Tours hub.

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

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