Overland Track
The Overland Track is a 65 km point-to-point alpine bushwalk in Tasmania that runs through Cradle Mountain–Lake St Clair National Park, with the usual start at Ronny Creek (Cradle Mountain) and finish at Cynthia Bay (Lake St Clair). Most walkers take 5–6 days heading north to south, and many finish with the track’s commonly used completion option at Narcissus Bay before continuing onward across Lake St Clair.
Terrain and route character are built around Tasmania’s central highlands: glacial valleys and alpine plateau country north of Cradle Mountain give way to temperate rainforest, eucalypt forest, buttongrass plains, and alpine meadows through the middle and southern sections. The highest point sits on the alpine plateau between Marions Lookout and Kitchen Hut (1,250 m), and the lowest mapped point is the Forth River crossing (720 m).
The route is managed as a serious multi-day walk rather than a casual hike: there’s no road access through the middle of the track, so you carry your own food and equipment for the full journey. Hut and camping are part of the experience—there are six main public huts plus private commercial huts—and for planning purposes you should assume you’ll use your tent some nights.
Day-by-day structure commonly used by walkers breaks the track into distinct valley-and-plains segments (for example: Cradle Valley to Waterfall Valley; Waterfall Valley to Lake Windermere; Lake Windermere to Pelion; Pelion to Kia Ora; Kia Ora to Windy Ridge). The segment variety is reflected in the major landscape transitions: moorland/buttongrass and forests by day, with exposed alpine plateau sections on higher ground.
Weather and preparedness matter on this trek. Conditions can shift quickly with severe cold, wet, and windy weather possible at any time of year, and deaths have occurred when people weren’t properly prepared. The track’s conditions have historically varied with erosion and mud impacts, and modern management includes measures like duckboarding on vulnerable areas to keep the surface passable.
The Overland Track has been in development and use since the early 1930s—blazed in 1931, consolidated and used by independent walking parties by 1935, and officially named the Overland Track by 1937. It’s within a Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area, and the popularity is managed through a booking system and season-based operating rules.
More information: Wikipedia, Overland Track | Parks & Wildlife Service Tasmania, A novice trekker's guide to the Overland Track - Intrepid Travel