Guided walks

A Day walking in the Wilderness

A lot of people hear about the wonderful wilderness that Tasmania has to offer and for some that can involve overnight trekking and having a high degree of fitness. Not so when it comes to our walks. We know that you might not want to spend all your holiday getting tired and perhaps cold or exhausted. The Priory is well positioned for some great day walks. Our tours are conducted by Jenny and Graham McLean who operate Tasmanian Wilderness Experiences - leaders in their field, and with an extensive knowledge of the region's plants, vegetation and geology.

Itinerary & tour description

Our park access road gains approximately 1000m of elevation in the 14km drive to our start point at Lake Dobson. From Lake Dobson we come face to face with the endemic pandanis (Richea pandanifolia), yellow gums (E. johnstonii), the deciduous fagus or beech (Nothofagus gunnii) and numerous species of mountain berries. After the climb to the Tarn Shelf (a glacier-scoured “shelf” with exquisite shallow tarns) we walk to Lake Newdegate and then climb through dwarf mountain pines and pencil pines to the boggy Newdegate Pass and on to K Col. The character of the walk changes here as we reach an elevation of about 1200m – plants become lower and stunted, the remarkable bolster (or cushion) plants appear, and we become aware of the bleak surroundings.

We’ll lunch at the Peterson Hut above K Col and enjoy spectacular views across to Florentine Peak (1376m) and the mountains further west of the park before climbing the horizontal bands of dolerite scree boulders barring our path before traversing the ridge-top of the Rodway Range. This provides more spectacular views either side of the range to the nearby peaks, and even a glimpse of Mt Wellington in the far distance. The jumble of boulders becomes even more chaotic, and we enter the extraordinary “Lions Den” – a short canyon on the ridge crest composed of massive blocks of shattered dolerite strewn in wild confusion – a thoroughly unexpected sight when we come upon it and not quickly forgotten! Leaving the Lions Den we then encounter one of Mt Field’s ski tows and descend from the range through a magnificent stunted forest of snow gums and yellow gums to culminate in the short Urquart Track to our finish at Lake Dobson among the scoparias (Richea scoparia) and pandanis before rejoining our bus.

The cost for the tour is $200 for individual or for a small group.
Light energising lunches can be provided.