Tasman National Park

The Tasman National Park covers the southern end of the Tasman Peninsula, around 90 minutes drive south-east of Hobart. The park was declared in 1999 and protects 107 square kilometres of coastal heath, eucalypt forest and dolerite sea cliffs that include the highest sea cliffs in the southern hemisphere. Cape Hauy and Cape Pillar both rise more than 300 metres directly out of the Tasman Sea, with vertical drops to crashing surf below.

The park is best known for the Three Capes Track, a four day, three night, fully serviced walk that runs 48 kilometres from Port Arthur to Fortescue Bay via Cape Pillar, Cape Hauy and Cape Raoul. Walkers stay in three architect-designed huts (Surveyors Cabin, Munro Cabin and Retakunna Cabin) that are widely regarded as some of the best multi-day walking accommodation in Australia. The track is bookable through the Parks and Wildlife Service and walker numbers are capped to protect the environment. Bookings open in May for the following walking season (October to April).

For day visitors, the road-accessible attractions cluster around the village of Eaglehawk Neck, the narrow isthmus that connects the Tasman Peninsula to the Tasmanian mainland. Tessellated Pavement, just south of the village, is a flat sandstone platform broken into a pattern of rectangular tiles by joint erosion that looks completely artificial. Tasman Arch, the Devils Kitchen and the Blowhole are all sea-cut formations within a few hundred metres of each other and are reached by a short sealed walking circuit.

The park is part of the Australian Convict Sites UNESCO World Heritage listing because of its proximity to the Port Arthur Historic Site and the use of Eaglehawk Neck as the famous dog line escape barrier in the convict era. The park is open year-round and entry is included in the Tasmania Parks Pass.

Most visitors combine a day in the park with a visit to Port Arthur. Whale watching from the cliffs at Tasman Arch is reliable from June to October as humpbacks migrate along the east coast, and the Cape Raoul lookout is one of the best sea-cliff sunrises in the country.