What to Expect on a Luxury Maria Island Guided Walk

A Maria Island guided walk with Wild Bush Luxury is more than just a hike through Tasmania’s wilderness – it’s a journey that combines coastal landscapes, wildlife encounters and bush comfort in one of Australia’s most pristine island environments.

We have done several multi-day hikes in Tasmania, Australia’s Southern State, including The Overland Track and the Three Capes Walk. We loved them both, so were really looking forward to doing a Maria Island guided walk.

The thing I was most excited about with this walk was the anticipated wildlife encounters. Maria Island is a National Park and has no vehicles on it, except for the ones Park Rangers use, so the Australian native wildlife thrives there. Top of my wish list was to see wombats roaming in the wild, I had heard that sightings are guaranteed.

For the Maria Island walk, the Wild Bush Luxury company pick up and drop off from Hobart, which is where I will begin.

Pick up and Meeting Point

If you haven’t been to Tasmania before, Hobart is a great city to stay in as a base for exploring the state a little more. I highly recommend that you extend your stay in Hobart before or after your Maria Island walk and explore a little! I have been to Hobart many times and have a few accommodation recommendations.

Where to Stay in Hobart

For this trip, we wanted to stay right in the heart of Hobart because we arrived on New Years Eve and there is a lot of action going on in Hobart around that time. The Sydney to Hobart yacht race is just finishing up and all the yachts are on display in Constitution Dock. The Taste of Summer (formerly Tastes of Tasmania) festival is on and of course the fireworks display to see in the New Year, happens out in Sullivans Cove.

The Moss Hotel

For these reasons we chose to stay in the Moss Hotel, right on Salamanca Place. We loved this hotel! There are actually two Moss Hotels on Salamanca Place one at number 25 and one at number 39 – we stayed at number 39.

The interior and decor of the Moss Hotel take inspiration from its name, Moss. Think dark greens, moody and earthy, with nods to the area’s history.

The cost was actually quite reasonable considering its very central location, with shops, markets and restaurants right on the doorstep. We have stayed in hotels right in the centre of all the action before and they can get quite noisy. We were surprised how quiet the rooms were, even being located next to the festival with live music. Having said that we loved the music so opened the doors and enjoyed listening to it from our balcony, as well as being able to watch the midnight fireworks!

MacQ 01 Hotel

We have also stayed at MacQ 01, located on the other side of Constitution Dock. This place is pretty special, a little more expensive but worth it.

The hotel is decorated with artworks and furnishings that tell the story of Hobart’s history, and each room and suite is named after an historical figure. The premium waterfront suites on the top floor have magnificent terraces with views of the harbour, perfect for sundowners with a small group of friends.

Restaurants and bars on the ground floor offer excellent dining options all with waterfront views. Not sure if they still play there, but the band we had for our Tasmanian wedding –The Foley Artists – played at MacQ regularly. Don’t miss them if they are playing, they are fantastic!

Boxwood IXL Apartments

The Boxwood IXL Apartments are directly across the road from MacQ and offers spacious apartments, which was perfect for us when we were traveling with our kids. It was originally the site of the IXL jam factory and it, along with the Henry Jones Art hotel next door, still retain much of the original structure. Centrally located between these hotels is a large glass atrium, which makes it a bit of a cultural hub and meeting place. Again, it is very central and within easy walking distance to all of Hobart’s attractions.

You really can’t go wrong staying in central Hobart, click the link for some other accommodation options to look at.

Things to Do While in Hobart

There is so much to see and do in Hobart and surrounds, that I wrote a whole blog post about it! So, if you plan to extend your stay in Hobart before or after you do the Maria Island guided walk, have a read of my Hobart blog post.

Transfer to Maria Island

The Wild Bush Luxury mini-van will pick you up from outside your hotel at a time that will be communicated to you soon after booking. As we had been staying in Hobart for a few days before our Maria Island walk began, we were grateful that Wild Bush Luxury offered to store our luggage that we wouldn’t need on our walk. Speaking of what you need on the walk, if you are like me, you are probable wondering, what exactly do you need to pack?

What to Pack for a Maria Island Guided Walk

Clothing list as per Wild Bush Luxury website and correspondence includes:

• good hiking boots
• thongs or light shoes for around camp
• socks
• lightweight hiking shorts
• long hiking pants
• a few t-shirts
• thermal layer
• rain jacket
• fleece
• hat
• sunnies – the beaches are glary
• pair of swimmers
• beanie and gloves
• 1 lightweight comfortable outfit for around camp
• toiletries (only essentials like toothbrush and toothpaste, deodorant and medications – all other toiletries supplied)
• camera/phone – not a lot of signal for phone use, except to take photos. Also, no power points in the bush camps for charging, so a portable battery may be handy.
• towel – one for showers at the bush camp (Bernacchi house has towels supplied) and one for swimming if you intend to brave the chilly water
• a pack if you have one, with a water bladder – if you don’t have a pack, one will be supplied

Things you won’t need to bring because they are supplied include:

• linen – sleeping bags and liners plus pillows and cases are provided
• shampoo and body wash in Bernacchi house – in the bush it is preferred no soap is used, just a rinse off (it’s only 2 nights!)
• snacks – lots of food provided – you won’t go hungry!
• sunblock and insect repellent – but if you like a particular brand, bring it
• waterproof pack cover
• pack and rain jacket if you don’t have your own
• medical kit – guides carry everything including blister care and bandages etc
• head lamp
• day packs

After completing the hotel pick-ups, we were transported to their head office for an introduction to our guides, equipment check, collecting our lunch and snacks for day 1, as well as a safety briefing.

Triabunna Marina

From the central Hobart head office, we hopped back into the mini-van for the scenic hour and a half transfer to Triabunna, where a boat was waiting to take us across the Mercury Passage to the Southern part of Maria Island. It was here that our walk would begin.

The boat ride was pretty smooth; I wouldn’t worry too much about getting seasick. However, if you are prone to getting seasick, ginger tablets etc are on offer at check-in at the head office.

Day 1 Maria Island guided Walk -Shoal Bay to Casuarina Beach Camp

The first lesson of the walk begins as soon as you get off the boat! How to put your hiking boots back on after wading through shallow water, without getting sand on your feet?!? Not easy, but achievable with a buddy to lean on.

Once boots are back on, the Maria Island guided walk begins, with a gentle 8km beach walk. We ate our prepacked lunch on the beach before making our way into our first Bush camp for the night.

This was a lovely gentle introduction to the walk, a pace that allowed everyone to talk and get to know each other a little. I loved that our group wasn’t too large, with just 9 guests on our hike plus the 2 guides. Shout out to Ollie and Chris, our amazing guides, who looked after us from beginning to end….but I will talk more about them later.

Haunted Bay

Don’t relax just yet though….the day is not done! When you get to camp, you have the opportunity to drop your big packs off and grab a small day pack for an afternoon hike. Guests can choose between heading to Haunted Bay or to Robey’s Farm. We chose Haunted Bay and after a gentle steady uphill walk, we reached our destination. Beautiful! Discussion abounded on why it got the name, but unlikely to do with actual ghosts. 👻😁

I’m not great with inclines, so this part of the walk got my heartrate up a bit, but it wasn’t bad. The guides have a way of allowing you to catch up without making it obvious that they are waiting for you. Sharing a little bit of bush botany, they show the group a particular plant or animal, with a pause just long enough for me to catch up! I appreciated not being made to feel like I was holding up the group.

The walk back to camp was a gentle descent …. much more to my liking! The guests that went to Robey’s farm reported being impressed with what they saw there too.

Wild Bush Luxury Camp

I loved the simplicity of the bush camps and how everything is designed for minimal environmental impact.

The Tents

The bush camps are what I imagine a safari camp would be like. Each tent is separated from others by a little bit of bush. Timber duckboards lead to each tent, reducing the amount of sand and dirt that seems to find its way inside. Two single beds in each, with a foam topping and sleeping bags. A couple of deck chairs are supplied if you wish to relax with a book, but mostly everyone gathered around the dining room and chatted.

The dining room has all that you would expect and the guides do all the cooking and cleaning. What I loved was the bush shower.

Bush Showers

As I mentioned previously, the showers in the bush are really just to wash off the day’s dirt – as we say at school ‘In, out, don’t muck about!’ Let me explain. There are 2 showers and 2 long drop toilets at each camp – the toilets have doors, but the showers do not. I loved the open shower, looking out at the bush while you rinse off.

The guides boil up some water for you and then place it in a tub. Each guest takes their tub to the laundry room and adds enough cold water to make it a suitable temperature. That tub is then carried to the shower and emptied into the shower bucket (which you lower and raise with a pulley). Once you turn the valve the water in bucket is released through a shower head. When the bucket is empty, the shower is over! You only really have a couple of minutes, so get yourself ready first.

At our second camp, I was waiting to use the shower and had just been poured a lovely cold glass of bubbles, when a shower became available. I was torn between taking the shower or finishing my bubbles. Our lovely guide suggested I do both and take my bubbles to the shower – genius! However, I did mention how short the showers were…. it was an exercise in determination to get a photo of the glass in the shower before the water ran out! This is the best I could do!

Meals

The meals were delicious! All dietary requirements are catered for and each meal is freshly prepared by the guides each night. At the end of a day’s walk, cold drinks and nibbles are spread out on the deck for everyone to enjoy. Lunch for the day is also freshly prepared and each guest packs their lunch box into their pack and refills their own water bladders.

Breakfasts had hot and cold options available including porridge and pancakes as well as cereals etc. Most importantly, plenty of plunger coffee on offer!

Day 2 Maria Island guided Walk – Casuarina Beach Camp to White Gums Camp

Day 2 of the Maria Island guided walk is affectionately called the 5 beaches day. Guests are challenged to have a swim at each beach. No guesses as to whether I took up the challenge – no chance, the water in Tassie is freezing!

The second days walk is a bit longer than the first, at 13 kms. We walked along stunning beach after stunning beach, some guests stopping for a quick swim, before we headed inland for our lunch stop at Frenchs Farm.

It was here that I was hoping to spot my first wombat because thus far they had eluded me. No joy 😢To be fair, it was quite hot and if I was a wombat, I wouldn’t be wandering around out in the heat either if I could help it.

Maria Island’s Convict History

After lunch we continued our walk, stopping for a little afternoon tea at some convict ruins on the island. Maria Island’s convict history is pretty dark. Convicts were sent here as punishment for secondary offenders to do hard labour – quarrying limestone, cutting timber and making bricks. If there was nothing to do, often they were ordered to move a large pile of rocks from one place to another for no other reason than to simply keep them busy. Random piles of rocks can still be seen around the island.

As a penal settlement it failed, and became a probation station in 1842, earning itself a reputation as one of the harshest convict stations in Tasmania. Now it is a beautiful National Park, but evidence of its convict history is everywhere.

A few blisters had started to form on my feet by the time we reached our day 2 destination, White Gums Camp. It felt so good kicking those boots off at the end of the day! I can report that only 2 guests and one guide completed the 5 beaches challenge – I was not one of them.

Dinner at the White Gums bush camp was a delicious BBQ with a hearty soup for an entree. Inquisitive potoroos were seen scurrying around camp….still no wombats though!

Day 3 – Maria Island Guided Walk – White Gums Camp to Darlington

I think this was hands down my favourite day of the walk. If you choose not to do the optional Bishop & Clerk or Mt Maria hike it is around 9kms or 17 kms if you do.

Morning itinerary

From White Gums Camp it was an easy walk into the main township of Darlington. We passed more evidence of the islands convict past along the way, stopping to see where some limestone blocks had been quarried, with large cut limestone blocks scattered on the coastline.

As we crested the summit of a hill overlooking Darlington, our guide gave us a brief history lesson on the cottages and structures we could see.

Making our way leisurely to our digs for the night, the gorgeous heritage listed Bernacchi house, I spotted my first wombat! Little did I know what was in store for me later in the afternoon!

Again, we dropped our heavy packs, grabbed a light day pack and headed for a picnic lunch spot. On the way, we saw an echidna, Cape Barren geese, kangaroos and wallabies – I was loving it! Our lunch spot was magnificent, overlooking towering cliffs with the famous Bishop & Clerk peak in the distance.

Afternoon Itinerary

Bishop & Clerk Hike

After lunch, the group split. Those wanting to do a mountain hike (again, not me!) voted on which peak they wanted to tackle. The vote was unanimous for Bishop & Clerk with an elevation of 599 metres. The reasoning being that B & C had multiple opportunities to appreciate the view without having to climb to the very top if you didn’t want to. Whereas, with Mt Maria, it is all or nothing, with an elevation of 711 metres. Most of the group left to climb Bishop & Clerk, but myself and another guest opted to head back to Bernacchi house and then to the Painted Cliffs.

The Painted Cliffs

On the walk back though…I spotted an animal I knew lived on the island but had little hope of seeing – a Tasmanian Devil! Luckily, I already had my camera turned on and the lens cap off, so was able to snap a few quick photos before it disappeared under a building! Amazing!

The tide times were on our side, and we were able to access the painted cliffs in the early afternoon. I will let the pictures do the talking here but they were quite fascinating to see. As a result of iron oxides in the sandstone and the slow percolating of rainwater through the cracks and layers, combined with erosion from the sea, the cliffs are like a giant canvas of patterns and colours. I probably spent way too long here, taking way too many photos, but it was beautiful.

We went back to our accommodation for a lovely shower before the Bishop & Clerk hikers returned.

Bernacchi House – Accommodation in Darlington

This heritage listed house, dates back to 1880. It has been refurbished but retains its character beautifully. Maybe it was the oh so lovely hot shower, or the super comfy bed, or maybe I was just exhausted, but I had the best sleep here!

We were enjoying a nice cup of tea out the back when I looked up and couldn’t believe my eyes! A huge wombat was just walking past our little table, up and around the corner he went, all the way down the garden path! He was not bothered by us at all. All my wombat dreams had come true! What a day!

Dinner that night was bittersweet, our last together. Again, the food was superb, conversation flowed and my photo of the Tassie devil was a big hit!

Day 4 – Maria Island Guided Walk – Darlington to Hobart

Morning itinerary

After breakfast and a quick pack up, our last morning was left to us to spend at our leisure.

The tide wasn’t low enough for everyone to see the painted cliffs – only those that were willing to be up and on the road by 6am! I’m glad I saw them the day before. We chose to walk around the northern tip of the island to see the fossil cliffs. These cliffs are packed with visible fossils – including shells, corals and other sea creatures that lived around 300 million years ago when the area lay beneath a shallow sea.

We walked around past the island’s cemetery, iconic cement silos, and explored some of Darlington’s other sites, before meeting the others for lunch outside the ruins of the Religious Instructors House.

Exploring Darlington

Darlington is the tiny, historic main township of Maria Island and if you head over on a day trip from Hobart, this is where you will land. The settlement is home to beautifully preserved 19th century convict buildings as well as a campground and wandering native wildlife. Make sure you spend some time exploring Darlington and surrounds, it’s a real step back in time.

The Cemetery

The Darlington cemetery is set just beyond the main settlement and holds simple headstones and unmarked graves of convicts, soldiers, women and children who lived and died here in the 19th century. Surrounded by open grassland and views out to the Tasman Sea, it is a peaceful and poignant site well worth a visit.

The Coffee Palace

Originally built as a grand temperance hotel, the Coffee Palace in Darlington, was built in 1888. During a brief tourist boom, it offered genteel seaside holidays, without alcohol…. pretty sure that is the main reason it wasn’t very successful.

Today it stands as a reminder of the island’s post-convict era, with its elegant facade and Victorian interior, it is well worth a wander through.

The Cement Works and Commissariat Store

The tall cement silos stand out starkly against the blue waters of the bay and are a relic from Maria Island’s industrial past. Built in the early 1920’s when limestone was quarried on the island, they stored raw materials and finished cement before it was shipped to mainland Tasmania. Today the silos are empty, and you can stand inside the base of them, let out a cooee and hear the echo.

One of the oldest surviving buildings in Darlington is the Commissariat store. Constructed from local sandstone, it originally housed food, clothing and supplies for the penal station. Over time it has served various purposes including a logistical hub for the island’s shore-based whaling operations. Today, it is a visitor information centre with exhibits explaining the island’s convict history, historical displays and videos about the island’s Tasmanian Devil relocation program.

Ruins of Cottages and once Grand Buildings

Scattered around Darlington are the atmospheric ruins of old cottages and buildings. Their crumbling walls hint of the lives that once lived on this remote island outpost. Often there is an accompanying plaque that shows an image of the building in its original glory, along with a little history of the building.

Lunch

Our final lunch was on the steps of the historic Religious Instructor’s house, with magnificent views across the bay out to the Tasman Sea. We constructed our own ham and salad rolls, popped a cork and toasted to a wonderful 4 days in a truly beautiful part of the world.

Transfer back to Hobart

Unlike the other guests, we were heading from Triabunna straight to the airport for our evening flight home. Our stored luggage was waiting for us in the mini-van. Lots of weary passengers were enjoying a bit of shut eye on the drive back into Hobart. We said goodbye to our new-found friends and our wonderful guides at the airport, spent the remaining time looking at photos and reflecting on successfully tackling another great Australian walk – we do love them!

Did the Maria Island Guided Walk Meet My Expectations?

I have to say, I had pretty high expectations for this walk because of the many wonderful things I had heard about it. I was not disappointed.

Australian Native Wildlife Encounters

This was the thing I was most excited about, and the wildlife encounters exceeded my expectations. I will admit, I was starting to worry around the day 2 mark, as we had only spotted a wallaby near the beach and a few potoroos in camp. Thankfully, no snakes were seen…. I can do without seeing that kind of wildlife.

Darlington made up for everything, with wildlife in abundance!

The Guides and Level of Service

I think I say this after every guided walk we do – the guides are amazing! I think this is a walk you could do yourself if you wanted to, but the knowledge the guides share about the National Park is something you just can’t replace.

Thankyou Wild Bush Luxury and to Chris and Ollie for your hospitality, care, cooking skills, knowledge and professionalism. We were so well looked after, even when my husband had a little stack! Ollie, who has medical training, patched him right up and he was as good as gold.

Level of Difficulty

A year ago, I tackled the Overland Track, and it was probably the hardest walk I have ever done. This walk is relatively easy compared to that one. Having said that, I am a year older and just turned 57 before we did the walk. The beauty of this walk is that you can opt out of the difficult parts of the walk if you want i.e. Bishop & Clerk or Mt Maria. It will still get your heart rate up a bit, but it won’t exhaust you.

Value for Money

During peak season, which is between 25th Dec and 30th April, it is a little more expensive obviously. At $3350AUD each, it is comparable to the cost of other guided walks in Australia, although creeping towards the higher end. For that price though, everything is included. You really don’t have to worry about any additional costs like tipping or transfers.

If reading this blog post has piqued your interest in doing a Maria Island Guided Walk, then I encourage you to get in touch with Wild Bush Luxury, you won’t be disappointed. Tell them I sent you!

Maria Island as a Day Trip

If you can’t swing a multi-day hike but would still like to see Maria Island, day trips are available with pick up from either Hobart or from Triabunna. You would only have time to explore Darlington and surrounds on a day trip, but there is so much to see in the main town that it would be a wonderful experience for a day.

Remember there are campgrounds in Darlington, so camping is also an option for a longer stay. Here is the Maria Island National Park website for further information.