How to book the Overland Track, why peak departures sell out on opening day, and how to catch a cancellation when a sold-out start date frees up again.
About
The Overland Track is Tasmania's best-known multi-day walk and, by the Parks and Wildlife Service's own description, Australia's premier alpine walk. It runs one way through the heart of Cradle Mountain–Lake St Clair National Park, inside the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area, from Ronny Creek near Cradle Mountain to Narcissus at the northern end of Lake St Clair.
Along the way you cross glacial valleys, rainforest, eucalypt forest, buttongrass plains and alpine meadows, with side trips to waterfalls and summits including Mount Ossa (1617 m), the highest peak in Tasmania. Almost half the track sits above 1000 metres on exposed plateaus, and PWS grades it 4: bushwalking experience recommended, and tracks that can be long, rough and very steep. Severe weather can hit in any month, summer included.
The huts
The track is 65 km from Ronny Creek to Narcissus, and most walkers take six days. Some take seven or more, spending two nights at a hut to fit in summit side trips, or walking the extra 17.5 km along Lake St Clair to the visitor centre at Cynthia Bay instead of catching the ferry.
The standard six-day itinerary from the PWS walk notes:
- Day 1: Ronny Creek to Waterfall Valley, 10.7 km, 4–6 hours. Waterfall Valley Hut sleeps 34, with 4 tent platforms and overflow camping on grass.
- Day 2: Waterfall Valley to Lake Windermere, 7.8 km, 2.5–3.5 hours. The hut sleeps 34, with 8 tent platforms.
- Day 3: Lake Windermere to Pelion, 16.8 km, 5–7 hours. This is the long day. Pelion Hut sleeps 36, with one tent platform (room for 3 tents) and overflow camping on grass.
- Day 4: Pelion to Kia Ora, 8.6 km, 3–4 hours, over Pelion Gap. Kia Ora Hut sleeps 34, with 9 tent platforms.
- Day 5: Kia Ora to Windy Ridge (Bert Nichols Hut), 9.6 km, 3.5–4.5 hours, passing the historic Du Cane Hut, which is for emergencies only.
- Day 6: Windy Ridge to Narcissus, 9 km, 3–4 hours. Narcissus Hut sleeps 18, with 4 tent platforms.
The huts can't be booked. They work on a first-come, first-served basis and have bunks without mattresses, composting toilets, rainwater tanks and communal cooking areas. There are no showers, no hot water and no cooking gear. Because a hut may be full when you arrive, PWS requires every walker to carry a tent, so expect to sleep in it on some nights. The whole World Heritage Area is fuel stove only, and PWS says to boil or treat tank water before drinking it.
Hiking notes
- PWS suggests a 75-litre pack weighing about 18 kg, including at least 2 litres of water, carried for up to 7 hours a day.
- Popular side trips include Cradle Mountain summit, Barn Bluff, Mount Ossa (5.2 km, 4–5 hours return from Pelion Gap) and the waterfalls near Du Cane.
- Keep food sealed, in your pack, inside your tent: possums chew through both.
- PWS doesn't recommend the track for children under 8.
How booking works
From 1 October to 31 May you need a booked departure date and an Overland Track Pass, and you must walk north to south, from Cradle Mountain to Lake St Clair. Your booking is for the departure date only. Once you have it, you're booked for the whole walk, so you don't need availability on the later nights.
- Capacity: up to 34 independent walkers can depart on any given day.
- Group size: up to 8 people per booking.
- Fees: PWS lists the Overland Track Pass at A$312 per adult and A$272 per child (17 and under) or concession. Fees are reviewed each year in line with CPI. During the booking season the fee covers park entry for the length of your walk and the shuttle bus from the Cradle Mountain Visitor Centre to the track start, so you don't need a separate parks pass for the walk itself. You do need one if you visit other parts of the park before or after, or walk outside the booking season.
- Opening day: bookings for each season open on the first Tuesday in July at 9:00 am (AEST). An online waiting room opens at 8:00 am, and at 9:00 am everyone in it is placed in the queue in random order; later arrivals join the back. No phone bookings on opening day.
Changes and cancellations, from the PWS terms and conditions:
- You can move your departure to another date within the same walking season, subject to availability, by contacting the booking team.
- If you cancel 14 days or more before departure, a 25% cancellation fee applies. If you cancel less than 14 days before, you get no refund.
- For illness or injury, PWS may offer another date or a full refund with a medical certificate. That refund covers only the sick walker, one accompanying adult, and any children in their care.
- Weather alone doesn't get you a refund. The exception is a Bureau of Meteorology Bushwalkers Weather Alert for the Central Plateau district, when you can choose to move your date or ask for a full refund.
- You can't transfer whole bookings, but you can substitute an individual walker. Submit substitutions 14 days before departure.
When it sells out
With only 34 departures a day and one booking day for the whole season, demand piles up on opening day in July. PWS itself says your best chance of getting your preferred dates is to book on opening day, and warns about long queues.
But plans change and injuries happen over the months between July and departure, and every cancelled place goes back into the system. A date that sold out in July can open up again later.
How to get a cancellation
PWS says plainly that there is no waitlist for the Overland Track. When someone cancels, the booking site updates in real time and the spot goes to whoever books it first. Their advice is to check your preferred departure dates regularly and to stay flexible on dates.
Checking regularly works, but it's tedious, and a freed-up place for a peak date doesn't last long. Aussie Camp Alerts does the checking for you. Pick the departure dates you'd take, and we'll alert you when one of them goes from sold out to available. Watch the Overland Track to set it up.
A few tips that improve your chances:
- Watch a range of dates, not just one. Each departure date is booked separately, so a wider window gives you more chances.
- Keep an eye out before the 14-day mark. After that a cancellation earns no refund, so walkers who can't go have good reason to cancel earlier.
- Have your walker details ready: names, dates of birth and state or country of origin for everyone, plus a Visa or Mastercard.
The free plan covers one live watch with email alerts, sent 15 minutes after an opening is found. If you're juggling several dates, the Summer pass (A$29 once, for 12 months) gives up to 10 watches with instant email, Telegram and web push alerts.
Getting there
Start: the Cradle Mountain Visitor Centre. After check-in, take the shuttle bus to Ronny Creek, about 7 km away (included in your Overland Track fee during the season), and sign in at the walker registration booth. You must collect your pass by 1:30 pm on the departure day (12:30 pm in April and May), or after 3:00 pm the day before.
Finish: most walkers end at Narcissus Hut and take the privately run ferry across Lake St Clair to the visitor centre at Cynthia Bay. The ferry costs extra and must be booked before you start walking. The alternative is to walk the 17.5 km lakeside track to Cynthia Bay.
Transport: services to Cradle Mountain and from Lake St Clair run all year from Hobart, Launceston and Devonport, with more services in summer. Transport isn't included in the track fee. PWS lists the operators on its plan-your-trip page and suggests allowing a spare day either side for logistics.
Nearby alternatives