Book the Three Capes Track in Tasman National Park: the 48-walker daily limit, refund rules, and how to grab a cancellation when a sold-out date opens.
About
The Three Capes Track is a 48 km, four-day, three-night walk along the clifftops of the Tasman Peninsula in south-east Tasmania. It's run by the Parks and Wildlife Service (PWS) as a packaged experience. You start and finish at the Port Arthur Historic Site, a boat takes you to the start of the track, you spend three nights in PWS cabins, and a bus brings you back at the end.
It's a very different walk from the Overland Track. PWS grades it 3, meaning some bushwalking experience is recommended, with short steep sections, rough surfaces and plenty of steps. The track was built to a dry-boot standard and is wide enough for two people to walk side by side. For many people it's their first multi-day hike. The payoff is the scenery: tall eucalypt forest, coastal heath, and some of the highest sea cliffs in Australia, out to Cape Pillar and Cape Hauy.
The huts
You stay one night at each of three cabin sites, always in the same order:
- Surveyors
- Munro
- Retakunna
You can't skip a site or stay a second night. Each site has two sleeping cabins joined by a deck, with 48 bunks in total. Rooms are shared: six rooms sleep 4 and three rooms sleep 8. Each walker gets a bunk with a single mattress. Beds aren't reserved. A PWS Host Ranger assigns rooms and tries to keep people on the same booking together, but you may end up sharing with strangers.
The facilities save you a lot of pack weight. Each site has gas cooktops, pots, pans and kettles, dining tables, a heated social hub with lights, shared USB charging, toilets with handbasins, and untreated rainwater (PWS recommends treating it). Munro has two outdoor showers. There are no fridges, microwaves or ovens, and you bring your own plate, bowl, cup and cutlery. The sleeping rooms have no heating or lights, so pack a sleeping bag and a head torch.
The daily stages from the PWS walk notes:
- Day 1: boat from Port Arthur to Denmans Cove, then 4 km (1.5–2 hours) to Surveyors.
- Day 2: 11 km (4–4.5 hours) to Munro, via Arthurs Peak.
- Day 3: 19 km (about 6 hours), out and back to Cape Pillar and The Blade with a day pack, then on to Retakunna.
- Day 4: 14 km (6–7 hours) over Mount Fortescue and out to Cape Hauy, finishing at Fortescue Bay.
Hiking notes
- PWS suggests a 50-litre pack weighing about 12 kg, including 2 litres of water. Pack food for three breakfasts, four lunches and three dinners, plus snacks.
- Day 3 is the big one: up to 19 km and about 650 m of climbing over 6–7 hours. Train with the pack and boots you'll actually use.
- At Denmans Cove you may have to wade ashore from the boat, sometimes knee deep between September and December, so keep your towel near the top of your pack.
- Children under 18 must be with an adult, and PWS says the track generally doesn't suit kids under 5. Contact PWS before booking with an infant.
How booking works
Bookings are essential and taken year-round. A maximum of 48 walkers can start each day. You choose a departure date and one of two boat times: 11:30 am or 2:00 pm from October to April, and 11:30 am or 1:30 pm from May to September. You pay in full by Visa or Mastercard when you book.
Your booking fee covers:
- three nights in the cabins
- the boat cruise from Port Arthur
- entry to the Port Arthur Historic Site (valid for two years), plus car parking and lockers
- the bus from Fortescue Bay back to Port Arthur
- the Encounters on the Edge guidebook
- park entry for the walk plus a day either side, so you don't need a separate parks pass for the walk itself
PWS publishes the current adult, concession and child rates on the track page and reviews them each year in line with CPI. Check there for the price on your dates.
Annual closure: the track closes every year for maintenance and fuel-reduction burns. PWS lists the 2027 closure as 5–18 April 2027.
Changes and cancellations, from the PWS terms and conditions:
- You can't change or cancel online. Phone 1300 827 727 during business hours or email threecapestrack@parks.tas.gov.au.
- Changing dates is free if you ask at least 3 business days before departure, subject to availability. A later change means paying the full fee again for the new date. A moved booking has to be walked within two years of the original booking date.
- If you cancel 14 or more days before departure, you get 75% back (a 25% fee, which applies even for medical reasons).
- If you cancel 13 days or less before departure, or don't turn up, you get no refund.
- For illness or injury, PWS may offer a new 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.
- Bookings can't be transferred to another person unless PWS approves it.
When it sells out
PWS says demand is high from September to April. With 48 places a day and the cabins sized to match, dates in that busy window are the ones to lock in early. Winter is quieter. PWS notes that walker numbers drop in the colder months, and the heated cabins and chances of seeing the aurora make it a good time to walk.
How to get a cancellation
PWS doesn't run a waitlist for the Three Capes Track. Its advice is to keep checking the availability page, because places open up when other walkers change or cancel. There's a catch, though. Changes and cancellations are processed by staff during business hours, 9 am to 4:30 pm, Monday to Friday, so that's when freed-up places tend to appear.
That makes it hard to catch one by refreshing the page yourself, unless you can do it all day at work. Aussie Camp Alerts keeps checking for you and alerts you when a sold-out date becomes available. Watch the Three Capes Track and pick the departure dates you'd be happy with.
Tips:
- Watch several dates. Each departure date is booked separately, and being flexible on dates gives you more chances.
- Watch for places freed up before the 14-day mark. That's the last point where cancelling walkers get 75% back, so many cancellations happen before it.
- Be ready to book straight away. Have everyone's details and a Visa or Mastercard handy.
The free plan includes one live watch with email alerts, sent 15 minutes after an opening is found. The Summer pass (A$29 once, for 12 months) adds up to 10 watches and instant email, Telegram and web push alerts.
Getting there
Start and finish: the Port Arthur Historic Site, about 90 minutes' drive south-east of Hobart on the Arthur Highway (A9). Check in at the walker check-in room downstairs in the Visitor Centre, and have your pass at least 90 minutes before your boat departs. If you've booked a concession fare, bring your concession card. Long-term parking for walkers is signposted, about 500 m from the Visitor Centre.
By coach: PWS lists three regular passenger services between Hobart and Port Arthur on its plan-your-trip page, plus charter options.
At the end: the included bus runs from Fortescue Bay back to Port Arthur in about 30 minutes. Get to the bus stop at least 20 minutes before departure.
Nearby alternatives
- Overland Track: Tasmania's alpine classic, six days through Cradle Mountain–Lake St Clair National Park, with first-come huts and a tent required.
- Wilsons Prom Lightstation: overnight stays at the southern tip of Wilsons Promontory, Victoria.
- Refuge Cove: a hike-in campsite on the Prom.
- Sealers Cove: another Prom hike-in campsite.