The Mount Anne walk is Tasmania's toughest – but most rewarding – day walk.
Often enshrouded in white pillows of cloud, Mt Anne in Tasmania’s South West National Park is one of Tassie’s longer and more difficult day walks, taking between 8 to 10 hours return to cover the 15km of walking and boulder scrambling. The summit of Mt Anne stands at 1423m: the 37th highest peak in the state.
This majestic place is part of Tasmania’s World Heritage Area and can be wild and unforgiving, peaceful and serene, and anything in between, all in one day!
Approximately two and a half hours drive from Hobart towards Strathgordon, this track and can be enjoyed as a day walk, a weekend escape, or an extended four-day circuit walk depending on your preference and time constraints.
From the carpark at Condominium Creek, you get about five minutes of flat walking to warm up your legs before the track heads swiftly upwards and continues that way for a few hours before reaching Mt Eliza and the first alpine plateau. You are very quickly rewarded with breathtaking views back over Lake Pedder, which was controversially flooded back in 1972.
On the horizon you’ll see the Western Arthur’s, one of Tasmania’s more rigorous multi-day walks, and on really clear days, you’ll see Federation Peak in the distance.
There are a couple of fun patches of boulder scrambling, and your body will thank you the next day for an all-over workout! But just when you feel like you’ve had enough of scrambling, there appears an alpine plateau or two, to stretch your legs out on, and marvel at the plethora of alpine vegetation.
To reach the summit takes courage, with some quite exposed rock scrambling. The final section can be challenging and should not be taken lightly. It is recommend to thoroughly read track notes before choosing this walk, as it is not suited to everyone. But to stand on that summit and take in the 360° views of the surrounding wild landscape is enough to make you think your heart is going to jump out of your chest.
It doesn’t matter how many times you visit Mt Anne, the views are different every time depending on the mood of the weather. On a clear summer’s day, the Tasmanian sun can seem relentless as there are minimal opportunities for shade along the track. On wet and windy days, the cold will chill your bones to the core and leave you longing to sit in front of a log fire to thaw out again.
And every now and then, you might find a happy medium where a light warm breeze drifts across your shoulders as you take in the seemingly endless view of Tasmanian mountains, and the reflective still waters of Lake Pedder, with a smattering of clouds drifting lazily across the sky casting shadows on the rocky landscape below, leaving you lost for words.
Walknotes
Mt Anne summit, Tasmania
Time: 8-10hr. Distance: 15km. Grade: Challenging
Words and photos_Kym Donaldson