Construction of The Three Capes Track was completed near the end of 2015. Having only been open for 3 years, it’s incredible beauty has not spread worldwide yet. But it has quickly risen to number 26 in the top short hikes in the world. Tasmania’s south-east peninsula is definitely world a visit.
The track took 5 years to construct. It cost 17 million dollars to build and resides completely within the Tasmanian National Park. The peninsula is under environmental protection so no camping is allowed.
There are 3 huts owned and operated by the National Park Service. Each hut is equip with bunk rooms (we had a private room for the 4 of us), two full service kitchens with gas burning stoves, toilets with soap and running water, and an on-site ranger to answer every question you might have.
Hut 1 also has a barbecue. Hut 2 has a outdoor shower complete with hot water. You do have to carry the hot water in a bucket, dump it into a container, then host the container over your head… so that’s kind of roughing it.
One of the unique additions to this track is the 38 artistic Encounters. The Encounters were in the form of benches, art built into the track, and a few odd balls like this artistic rendition of wombat poo.
Each Encounter came with a story. Everything from different animal scat to how the geological towers were form to stories from early settlers. And everything in between. They even included letters from one of the convicts sent from Britain to Port Arthur penitentiary never to see his wife and family again.
The Three Capes Track begins in Port Arthur, home to one of the most horrible prisons in Australia. Known for its Separation Prison where you spent 23 hours in your cell and were not allowed to speak a word, not even hum. And it’s insane asylum.
We picked up our guide book to the Three Capes Track which included the stories of the Encounters and headed to the jetty to board the boat which took us across the harbor to the beginning of the track.
As an add bonus, the boat takes a detour up the coast to show you the coastline. Since we would be on the open seas, we were given these lovely red rain parkas.
We were certainly glad to have them.
As we got closer to the cliffs we would spend the next 4 days hiking over, I got butterflies in my stomach. This was landscape I had never seen before.
The boat pulled into a little cove. We took turns heading out the bow of the boat trying to time our exit as not to get our boots wet.
After exiting the beach, we washed off our boots to protect the delicate fauna from any unknown substance, took a picture at the start of the track, and were off to find the first Encounter and our hut for the night.
At each Encounter, we would stop and read from the book. Jim and I were so impressed by the artistic nature of each one. We later found out the Encounters were built by University of Tasmania students in the Architectural and Design Department.
The first day was only a 2 miles hike so we quickly found ourselves at the hut. Wow! Quite an impressive structure.
The huts were built with wood, steel, and glass. The bunk room doors had screen with wood slates so you had a breeze and privacy. The roofs were all steel so they could be used as a fire shelter. The area around the structure was grass land with a sprinkler in case of fire.
The grass land offered fabulous viewing of wallabies. Jim and I watched this wallaby pick leaves of the eucalyptus tree over breakfast.
Today the hike to the next Hut was only 5 miles so we took our time heading out. We stopped on the summit of Arthur’s Peak which was on the side of the cliff. Even though this track runs along sea cliff walls with up to a 1000 foot vertical drop, no one has fallen in the 3 years it has been open.
The ecology on the Three Capes Track varies hour by hour. We were treated to so many different plants and animals especially lizards. I love this one. His camouflage is amazing.
The last several days in Tasmania were hot and muggy. Smoke lingered in the air. We were so excited to arrive at our next hut and be treated to a shower.
This hut was built on a bluff with a view of the coastline. The deck offered plenty of room to read in the provided lounge chair or do yoga on the provided mats. Yes, they thought of everything.
The next day would be our first hike out a cape. Though this area is called The Three Capes, the track only includes two of them: Cape Pillar and Cape Huay. We were all worried about what the next day would bring. The wind direction was changing to bring the smoke from the forest fires directly to us. We were also being targeted with high winds up to 50 mph.
During the night, a thunderstorm rolled through bring flashes of bright lights, loud bombs, and rain. Never thought I would see rain as a blessing.
We woke to almost a 30 degree drop in temperatures, high winds, and clear skies. There had been enough rain to clear the smoke particles from the air. Our luck on this trip continued.
As I hurried back to our bunk room to pack up my stuff and load a daypack, I was struck by the beauty of the main hut. The parks service really did an amazing job.
Today, we were to hike out to the end of Cape Pillar enjoying views of Tasman Island and the famous “Blade” as well as the coastal cliffs. Then return to the hut, repack our full backpacks, and continue to hut 3.
As I hurried down the track anxious to reach the end before the smoke returned, I was treated to bursts of gail force winds, spitting rain, and patches of blue sky with sunshine. It was amazing to be such a part of nature.
Since I was hiking alone, I was extra respectful of the cliff edge. I didn’t want to be standing taking a picture then be pushed off the edge by a gust of wind.
Near the end of the cape, I was over taken by Cal. He was enjoying hiking in this wild display of nature as much as I was.
As Cal returned to find Jim and Brooke, I continued to the end of the cape to enjoy the sound of the waves crashing against the cliffs. Just off the end of the Cafe Pillar is Tasman Island.
Most of the Tasmanian Capes had lighthouses. Via the Encounters story, we found out that being a lighthouse keeper was a very isolating and difficult job. Not one anyone of us would have wanted to do.
As I reached the end of the cape, I found an Encounter called “Claim Your Moment”. It was a wood bench with a view of Cape Huay, tomorrow’s adventure. I sat and waited for the rest of my crew to arrive.
After Jim came, we headed over to The Blade, an interesting sliver of a rock formation.
We sat on top and enjoyed a snack.
During our hike back to the hut, the wind and rain picked up again. At one point, the wind gusts were so strong we were having trouble standing upright.
Once back at the hut, we all enjoyed some soup before heading off to hut 3 and our final day on the track.
Our final day of hiking on the Capes involved passing through a wet forest, not quite a rain forest. All of the sudden we felt the temperatures drop and the vegetation changed to include large ferns.
Soon the wet forest ended and we were back on the edge of the cliffs. Saying the views were stunning does not give it justice.
We came to this one area of cliffs that went straight down to the crashing waves. The wall was 1000 feet high. It was too scary to actually go to the edge and look over into the waves. I walked to the next rock outcropping to get this photo of Jim on top of the wall.
With our hearts racing with adrenaline, we hiked on to the junction with the track out to Cape Huay and the world famous “Totem Pole” which was on the cover of The Alpinist magazine last year.
At the junction, we dropped our big packs, filled our day packs, and were off. The trail was beautifully constructed and weaved up and over the high points as it reached out for the end of the cape.
At the end of the cape was a viewing area, looking over the side we could see “The Totem Pole” directly below us.
Next to The Totem Pole is the Candlestick. Today there were two climbers working there way up the backside of The Candlestick. Jim and I scrambled down the climbers path a way until we got a front seat at watching the climbers tease out the route.
After almost an hour, the climber topped out making it time for us to head out.
After picking up our full packs at the junction, we hiked the last 2 miles of the trail being treated with one last echidna sighting, a really cute little spiky creature. We stopped at the last Encounter called “Photo Finish” and got our picture taken. And then headed into Fortescue Bay to catch the bus.
We were so impressed with the Tasmanian Park Service. The Three Capes Track is constructed and managed in a way that promotes conservation and the respect of nature yet includes so many comforts that the track appeals to all types including the 9 year old girl that completed the track with our group.
The Three Capes Track is something anyone can do and everyone should do.
———————- Photo Gallery double-click to enlarge ——————
