Mt Dial and The Gnomon, Northern Tasmania

A pleasant circuit walk in the Dial Range, climbing two low peaks, then returning through attractive tree ferns on a section of the Penguin Cradle Trail.

Mt Dial and the Gnomon, near Penguin, Tasmania

The Dial Range is a small mountain range in northern Tasmania that contains pleasant walking and mountain biking tracks. There are good views (sometimes partially obscured) over northern Tasmanian, as well as atmospheric forest with many large trees ferns.

We did this walk on the day we arrived from Melbourne on the Spirit of Tasmania, as it was just a 30 or so minute drive from Devonport. It’s a good option for a half day walk if you are staying in the north as we were. You might like to visit the sleepy town of Penguin afterwards, where we enjoyed some decent fish and chips. Track notes at the end.

Mt Dial and The Gnomon: The Scenery

Mt Dial and the Gnomon, near Penguin, Tasmania
Very dense undergrowth lining the track in this section.

Mt Dial and the Gnomon, near Penguin, Tasmania Mt Dial and the Gnomon, near Penguin, Tasmania

 

 

Mt Dial and the Gnomon, near Penguin, Tasmania
Looking north from a viewpoint on the eastern side of the range (or was it The Gnomon?).

 

Mt Dial and the Gnomon, near Penguin, Tasmania
Mt Duncan from The Gnomon (or another viewpoint, I can’t quite remember).

 

Mt Dial and the Gnomon, near Penguin, Tasmania
Tall trees as we descended from The Gnomon on the aptly named Tall Trees Track.

Mt Dial and the Gnomon, near Penguin, Tasmania

Mt Dial and the Gnomon, near Penguin, Tasmania
Pretty lush.

 

Mt Dial and the Gnomon, near Penguin, Tasmania
I liked this leaf.

 

Mt Dial and the Gnomon, near Penguin, Tasmania
Sophia amongst tree ferns.

 

 

Mt Dial and the Gnomon, near Penguin, Tasmania
Tree ferns lining the track on a section of the Cradle to Penguin Trail (CPT).

 

Mt Dial and the Gnomon, near Penguin, Tasmania
Tree ferns galore!

Track Notes

We used track notes in Day Walks Tasmania. The walk they describe starts on Montgomery Road just off Ironcliffe Road. You climb Mt Dial, then continue on to The Gnomon, descend via the Tall Trees Track onto Dial Road, then join up with a section of the Penguine Cradle Trail (you may notice some “PCT” signs). Continue through many attractive tree ferns, and eventually climb back up to the outward track, turning right to return to the car park. The map below shows the location of this car park… 

Nearby Walks

If you live or are staying in northern Tasmania then there are some real classic bushwalks to be done in the area. Have a browse through the ones I’ve done (below), and if you are travelling towards Hobart then I’ve included a list of those too.

Northern Tasmania
Walls of Jerusalem to Solomons Throne, Tasmania
Walls of Jerusalem National Park to Solomons Throne
The Walls of Jerusalem National Park is a favourite for many people, and yet you can only reach the best scenery by walking in, so it’s a lot quieter than nearby Cradle Mountain. Once you have ascended up through eucalypt forest the alpine scenery starts with numerous tarns, Richea Scoparia (past flowering stage when we visited, but still nice), pencil pines, cliffs, and the cutest, fluffiest wallabies you could ever hope to meet. We chose to walk up the peak known as Solomons Throne (1470m), but if you have time you can also ascend The Temple (1446m) and Mount Jerusalem (1459m). Nearby King Davids Peak (1499m) provides some good photo opportunities. It’s all very biblical. (more…)
/ alpine, Australia, cliffs, featured walk, Hard, lakes/rivers/creeks, mountains, North Tasmania, Tasmania, views
Hobart Day Trips
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Author: Edward Hathway

I'm a clinical psychologist and keen hiker.

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