Mt Wellington Circuit, Wellington Park, Tasmania

kunanyi / Mt Wellington provides the backdrop to the city of Hobart, and climbing it makes for a convenient day walk with great views from the summit of Hobart and the Derwent Estuary.

Mt Wellington Circuit, Wellington Park

Climbing kunanyi / Mt Wellington (1271m) is a must do for any traveller to Hobart, as it’s just a 15 minute drive to the foot of the mountain, (also accessible by public transport), and the summit provides great views over the city and Derwent Estuary. Despite the 940m of ascent anybody can do it… and that’s because there’s a road all the way to the summit. But as with meeting any goal, the rewards are better savoured when you’ve worked for it.

We did this walk clockwise, ascending from Fern Tree up the south-eastern side, then down the north-eastern side back to the start. I think the vegetation was nicer on the descent, and the views better if we had descended the way we came up, so I might try it anti-clockwise next time. Track notes at the end.

Mt Wellington Circuit: The Scenery

Mt Wellington Circuit, Wellington Park
Ascending on well constructed paths.
Mt Wellington Circuit, Wellington Park
Looking south-east on the way up.
Mt Wellington Circuit, Wellington Park
The track ascends with Hobart in the distance.
Mt Wellington Circuit, Wellington Park
Sophia looking over Hobart and the Derwent Estuary from the summit of Mt Wellington (1271m).
Mt Wellington Circuit, Wellington Park
Sophia trying to warm up in the style of an alpine lizard. A big ass telecommunications tower behind her, that is impressive up close but diminishes the aesthetics of the mountain from elsewhere.
Mt Wellington Circuit, Wellington Park
Panorama taking in the Derwent Estuary, boardwalk and lookout hut on the summit of Mt Wellington (1271m).
Mt Wellington Circuit, Wellington Park
Derwent Estuary
Mt Wellington Circuit, Wellington Park
It was cold and windy for a while.
Mt Wellington Circuit, Wellington Park
Descending through snow gums.

Mt Wellington Circuit, Wellington Park

Mt Wellington Circuit, Wellington Park
Still quite high up on Mt Wellington.
Mt Wellington Circuit, Wellington Park
Banksia flowers.
Mt Wellington Circuit, Wellington Park
Descending through boulder fields.
Mt Wellington Circuit, Wellington Park
Grassy slopes further down the mountain.
Mt Wellington Circuit, Wellington Park
Looking back up to the summit cliffs of Mt Wellington in the afternoon. The light isn’t so good at this time because the cliffs are in shadow, but I guess they are a touch foreboding with the dark clouds behind. And there’s that bloody communications tower.
Mt Wellington Circuit, Wellington Park
We met a friendly local who took us on a slight detour on our way back to look at this water tank with murals and graffiti. It is a city park after all.
Mt Wellington Circuit, Wellington Park
Some waterfalls on the route.

Track Notes

Mt Wellington Circuit, Wellington Park
We walked this route clockwise on a network of tracks and sections on roads. There are lots of other options.

We used notes in Day Walks Tasmania, but there’s a really obvious network of tracks all over this section of the park and there’s information about the various options on the Wellington Park website. We started at Fern Tree, then passed by/along the following landmarks and tracks: Pipeline Track, Silver Falls, The Springs, Pinnacle Track, Zig Zag Track, summit, road, Panorama Track, road, Hunters Track, Lenah Valley Track, Shoobridge Track, Circle Track, Betts Vale Track, O’Grady’s Falls Track, Bracken Lane Fire Trail, road, and then an unnamed fire trail back to the start (although we actually did a detour and I’m not sure which track it was that passed by the water tower). With a map you could choose your own route.

Author: Edward Hathway

I'm a clinical psychologist and keen hiker.

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