Maria Island is off the coast of Tasmania. A couple of friends and I decided on a quick 4 night stay to explore the island at the end of April 2023. Whilst I do a fair bit of hiking I tend to stay in accommodation rather than camping so this was to be my tester for camping and hiking.
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I flew from my home town to Sydney, then on Jetstar from Sydney to Hobart, an easy 2 hour flight. Timing was tight as we landed a bit after 1pm and had to collect our hire car, gas cylinders from Anaconda, and get to Triabunna (about 50mins drive) to catch the ferry departing at 3.15pm.
The ferry departs and returns to Triabunna several times per day. You can also catch a transfer bus from Hobart to Triabunna which leaves at around 7am and arrives back in Hobart around 6pm, perfect for day trips. https://www.mariaislandshuttle.com.au/
It is important to book your ferry ticket in advance because that is how they gauge the number of visitors to the island. https://encountermaria.com.au/timetable-pricing-luggage-check/
You will also need a National Park Pass to enter the island. https://passes.parks.tas.gov.au/pass/purchasePass?execution=e1s1&format=&passCategory=ParkEntry
Once you get to Triabunna, check in at the terminal office and if staying on the island you pay for your accommodation there. Then it's a matter of loading bags into the crates, boarding the ferry for the 30min ride to the island. And possibly a tasty Tasmania Icecream to pass the time.
As we approached the island we sighted our first wombat. They were everywhere!
Disembarking the ferry we loaded up our bags into large wheeled crates and headed for Darlington Probation Station. We chose to camp but you can stay in the Penitentiary accommodation as well. Our campsite was great, sheltered from the strong winds and near to the camp kitchen and toilets, with an abundance of pademelons, various parrots, Cape Baron geese and, of course, wombats as neighbours.
The camp kitchen is well equipped with two central fire places, two hotplates and gas burners at each end as well as picnic type tables and chairs and food lockers. It is vital you lock up your food as there was a particularly persistent possum hanging around trying to steal food. Also be mindful of the bandicoots running around - they're about the size of large rats and fairly quiet, so easy to step on!
There are flushing toilets (!) and showers (although they weren't operational during our visit).
Day 2
We picked up our hire bikes (these can be booked with your ferry tickets) and headed out to French's Farm, taking in the Painted Cliffs and Encampment Cove. The road surface is quite good and enough down hills and flats to make the bike ride enjoyable. A note to self, one shouldn't ride a bike 24km when one hasn't ridden a bike for many years, lol.
Despite some tender parts of my anatomy (!) it was a great way to venture further afield given our time constraints.
Day 3
We hiked out towards Fossil Cliffs, taking in the Reservoir loop, then part of the way towards Bishop and Clerk. The weather was mostly clear with strong winds and as we skirted along the coastline back towards the wharf, a rain storm arrived encouraging us to shelter in the Information Centre, which runs a video loop on the establishment of a population of Tasmanian Devils on the island, and has displays of history and facts on the island. For background and history https://www.discovertasmania.com.au/places/east-coast/maria-island-national-park/
The temperature had dropped and we had an early dinner by the campfire before heading out into the night to try to spot a Tassie devil. Unfortunately no devils sighted but we did see a ringtail possum.
Whilst there is still a lot to explore on Maria, it requires more time and longer distances so we decided to head to the mainland of Tasmania and explore parts of Freycinet National Park, before spending a night in Hobart. I must not be a diehard camper, because I must say, I love a good shower and bed!
My takeaways
Camping is great for resetting your internal clock - not long after the sun went down I was ready for bed.
I'd like to revisit Maria when it's hotter as the beaches are lovely with the whitest sand and great spots to snorkel.
I need a better sleep system; I had a folding sleep mat and a blow up mattress, and whilst not uncomfortable, I wasn't comfortable either, plus they took up a lot of room.
I was pretty happy with my little Naturehike Cloudup 2 person tent, although not really tested by the elements; it was easy to put up and pull down and kept out the bugs and weather.
Good to know
There are no shops on the island so you must take all your food, and although water is available, it must be boiled or treated.
Phone service is very good around Darlington campsite.
Be free to live your best life
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