Mt Wellington Walks and the Hobart Adventure Tour
Looking for things to do in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia?
Our Eco Tours will take you out of the everyday and into another world - a world of quiet forests and ancient windswept peaks.
Our tours run from Hobart, the southernmost city in Australia. Hobart sits on the edge of the picturesque Derwent River, with Mt Wellington towering 1271 metres above. Mt Wellington is also known by its aboriginal name of Kunanyi.
Much of what is unique about Tasmania exists on Mt Wellington. It's full of endemic and native Tasmanian Flora and Fauna - including echidnas, rosellas, mountain shrimp, skinks, flame robins, black cockatoos, mountain pepper, snow berries, tree ferns, dragon heath and mountain rocket.
Mt Wellington/Kunanyi has a long and fascinating history. The bottom half was made when the Hobart area was a cold shallow sea bed, and the top was formed by molten rock pouring up out of the Earth as Tasmania split apart from Antarctica and the rest of Gondwana Land over 40 Million Years ago. These are the rocks we walk on today, and the cliffs we gaze up at.
The Tasmanian Aboriginal people walked the mountain slopes and foothills for the last 40 000 years. They survived an ice age and prospered in the hills around present-day Hobart. They called the mountain Ungyhaletta, or Pooranetteri.
Early European explorers arrived by sea from 1642 onwards. From the expanse of Storm Bay the mountain appeared as a great flat height, and hence it was named Montagne de Plateau and later, Table Mountain. Mt Wellington acquired its current name in 1832, in honour of the Iron Duke, defeater of Napoleon at Waterloo.
The Mountain was the salvation of the early colony of Hobart, providing water for drinking and industry (and beer!), timber, fur, meat and stone.
Today it provides inspiration. The clean forest air, native birds and animals. And of course, there is the view. On a clear day the scenery is unrivalled in Tasmania - from the summit you can see one third of the Island.
Our Easy or Adventurous Half Day Tours let you in on all the Mountain's secrets. Both Tours leave daily from Hobart at 11am, returning at 3pm. The Tours include a Scenic Drive, 2 to 2.5 hour walk, Gourmet Lunch, Local Guide, Unique Flora and Fauna, and Summit Visit (unless the road is closed due to snow - rare).
We also offer the Hobart Adventure Tour, run jointly with Island Cycle Tours and Blackaby's Sea Kayaks. You can experience the fun and adventure of paddling on the Derwent, walking on the Mountain and cycling from the summit all the way back down to sea level in one action packed day out.
We are experts in Eco Tours and also offer Day Tours from Hobart to many of Tasmania's iconic wilderness locations. Cradle Mountain, Freycinet/Wineglass, Mt Field/Russell Falls, Hastings Caves and Thermal Pool and many other great Tasmanian locations.
