Cradle Mountain to Lake St Clair in six days, 65 km, 2,450 m of gain — on paper the gentlest-sounding trek in this directory, and the one that surprised us most. Tasmania’s weather changes on no notice at all; we had sun, sleet, and fog inside the same afternoon crossing the Pelion Plains.
The side trip up Mount Ossa, Tasmania’s highest point, is not part of the core track distance but is the one detour worth the extra half-day — a scramble above the button-grass plains with sightlines all the way to the coast on a clear afternoon.
Pack for four seasons in one day
Strenuous here is not about altitude — the whole track sits under 1,250 m — it is about mud, exposure, and how fast conditions turn. Full waterproofs and real insulation are non-negotiable even in the best-months window; we met day-hikers in cotton who turned back cold and soaked by lunchtime.