Snapshot
| Where | Maria Island, off Tasmania's east coast — About 1 hour 20 minutes to 1.5 hours' drive (about 86 km) from Hobart via the Tasman Highway (A3) through Sorell and Orford · Triabunna, where you leave the car and board the ferry, is about 2 hours 30 minutes from Launceston · Hobart Airport to Triabunna is about 50 minutes |
|---|---|
| Getting there | Sealed highway all the way from Hobart to Triabunna in a 2WD hire car · The island itself has no vehicle access: passenger ferry from Triabunna to Darlington only, bookings essential, with free parking at the Triabunna marina and permit zones to watch for at the wharf · The ferry runs on fewer days from May to August, and the last sailing is a hard stop |
| Best time | Autumn (March–May) — long days, not too cold or windy, small crowds on the tracks and wombats active on the grassy flats around Darlington; the Painted Cliffs are quietest from September to November and April to May |
| Worst time | June and July — the coldest months (July averages 7°C to 11°C), short days and fewer ferry sailings mean less time on the island; spring can be windy enough to make the crossing rough |
| Time needed | 2 days: a day for the Painted Cliffs, Fossil Cliffs and the Darlington heritage walk, and a day for Bishop and Clerk or Mount Maria |
| Cost | Parks Pass required — entry, Penitentiary and camping fees can be paid online or at the Maria Island Gateway in Triabunna; Darlington camping $18.00 a night per site, up to six people (from 3 November 2026); Penitentiary rooms 1–9 $95 a night up to six people, room 10 $150; Frenchs Farm and Encampment Cove campsites free |
| Facilities | All island water is non-potable and must be treated with tablets or boiled for at least a minute — tank water at Darlington, Frenchs Farm and Encampment Cove, and supplies can run low in dry summers · Toilets at Darlington and the campgrounds, free gas barbecues and a covered fireplace area at Darlington, but no shops, no fuel and no rubbish bins · Mobile coverage is limited and unreliable on all carriers |
| Best for | Wildlife watchers after wombats, kangaroos and Cape Barren geese at arm's length; walkers who want a real summit day on Bishop and Clerk; and anyone after World Heritage convict history without a car |
| Difficulty |
3 of 5 — Challenging
Getting around is easy — flat, car-free tracks between Darlington's heritage buildings and gentle circuits — but the island's two summits are Grade 4: Bishop and Clerk needs rock scrambling above unfenced cliffs, and Mount Maria is 16km return over a boulder field. Everything you carry comes on and off the ferry by hand, and all water must be treated. |
Maria Island lies off Tasmania's east coast, reached only by the passenger ferry from Triabunna and closed to vehicles, so the park runs at walking and cycling pace. Its geology is the draw: the Fossil Cliffs hold marine fossils — clams, sea fans, corals, scallop shells and sea lilies — laid down about 300 million years ago in rock so lime-rich it was briefly mined for cement, while the Painted Cliffs are sandstone swirled orange and white by wind and water. Bishop and Clerk rises 620 metres and Mount Maria, the highest point, 711 metres.
This is the country of the Oyster Bay nation of the Palawa people: Parks and Wildlife records people living here for more than 35,000 years, the island's people as the Puthikwilayti and the island itself as wukaluwikiwayna. Darlington was a penal settlement from 1825 and a convict probation station from 1842, and its buildings now belong to the Australian Convict Sites World Heritage Property, listed in 2010. Since the late 1960s threatened species have been brought here as insurance populations — wombats, forester kangaroos, Cape Barren geese and, since 2012, Tasmanian devils.
Go if…
- You want wildlife at arm's length — wombats grazing the flats at Darlington and Cape Barren geese walking the tracks beside you
- You like your geology readable: fossil-bearing shelves at Fossil Cliffs and swirled sandstone at the Painted Cliffs, both on half-day walks
- You want a real summit walk — Bishop and Clerk at 620 metres is one of Tasmania's 60 Great Short Walks, with scrambling and huge views
- You're happy to carry everything on and off the ferry and to treat your own water for the reward of a car-free island
Skip it if…
- You can't travel without shops, fuel or reliable phone reception — the island has none of these
- You're planning the Painted Cliffs around a high tide — the rock platform is only safe to reach within two hours of low tide
- You want a beach-and-resort holiday with hot showers — there are no showers on the island and the bays are unpatrolled
- You're uneasy on exposed edges — Bishop and Clerk and Mount Maria involve scrambling near high unfenced cliffs and sheer drops
What to expect
Reviewed
The ferry leaves Triabunna and runs across to the Darlington jetty — the crossing is listed by Parks and Wildlife as around 45 minutes — and from the moment you step off, the island runs at walking pace. There are no vehicles here apart from the rangers', so trolleys at the jetty haul your camping gear up to the settlement and everything else goes on your back or in a bike pannier. Darlington spreads out around the bay: the sandstone Commissariat Store, now an information room with the tide readings you need for the cliffs, the grass airstrip, the old cement silos and the long white beach. Wombats graze the flats between the buildings and Cape Barren geese hiss at you from the grass; forester kangaroos and Bennett's wallabies feed at dusk along the same tracks you walked in on. Keep 2 metres from all of them, and leave the rocks and ruins exactly where they are.
South of the settlement the coast runs to the Painted Cliffs, 4.3km return on a Grade 3 track that leaves Darlington Bay and follows the Frenchs Farm coastal route. The reason to come is the platform itself: sandstone weathered into orange and white swirls where wind and waves have worked the rock, with a calm sea and a distant headland beyond. You can only reach it safely within two hours of low tide and in calm conditions — the cliffs are unstable, rock can fall, and the surfaces are slippery and uneven. There is no access from above, so if the tide is high you come back later rather than climbing. A loop via the Counsel Creek boardwalk makes a shorter circuit back into town.
The Fossil Cliffs sit at the other end of the settlement, a 4.5km circuit of Grade 3 track that runs past the grass airstrip to a short, steep descent onto a rock shelf. What you're standing on is a fossil bed about 300 million years old — clams, sea fans, corals, scallop shells and sea lilies in a limestone so lime-rich it was briefly mined for cement, with the silos from that enterprise still standing near the jetty. The shelf edges here are unprotected and the cliffs are hazardous, so keep back from the drop and watch your footing on the short steep section down.
Bishop and Clerk is the island's signature climb: 11km return, 4–5 hours, Grade 4, up to 620 metres of twin peaks with rock scrambling, steep boulders and an exposed summit over sheer drops. Parks and Wildlife is blunt about the conditions — avoid it in high winds and strong weather. Mount Maria is bigger again at 711 metres and 16km return, an 8-hour day that starts south of Darlington near the mouth of Counsel Creek and ends with about half an hour of scrambling over rocky debris; the summit is much cooler than the coast, so carry a layer even on a warm day. Bikes are not permitted on the Bishop and Clerk track and must be left at the storage racks.
Between the walks, the island keeps delivering wildlife: all but one of Tasmania's twelve endemic birds occur here, including the endangered forty-spotted pardalote, green rosellas and wedge-tailed eagles, along with hooded plovers and oyster catchers on the shore and whales passing during their migration. Snorkelling and diving work best in relatively protected Darlington Bay and off the Painted Cliffs, within the Maria Island Marine Reserve. There are no bins anywhere, so every piece of rubbish goes back on the ferry with you, and cultural sites stay untouched — look, leave everything where it is.
Where to stay
Most people stay on the island itself at the penitentiary bunk rooms or the Darlington campground; Triabunna and Orford are the mainland bases, a few minutes from the ferry terminal and the only source of hot showers and supplies.
When bookings open: Penitentiary bookings open up to 6 months in advance and are made online or through the Sheffield Visitor Information Centre on (03) 6491 1179. The Darlington campground takes no bookings at the moment — there is space for everyone, though Parks and Wildlife say a booking system is coming in late 2026, so check their page before you go — and fees are paid at the Maria Island Gateway in Triabunna before you board the ferry. Official booking page. Checked 2 November 2026. Booking dates for every state.
| Stay | Guest rating | Best for | Distance | Style | Book |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maria Island Penitentiary Accommodation (PWS) | Not rated | Sleeping inside a World Heritage convict building a few minutes' walk from the jetty | In the park, at Darlington | Bunk-room lodging in the old penitentiary — nine rooms with bunks for six and a tenth sleeping fourteen, each with a picnic table, chairs and a wood heater · $95 a night for rooms 1–9, $150 for room 10 | Book now |
| Darlington Campground (PWS) | Not rated | Beach camping behind the dunes, with no booking needed | In the park, 500m south of the Darlington jetty | Tent-only sites behind the dunes on Darlington Bay Beach, with a covered barbecue area, fireplaces with firewood provided, free gas barbecues and an amenities block · $18.00 a night per site | Book now |
| Frenchs Farm Campground (PWS) | Not rated | A free, sheltered base for the island's southern end | In the park, about 3 hours' walk from Darlington | Level open ground with views to Mount Maria; the farmhouse is a day-use shelter only · free with a valid parks pass, no bookings | Book now |
| Encampment Cove Campground (PWS) | Not rated | Getting away from Darlington without a long carry | In the park, about 8 hours' walk from Darlington (26km return) or by private boat in the bay | Free campsites with a valid parks pass, no bookings, reached on foot or by mooring in the bay | Book now |
| Triabunna Cabin and Caravan Park | Not rated | A budget mainland base within walking distance of the ferry | 750m from the Maria Island Gateway | Self-contained cabins with kitchenettes, cottages, powered and unpowered sites, hot showers and parking | Check rates |
| Eastcoaster Resort | Not rated | Families wanting pools and hot showers after the island | About 6km from the Maria Island ferry terminal | Seaside studios, cabins and villas with indoor and outdoor pools, courts, playground and a waterfront restaurant | Check rates |
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What to do here
8 walks & sights
Painted Cliffs
The walk leaves Darlington Bay and follows the coast south to a sandstone platform swirled orange and white by wind and wave erosion. It is only safe to reach the rock platform within two hours of low tide and in calm conditions — the cliffs are unstable and can shed rock, and there is no access from above. A loop back via the Counsel Creek boardwalk shortens the return.
Fossil Cliffs
A circuit from the Darlington settlement, running adjacent to the grass airstrip before a short, steep descent to a rock shelf packed with marine fossils laid down about 300 million years ago — clams, sea fans, corals, scallop shells and sea lilies. The rock is so lime-rich it was briefly mined for cement. The cliff edges are hazardous and unguarded, so keep well back.
Bishop and Clerk
The island's signature climb, to twin peaks 620 metres above the sea, with rock scrambling, steep boulders and an exposed summit with sheer drops. One of Tasmania's 60 Great Short Walks, with views back over the island and across to the Freycinet Peninsula. Parks and Wildlife says to avoid it in high winds and strong conditions; bikes are not permitted on the track.
Mount Maria
The highest point on the island, starting south of Darlington near the mouth of Counsel Creek and finishing with about half an hour of scrambling over rocky debris and large boulders. The summit is much cooler than the coast, and the last section is slow going, so start early and carry warm layers. Toilets and barbecues are back at Darlington.
Darlington: the convict settlement and the Hills Walk
A short Grade 3 walk from the Convict Barn to Millers Cottage past the old cemetery, Convict Hospital and Grand Hotel ruins, with the Commissariat Store and Coffee Palace Museum holding the interpretive displays. Darlington is the most intact convict probation station in Australia and part of the Australian Convict Sites World Heritage Property. The grassy flats around the settlement are where the wombats and Cape Barren geese are easiest to watch.
The Reservoir Circuit
A loop from Darlington past old cement works ruins and the reservoir, and the best place on the island to see the endangered forty-spotted pardalote. Cycling is permitted only on the southern track for safety reasons. Good wet-weather filler and an easy leg-stretcher after a big summit day.
Frenchs Farm Walk
A full day along the coast to the free campsite at Frenchs Farm, a level open ground with views to Mount Maria and a farmhouse used only as a day-use shelter. This is the base for exploring McRaes Isthmus, with white sandy beaches on both sides of the sand neck. Take a topographic map from the Maria Island Gateway for anything further south.
Encampment Cove
A walk-in campsite at the head of a sheltered bay, reached on foot or by mooring a private boat in the cove. Bikes cover the same ground faster — about 26km return from Darlington — and are allowed on most island tracks except Bishop and Clerk. A quiet alternative to the busier Darlington camp.
Maria Island itineraries: 1, 2 or 3 days
3 plans
One day: the cliffs and the settlement
- Early morning. Check in at the Maria Island Gateway in Triabunna and take the ferry across (the crossing is listed as around 45 minutes). Walk the Painted Cliffs track first, timed to low tide: 4.3km return, 1–2 hours, Grade 3, following the coast south of Darlington.
- Afternoon. The Fossil Cliffs circuit from the settlement — 4.5km, 1–2.5 hours, Grade 3, past the grass airstrip to a rock shelf of 300-million-year-old clams, sea fans, corals and sea lilies. Finish with the Hills Walk (2km, 1–2 hours, Grade 3) through the convict barn, old cemetery, hospital and hotel ruins.
About 11km of walking, no nights. A Parks Pass is required and entry, Penitentiary and camping fees can be paid online or at the Maria Island Gateway in Triabunna. Bring all your food and drinking water — there are no shops on the island and all island water must be treated or boiled for at least a minute. Fuel up at Sorell or Triabunna before you leave the mainland, and book the ferry: passenger numbers can be limited in busy periods and there are fewer sailings from May to August.
Two days: add Bishop and Clerk and stay over
- Day 1. The Painted Cliffs (4.3km return, 1–2 hours, Grade 3) at low tide, then the Fossil Cliffs circuit (4.5km, 1–2.5 hours, Grade 3). Camp at Darlington or take a bunk in the penitentiary and walk the settlement in the evening light, when the wombats come out on the flats.
- Day 2, morning. Bishop and Clerk: 11km return, 4–5 hours, Grade 4, climbing to 620 metres with rock scrambling, high unfenced cliffs and an exposed summit. Leave early, and skip it if strong winds are forecast.
- Day 2, afternoon. The Reservoir Circuit on the way back down (4km return, 1.5 hours, Grade 3) past old cement works ruins — the best place on the island for the endangered forty-spotted pardalote — then the afternoon ferry.
Day 1 is about 11km of walking. Day 2 is 15km, with one night on the island. The Darlington campground is $18.00 a night per site (up to six people, from 3 November 2026), no bookings taken and fees paid at the Maria Island Gateway before you board; the penitentiary is $95 a night for rooms 1–9 (up to six people) or $150 for room 10, booked up to 6 months ahead through the Sheffield Visitor Information Centre. A Parks Pass is required. Bring all food and drinking water, treat or boil all island water, and fuel at Sorell or Triabunna — nothing is sold on the island.
Three days: a summit or the isthmus
- Days 1 and 2. As in the two-day plan: Painted Cliffs and Fossil Cliffs on day 1, Bishop and Clerk and the Reservoir Circuit on day 2, with both nights at Darlington.
- Day 3, option A. Mount Maria, the island's high point at 711 metres: 16km return, 8 hours, Grade 4, starting south of Darlington near the mouth of Counsel Creek and finishing with about half an hour of scrambling over boulders. Take warm layers — the summit is much cooler than the coast.
- Day 3, option B. The Frenchs Farm walk, 22km return and 6 hours, Grade 3, along the coast to the free campsite and its day-use farmhouse shelter, with Mount Maria in view the whole way. This is the gentler day and the one to pick if the weather has turned.
Day 1 is about 11km, Day 2 is 15km, and Day 3 is 16km for Mount Maria or 22km for Frenchs Farm, with two nights at Darlington. Camping is $18.00 a night per site and penitentiary rooms are $95 or $150 a night, booked up to 6 months ahead; a Parks Pass is required. Carry all food and drinking water, treat or boil all island water, and fuel at Sorell or Triabunna. Bishop and Clerk and Mount Maria both involve scrambling near unguarded edges — don't attempt them in strong winds or on wet rock.
Experiences worth booking
Maria Island Cruise & Walk Day Tour with Lunch (from Hobart)
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Maria Island Cruise and Walk with Lunch (from Triabunna)
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Hobart: Maria Island National Park, Nature & Wildlife active tour
Check availability →Tours run by independent operators and booked on Viator. Booking links go to Viator, and we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Prices are "from" figures in AUD, checked 2026-11-02.
Suggested gear for Maria Island
18 items
- Water bottles or a hydration bladder Carry at least 2 litres per person on the walks.
- Water treatment tablets or a filter Treat creek and camping-area water before drinking.
- Sun hat, sunscreen (SPF 50+) and sunglasses
- Sturdy, broken-in walking shoes or boots
- Day pack (20–30 L)
- First aid kit, including blister care
- Insect repellent
- Head torch with spare batteries
- Lightweight rain jacket
- Personal locator beacon Mobile coverage is unreliable in remote parks.
- Water purification tablets or a stove for boiling All island water is non-potable and tank supplies can run low in dry summers — treat with tablets or boil for at least a minute.
- Every meal, plus extra supplies There are no shops, no fuel and no takeaway on the island, and the ferry is the only resupply for the length of your stay.
- A printed tide table The Painted Cliffs platform is only safe within two hours of low tide, and the tide times are handed out at ferry check-in rather than posted online.
- Shoes with real grip for wet rock The Painted Cliffs platform and the Fossil Cliffs descent are slippery and uneven, with wave surge possible at the waterline.
- A windproof shell, even in summer Spring in particular brings strong winds that make the crossing rough and the summits of Bishop and Clerk and Mount Maria unsafe.
- Warm layers for the summits Mount Maria's top is much cooler than the coast, and winter nights on the east coast run down to around 7°C.
- Rubbish bags for the trip back There are no bins anywhere on the island, so everything you carry on goes back to the mainland with you.
- A bike with panniers, or ferry bike fees Bikes cover the island's long flat routes quickly and can be taken on the ferry for a fee or hired on the island in limited numbers; they must be left at the racks for Bishop and Clerk.
How this compares
Maria Island vs Douglas-Apsley National Park
Douglas-Apsley National Park, on the mainland near Bicheno, protects river gorges, waterholes and dry eucalypt forest in the same east-coast climate as Maria Island, and needs no ferry to reach. It suits a self-drive trip with swimming holes and short walks rather than a multi-day island carry. Choose Douglas-Apsley for gorge swimming and easy road access; choose Maria Island for the fossil cliffs, the summits and the car-free wildlife.
- Difficulty
- 2 of 5 — Moderate
- Access
- Sealed road off the Tasman Highway near Bicheno; no ferry
- Best for
- Gorge swimming · short walks · a self-drive east-coast stop
Maria Island vs Bay of Fires
Bay of Fires, further up the north-east coast beyond St Helens, is orange-lichen granite, white sand and clear water, and it is a beach-walking and camping destination rather than a walking-and-heritage island. You reach it by road and can base yourself in a proper town, which suits a family road trip. Choose Bay of Fires for beach camping and long sand walks; choose Maria Island for summit walks, fossils and wombats on a car-free island.
- Difficulty
- 2 of 5 — Moderate
- Access
- Sealed road to Binalong Bay; no ferry, no 4WD needed
- Best for
- Beach camping · clear-water swimming · lichen-covered granite
Before you go
- Book the ferry before anything else — passenger numbers can be limited in busy periods, sailings are fewer from May to August, and check-in at the Maria Island Gateway in Triabunna closes 45 minutes before departure
- A valid parks pass is required for every visitor, including arrivals by private boat or plane; park entry, Penitentiary and camping fees can be paid online or at the Maria Island Gateway
- Bring every meal and all your drinking water — there are no shops on the island, and all island water is non-potable (treat with tablets or boil for at least a minute); supplies can run low in dry summers
- Check the tide times before you board — they are handed out at ferry check-in and shown via QR codes at the Commissariat Store and the rangers station, and the Painted Cliffs platform is only safe within two hours of low tide
- Leave the car in Triabunna — parking at the marina and nearby streets is free, but watch for permit zones at the wharf; fuel at Sorell or Triabunna, where the servo can be closed or out of diesel
- Carry all your rubbish back to the mainland — there are no bins on the island — and cook on a gas or fuel stove; seasonal campfire bans apply over the summer months
- Keep 2 metres from all wildlife, never feed or touch it, and leave the drone packed — unauthorised drone flying is prohibited on the island
- For Mount Maria and the southern walks, buy a topographic map at the Maria Island Gateway and download offline maps — mobile coverage is limited and unreliable on all carriers
When to go
seasons & the hard months
Autumn (March to May) is the best window: long days, temperatures that sit between winter's 7°C to 11°C and summer's 13°C to 20°C, and tracks that are far quieter than the festive break. The Painted Cliffs are at their least crowded from September to November and April to May, and the wombats, forester kangaroos and Cape Barren geese are active on the grassy flats around Darlington through the cooler months. Sea temperatures of 17°C to 18°C from January to March make this the window for snorkelling and swimming in Darlington Bay.
Winter (June to August) is the quietest and cheapest time but gives you the least island: short days, the coldest weather of the year and fewer ferry sailings from May to August, so plan around the timetable rather than your own schedule. Spring brings wildflowers and nesting birds, but it is the windiest season and the crossing can be rough. Summer shares the settlement and the cliffs with the school holidays, so book the ferry and the penitentiary early and walk the Painted Cliffs on the first low tide you get.
Questions
6 answers
By passenger ferry from Triabunna to Darlington — there is no vehicle access to the island. The crossing is listed by Parks and Wildlife as around 45 minutes, bookings are essential, and you check in at the Maria Island Gateway in Triabunna 45 minutes before departure. Sailings run on fewer days from May to August.
Yes — a valid parks pass is required for entry to Tasmania's national parks, including for visitors arriving by their own boat or plane. Park entry, Penitentiary and camping fees can be paid online or at the Maria Island Gateway in Triabunna.
No. The rock platform is only safe to reach within two hours of low tide and in calm sea conditions, and the cliffs cannot be climbed or accessed from above. Tide times are given at ferry check-in and via QR codes at the Commissariat Store and the rangers station, so time the walk before you plan the rest of the day.
The penitentiary at Darlington has bunk rooms — $95 a night for rooms 1–9 (up to six people) and $150 for room 10 — booked up to 6 months ahead. The Darlington campground is $18.00 a night per site (from 3 November 2026), takes no bookings for now and has space for everyone; Frenchs Farm and Encampment Cove are free campsites with a valid pass.
No. There are no shops on the island and no rubbish bins, so carry in every meal and carry out every piece of waste. All island water is non-potable and must be treated with purification tablets or boiled for at least a minute, and tank supplies can run low in dry summers.
It is 11km return, 4–5 hours and Grade 4: bushwalking experience recommended, with rock scrambling, steep boulders, high unfenced cliffs and an exposed summit with sheer drops. Parks and Wildlife says to avoid it in high winds and strong conditions. Mount Maria is harder again at 16km return and 8 hours.
Nearby & next
Official information
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