Top 10 Alpine Huts on Tasmania's Overland Track
Tasmania's Overland Track is a 65-kilometre walk through the Cradle Mountain- Lake St Clair National Park, connecting Cradle Mountain in the north with Lake St Clair in the south over 6 days. It is widely regarded as Australia's finest multi-day alpine walk: the terrain is genuinely subalpine above 1200 m, the endemic wildlife (wombats, echidnas, Tasmanian Devils, endemic wallabies) is remarkable, and the vegetation — pencil pine, scoparia, buttongrass moorland — is found nowhere else in the world. The hut system is managed by Parks and Wildlife Service Tasmania; all hikers must pay a per-night hut fee in addition to the track booking.
1. Waterfall Valley Hut, 1230 m — Day 1, Cradle Mountain area
The first overnight hut on the southbound Overland Track, at 1230 m in the Waterfall Valley Hut (Cradle Mountain Huts) complex. The hut accommodates approximately 40 people in the Parks and Wildlife Service facility; a separate luxury lodge (Cradle Mountain Huts, operated by Tasmanian Walking Company) provides premium accommodation at the same location. The approach from Cradle Mountain visitor centre takes 4–6 hours through button grass moorland and the base of the Cradle Mountain plateau.
2. Windermere Hut, 1050 m — Day 2, Lake Windermere
Beside Lake Windermere (1050 m) in the heart of the Overland's mid-section, the Windermere Hut provides the overnight between Waterfall Valley and New Pelion. The lake is a glacial tarn with the buttongrass moorland of the plateau surrounding it. Walking time from Waterfall Valley is 3–5 hours; the terrain is open subalpine heath with excellent views.
3. New Pelion Hut, 1090 m — Day 3, Du Cane Range
At 1090 m in the Du Cane Range, New Pelion Hut (Pelion Hut, Cradle Mountain Huts) is the base for the optional ascent of Mount Ossa (1617 m) — the highest peak in Tasmania. The Ossa ascent adds 5–6 hours to the day; the views from the summit across the Central Plateau and the surrounding ranges are extraordinary. Capacity around 40.
4. Kia Ora Hut, 920 m — Day 4, Kia Ora Hut area
Below the Du Cane Range at 920 m in a valley of endemic pencil pines and rivulets, the Kia Ora Hut (Cradle Mountain Huts) is the most sheltered of the main Overland huts. The surrounding vegetation — the ancient pencil pines (Athrotaxis cupressoides) are the oldest trees in Australia, with some specimens over 1000 years old — makes this location one of the most ecologically significant on the walk.
5. Windy Ridge Hut, 1100 m — Day 5, Lake St Clair approach
At 1100 m on the exposed ridge above Lake St Clair, the Windy Ridge Private Hut (Cradle Mountain Huts) earns its name: the southwest winds that funnel up Lake St Clair make this the most exposed overnight on the Overland. The views down Lake St Clair — at 169 metres depth, the deepest lake in Australia — and across to the Western Arthur Range are some of the finest on the walk.
6. Bert Nichols Hut, 920 m — Day 5 alternative, Narcissus area
An alternative to Windy Ridge for the final stages, the Bert Nichols Hut near the Narcissus River provides a lower and more sheltered option. The Narcissus area has some of the finest pencil pine stands on the walk.
7. Echo Point Hut, 730 m — Lake St Clair area, near Derwent Bridge
Near the southern end of the walk above Lake St Clair, Echo Point Hut at 730 m is the last of the series. Accommodation before the final walk to the Cynthia Bay visitor centre at Lake St Clair village.
8. Old Pelion Hut, 1000 m — Historic hut, Day 3 area
An historic hut from the original Overland Track era, now preserved as a heritage structure rather than a primary overnight facility. The Old Pelion area has botanical significance — the pencil pine and cushion plant communities here are rare.
9. Cradle Mountain Lodge Area, 920 m — Cradle Valley
At the northern end of the track, the accommodation complex at Cradle Mountain village (Cradle Mountain Lodge and associated budget accommodation) serves as the pre-track staging point. Full restaurant, equipment hire, and the Cradle Mountain visitor centre are located here.
10. Lake St Clair Visitor Centre Huts, 730 m — Cynthia Bay
At the southern end of the walk, dormitory accommodation at the Lake St Clair visitor centre complex provides the final night before road departure toward Hobart (3.5 hours).
Booking the Overland Track
The Overland Track requires advance booking (October–May peak season; self- registration in winter). Bookings open online through the Parks Tasmania portal. The track fee covers hut accommodation at all main huts (own sleeping bag and liner required). Numbers are capped at 60 southbound starters per day in peak season. Bookings for January and February typically sell out within days of opening.
The track must be walked south-bound (Cradle Mountain to Lake St Clair) during the peak season. This is a Parks Tasmania direction to manage the flow of walkers and reduce congestion at the huts. In the off-season (June–September), the track can be walked in either direction; the huts are unserviced in winter and the weather is substantially more demanding.
Weather and conditions
The Overland Track is subject to the weather of western Tasmania — one of the wettest places in Australia, driven by the westerly winds that circle the Southern Ocean unimpeded. The plateau sections receive over 2000 mm of annual rainfall; snow can fall in any month at higher elevations. The standard weather description for Tasmanian walking is "expect all four seasons in a day."
Waterproof clothing is non-negotiable. Even in the summer months (December– February), a day walking in shorts and a sun hat can become a survival situation by mid-afternoon if a frontal system arrives from the southwest. The huts are well-maintained and serve as genuine emergency shelters; parties who are caught by bad weather routinely spend an extra night in a hut rather than pushing through to the next stage.
The Parks Tasmania website publishes weather forecasts specific to the Overland Track zones during the walking season. The Bureau of Meteorology (bom.gov.au) provides the underlying forecast; the Parks Tasmania version adds trail condition notes from the ranger team.
Tasmanian endemic wildlife
One of the distinctive pleasures of the Overland Track is the wildlife encountered at and around the huts. Wombats — large, slow, bulldozer-like marsupials weighing up to 30 kg — regularly visit the hut areas at dusk and are remarkably unthreatened by humans. Bennett's wallabies, the Tasmanian pademelon, and (less commonly) Tasmanian Devils are seen regularly. The platypus inhabits the rivers below the huts and is sometimes seen in the early morning.
Birds include the endemic Swift Parrot (critically endangered), the Green Rosella (endemic to Tasmania), and the Wedge-tailed Eagle. The pencil pine groves around Kia Ora Hut and the northern forests around Cradle Mountain are the primary habitat for the endemic Tasmanian Thornbill. Wildlife photography from the hut platforms at dusk is a consistent highlight of the walk.
Explore on the map
Overland Track huts — Waterfall Valley, Kia Ora, Pelion, and Windy Ridge — are all plotted on the Open the map.