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Hiking guide to the Quamby Bluff Walk in Tasmania
A detailed walking guide to the Quamby Bluff Walk in Tasmania's Great Western Tiers. Find out how to get to the trailhead, what to expect on the hike, and read about my experiences. Quamby Bluff is a 1227 meter high peak north of the main cliff of Tasmania's Great Western Tiers Range. It is a very prominent mountain and can be seen from the Bass Highway, which connects Launceston and Devonport. It is also one of the easiest mountains to climb in the Great Western Tiers. In this guide I will describe everything you need to know about the Quamby Bluff hike to the summit...
Hiking guide to the Quamby Bluff Walk in Tasmania
A detailed walking guide to the Quamby Bluff Walk in Tasmania's Great Western Tiers. Find out how to get to the trailhead, what to expect on the hike, and read about my experiences.
Quamby Bluff is a 1227 meter high peak north of the main cliff of Tasmania's Great Western Tiers Range. It is a very prominent mountain and can be seen from the Bass Highway, which connects Launceston and Devonport. It is also one of the easiest mountains to climb in the Great Western Tiers.
In this guide I will describe everything you need to know about the Quamby Bluff hike to the summit. I will also include some of my photographs and a little insight into my experiences to help you better prepare for this great day walk in Tasmania!
Where is Quamby Bluff?
Quamby Bluff is located in the Quamby Bluff Forest Reserve in northern Tasmania, close to Golden Valley. It borders Fairy Glade State Reserve and the trailhead is accessible via Highlands Lake Road. The starting point is approximately 21 kilometers from Deloraine and 63 kilometers from Launceston.
The map below shows the location of the cliff, but I have also included the trailhead coordinates below to help you find your way.
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I hope you enjoy this blog post. For more Tasmania travel and adventure inspiration, don’t miss my ultimate guides below.
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This is how you get to the trailhead
The Quamby Bluff Walk begins next to a small gravel parking lot in a pull-out area just off Highlands Lake Road (coordinates pinned above). The best way to navigate here is to enter the coordinates above and follow the steep and winding Highlands Lake Road to the trailhead. This road is quite steep in places and can be slippery. However, it is sealed along the entire route so most vehicles shouldn't have a problem. We made it here easily in our big van.
The parking lot looks like a driveway and is easy to miss, so keep your eyes peeled. There is space for approximately 4 vehicles, but you must do your best not to park opposite the gate. This gate is privately owned by the Bodhicitta Dakini Monastery.
alt=“PARKING LOT FOR THE QUAMBY BLUFF TRAIL”>
alt=“ENTRY GATES TO QUAMBY BLUFF FOREST RESERVE”>
If you don't have your own car or transportation, there aren't many options to get here as there is no public transportation. If you're visiting this beautiful part of Tasmania and looking for things to do, check out some other attractions pinned below.
The Quamby Bluff Walk
The Quamby Bluff Walk is classified by TasParks as a Class 3 trail in Tasmania. This means that it is classified as quite difficult. However, I would say it is more of a moderate trail. Although it is steep in some sections, anyone with a decent level of fitness and some bushwalking experience shouldn't have much trouble. There is a bit of scrambling involved, but it's pretty easy and doesn't require any real technical experience.
The Quamby Bluff hike begins with a gentle climb through beautiful myrtle forests. The further you progress, the steeper the path becomes and eventually the path opens up to a wide open scree field. Eventually the trail re-enters the dense forest for the final section to climb to the top of the cliff.
The track is well maintained throughout, but it can be difficult to stay on track as there are no frequent markings. Be sure to look for ribbons in the trees. I lost the trail in the scree section and ended up climbing much further up than I needed to.
RELATED POST: Hartz Peak Hiking Guide
Map of QUmby Bluff
Below I've included a map from TasTrails for illustrative purposes.
You can also see my route by visiting my Strava. Note that I took the wrong route on the climb, forcing me to boulder much further than necessary.
alt="Quamby Bluff map">
The first section: Past the monastery
The path begins by entering the large gate with the monastery sign. I believe this first section is a private road connected to the monastery, but you are allowed to walk down it to get to the Quamby Bluff Track.
I couldn't find too much updated information about the monastery online as it seems they haven't updated their website in a while. The place also seemed empty when I walked by.
Shortly after the hikers pass the prayer flags, they enter the dense myrtle forest.
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The warm-up: gentle forest climbing
The start of the route climbs slightly and is fairly easy to follow. Some sections were a bit overgrown, but maintained enough to easily navigate through the ferns and dense trees. Unfortunately, as soon as I started the hike, rain clouds rolled in and made the trail quite wet and muddy.
This first section is a good warm-up for the steep climb ahead. As you continue, you will notice that the path becomes increasingly steep until you reach the scree field.
alt=“TASMANIAN FORESTS ON THE QUAMBY BLUFF WALK”>
alt="QUAMBY BLUF FOREST">
The Scramble: Boulder Field
After about 1.4 kilometers the slope opens up and reveals a wide and steep scree field. You have to climb this with difficulty in order to get back to the forest path about 150 meters above. It looks a little daunting in the pictures, but it's really not difficult in good conditions. Of course, ice and snow can make this a challenge.
It is a bit challenging to follow the correct route. There are cairns that mark the best way up, but I made the mistake of losing the trail and ended up climbing all the way to the top of the scree field. You can see this on my Strava. Try your best to follow the cairns to avoid this.
alt="BULDERFELD">
The final sprint: Last stretch to Quamby Bluff
About halfway up the scree field you will see a marker in a tree to re-enter the forest. This track then loops to the right to skip the final piece of scree field. Once you're back in the forest it's easy to follow.
The last part climbs steeply before reaching the cliff. Once at the top, follow bright post markers to the trig point, where you are officially at the highest point of Quamby Bluff. You also have a great view from here.
alt="QUAMBY BLUFF TRAIL">
alt="VIEW OF QUAMBY BLUFF">
alt="QUAMBY BLFF TRIGEPOINT">
View from Quamby Bluff
As you can see from my photos, I wasn't rewarded with the best conditions after the climb. The rain clouds were getting thicker, but I was still able to climb to the boulders visible from the trig point. Luckily, I had a few brief moments of clearing clouds to enjoy. theepic views.
I heard that on a clear day you can see from the top of Quamby Bluff Walk all the way to Bass Strait!
alt=“QUAMBY BLUFF WALK TASMANIA”>
alt="QUAMBY BLUF VIEW">
After admiring the view, you can return to the parking lot along the same path.
Where to stay near Quamby Bluff
For those of you traveling around Tasmania, here are a few nearby places to stay that I recommend.
Due to its location, visitors have a few options for staying near Quamby Bluff. You can stay in either Deloraine, Devonport or Launceston. All are within an hour's drive (Deloraine is the closest).
For the best accommodation in Deloraine and the Quamby Bluff area, consider these options:
- Deloraine-Hotel – 8.4/10
- Arcoona Herrenhaus – 9.8/10
- Drumreagh Bed & Breakfast Hütten – 9.6/10
If you are traveling in a motorhome or caravan I highly recommend checking out Quamby Corner which is only 15 minutes away. This place was one of my favorites in Tasmania!
More hikes & adventures in Tasmania
I really hope you found this quick guide to hiking the Quamby Bluff Walk in Tasmania helpful. I've spent quite a bit of time exploring and documenting some of the best things to do in Tasmania, so be sure to check out some of my other guides too! Below are a few of my favorites in the area.
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