- Cape Hauy and the Candlestick: This is the sight most people come for. The track ends on a narrow headland where dolerite columns rise from the Tasman Sea, and the tallest pillar is known as the Candlestick. The final stretch is a stepped climb with drops on both sides, so give yourself an hour or so at the end for photos and a snack. Doing the Cape Hauy return walk as a day trip from the Fortescue Bay side is also possible.
- Cape Pillar and the Blade: The longest day on the track ends here, at the far tip of the Tasman Peninsula. The cliffs fall away about 300 meters to the water, and the Blade is a knife-edge ridge jutting out toward the open ocean. On a clear day you can see Tasman Island and its lighthouse, and sea eagles ride the updrafts below you. Most walkers take the side trip with
- Cape Hauy and the Candlestick: This is the sight most people come for. The track ends on a narrow headland where dolerite columns rise from the Tasman Sea, and the tallest pillar is known as the Candlestick. The final stretch is a stepped climb with drops on both sides, so give yourself an hour or so at the end for photos and a snack. Doing the Cape Hauy return walk as a day trip from the Fortescue Bay side is also possible.
- Cape Pillar and the Blade: The longest day on the track ends here, at the far tip of the Tasman Peninsula. The cliffs fall away about 300 meters to the water, and the Blade is a knife-edge ridge jutting out toward the open ocean. On a clear day you can see Tasman Island and its lighthouse, and sea eagles ride the updrafts below you. Most walkers take the side trip with a light pack once they have dropped their gear at the hut.
- Munro Hut and the Tasman Island lookout: The huts are far from basic. Munro sits among the eucalypts near the cliff tops, with bunk rooms, a gas cooker and a deck that is hard to leave once the light turns gold. Sunset over Tasman Island from the nearby lookout is a quiet affair, usually with just a few other hikers and the swell far below.
- Cape Raoul viewpoint: The third cape is not on the track: you see it from the boat and the clifftops, or walk it separately as a day hike. The reward is the view of tall dolerite columns running along the coast like organ pipes. The walk passes through open heath and low forest, and the wind up top can be fierce.
- Mount Fortescue and Arthurs Peak forest: Between the capes, the track runs through tall eucalypt forest, then drops into coastal heath dotted with banksias and grass trees. Listen for the metallic calls of yellow wattlebirds and the rustle of pademelons in the undergrowth. Echidnas turn up on the path more often than you would expect, and the boardwalk sections keep your boots dry on the wetter days.
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Hi, I’m Johan (Netherlands 🇳🇱), the creator of TakeYourBackpack. Over the past 3 decades, I’ve backpacked through 90+ countries across six continents, gaining extensive experience with independent travel, long-term trips, and overland routes.