A hike to Mt Strzelecki – the highest point on Flinders Island

Mt Strzelecki is another of the three Tasmanian “60 Great Short Walks” that’s located on Flinders Island – and it’s the highest point on the island – so it’s a “must do” hike on our Flinders Island visit. I’m joined by Luke and our “local” (Launceston) friend Linda, who’s staying with us for a few days.

We head out from our house at the opposite end of the island (near West End Beach) around 9am, with the granite peaks of the Strzelecki ranges appearing closer as we turn onto Trousers Point Road almost an hour later.

(The Devonian-age granite peaks are part of a larger series of granite bodies that extend from north-eastern Tasmania to Wilsons Promontory in Victoria, and were formed approximately 370 million years ago. Just in case you have an interest in geology!)

The start of the Mt Strzelecki bushwalk is very clearly marked, with the Strzelecki peaks directly ahead of us, as we set off around 10am. It’s a beautiful, clear day, so I’m looking forward to the view from the summit.

The track crosses a small clearing to a walker registration “booth” where’s there a battered log-book, before it enters the low (but dense) forest.

The first “stage” of the Mt Strzelecki track is not steep, but climbs relentlessly up through forest consisting mostly of casuarina trees.

After about a kilometre (and 180m of altitude gain), there’s a glimpse of our destination in the distance, and the first views from the track of Whitemark Beach to the north.

About half an hour further, and the landscape has completely changed to more open eucalypt forest with a few patches of ferns. In this second “stage” (starting at about the 1.8km mark and and 320m altitude), you can see why the rainfall on Flinders Island is highest around the Strzelecki Peaks.

The track starts to get steeper, but rewards our progress with improving views; Mt Chappell Island can be seen off the coast, beyond Trousers Point.

This second stage of our walk is about a kilometre in length and we’ve gained another 300m altitude, as we reach the foot of the granite peak that towers above us. As we follow the base of the Strzelecki Peaks, the “third stage” of our journey is damp and shaded. We’re mostly in Sassafras-musk rainforest, occasionally emerging onto granite outcrops.

While we started our walk in full sun, there’s now swirling mist around us and views to the north are of… cloud. At the 3km mark (700m altitude) there’s a large rock platform and with limited visibility, a few groups end their hike here.

We continue – we’re now only 60m from the Mt Strzelecki summit – although it’s unclear (no pun intended) due the the clouds sweeping over the peak whether we will be “rewarded with views of mainland Tasmania” as my guidebook promised!

After the last few hundred metres through thick scrub and then along a broad ridge of granite, we’re on the rocky peak of Mt Strzelecki!

The thickest cloud is to the north, and doesn’t look like abating anytime soon… although once we’re back at the the bottom I can’t see any clouds around the peak. I don’t know if we’re just unlucky with timing: the general advice is to go early as the cloud builds over the day. [I go back a few days later, starting at 4am both to avoid the cloud and catch sunrise from the peak – but the cloud is even thicker, to the point it’s raining when I get to the last section – and when I’m back at the bottom it looks clear at the top!]

You could argue that the mist adds to the atmosphere… and there are still some nice views, with the rest of the Strzelecki Peaks to the south and Fotherington Beach below, with Big Green Island in the distance and East Kangaroo Island barely visible behind it. But I definitely can’t see mainland Tasmania in the distance!

We hang around on the Mt Strzelecki summit for about half an hour, before deciding that it’s highly unlikely that the clouds will dissipate anytime soon and we head back down. It’s taken us about 2.5 hours up, with frequent rest breaks, and 1.5 hours to go back down.

More information on Mt Strzelecki

• Tas Parks “60 Great Short Walks” –  Strzelecki Peaks
• Ken Martin, Walks of Flinders Island – purchase online or may be available in Whitemark
• Melanie Ball, Top Walks in Tasmania (Walk 30)