Maria Island National Park

An amazing island with more than 600 wombats, very cute! Painted Cliff is so beautiful, better to see it when it’s low tide. Ferry is $52 for a round trip. No car is allowed on the island, so walking or riding a bicycle is the best way to see the island. Limited accommodation & camping are available, better booking in advance. No shops on the island, so please bring enough food & water. No rubbish bin on the island, please bring your rubbish with you.

Couldn't have loved this experience more. What a stunning pristine place this is. The wombats are everywhere and they are so cute. Not to mention plenty of other wildlife as well. The beaches are white sand and crystal clear water. You can hire bikes and ride around. The people that helped you were really focused on safety and helped in a really professional manner. The National Park staff were amazing and even helped me get my shoes back when I realised I had left them on the island after I returned to the mainland. This is very professionally run, and all the stuff were really friendly and helpful. Absolutely recommend going here.

It is worth visiting this island while in Tasmania. This island is where the program to increase the population of the endangered Tasmanian Devil has been undertaken. There is a video that played 4 parts available on YouTube too that captures the stages of the program. The island has a unique sandstone rocks which appears to be as a painted cave aptly named as “painted caves” which when visited during low tide provides a great photo opportunity.. careful some of the access path to the painted caves are slippery. The island also has the flinder’s island wombats. If one observes closely there 3 newly planted Huon Pine trees.

had an amazing experience with breathtaking views during my visit. The staff were incredibly friendly and helpful. On 16&17, Oct 2023, I had the opportunity to try mountain biking on the island. The staff not only taught me how to ride but also adjusted the bike to the right gears and helped me choose a suitable helmet. Their patience and kindness were truly commendable.

Where wildlife is real. Beautiful beaches, great hikes, and incredible scenery.
Ensure you are well equipped as you can’t buy anything on the island.

Wombats everywhere and beautiful scenery. Recommend hiring bikes for the day

Search for "Maria island gateway" to get to the ferry stop. You'll need to purchase your ferry tickets in advance. (About $50+ 2 ways for adults). You'll also need a national park pass to visit Maria island. You should aim to get to the ferry station 15-30 minutes before the ferry departure so you have enough time to park your car and exchange your tickets at the station. We did a day trip (0830-1630) and it's awesome. We hired a bike for $33 per day, Peter explained to us clearly on how to use the bike properly. We have some elderly travelling with us who don't cycle often and we didn't have any problems with using the bikes. You can book the bike when you purchase the ferry tickets. On my second visit, I took the 1130am flight and the place was extremely busy, took me a while to find a parking spot! Would recommend taking the earlier ferry if possible.

This island is definitely a gem. You get to see lots of wild wombats and wallaby hopping around, and most of them are not afraid of people. You shouldn't touch them though as they will bite when they feel threatened. The fossil route was very muddy and a lot of uphills but the view is absolutely breathtaking. We went to the painted cliffs first, would be a lot nicer if it's in low tide. On my second visit, I barely saw any wombats (prob about 30+ wombats that are happily eating away everywhere on my first visit and only saw about 3 on my second visit.) Spoke to a ranger and she said it might be due to the weather - I came on 30/12/2022 on my second visit and it was pretty warm, that's why they're hiding a little bit!

Did the "bishop and clerk" hike on my second visit. It's definitely NOT 2-4 hours hike as per signage. (Maybe if you run or something haha) I took about 4.5 hours return, with lots of photo stop and chilling at the top. The first half of the walk is pretty easy and chill, lots of shades too. Once you hit the rocky part, it's pretty much uphill and lots of rumbles. Towards the end you'll have to also do a bit (just a bit) of rockclimbing to get to the top.

You will have to bring enough water and food to last through the day as there isn't any food supply in the area. You can purchase some snacks and coffee on the ferry itself.

It is possible to spend the night on the island, you'll just have to check for availability on the website. I booked a night at the penitentiary for my second visit. It's actually pretty cool and convenient - there's a mess hall where pots and pans are provided, you can cook and eat in there. There's a "laundry" room where you can hang your clothes if you do any washing. Check in is at 2pm and check out is at 10am. There's no key to the room so don't bring any valuables if possible.

I would definitely recommend anyone who's travelling to Tassie to visit Maria island, it's an experience that you can't get anywhere else in the world.

Stunning Maria Island National Park is full of history, wildlife and nature preserved. Fantastic for walks or for cycling, swimming and snorkelling - with facilities for camping and bike hire. Ferry is available from Triabunna. We had an amazing time exploring the island. For a day trip, the Painted Cliffs is a must see. The loop track around from the jetty to Darlington to the Fossil Cliffs is the next recommendation.

What more can I say other than a hidden gem. I would love to keep this place my little secret as it is so peaceful & unique. This Island is all National Park with no motor vehicles allowed & is a haven of tranquillity where you can totally get away from it all. Pure white sandy beaches contrast against azure blue seas, cute wombats, great walks & fresh bracing air...bliss!

Really enjoyed a short visit here. Walked a few tracks and seen a variety of wild animals - wombats, echidna, cape barren geese, potoroo, pademelon, birds such as plovers, oyster catchers, swallows, and Tasmanian Native Hens. It was almost perfect weather so our few hours here was much appreciated. My advice - catch the first ferry across to see the Painted Cliffs at low tide, then walk a few tracks and enjoy being outdoors. We caught the second ferry across and still seen a lot of the Painted Cliffs but it would've been just a bit better at proper low tide

Place to enjoy the nature. You can see wild animals & beautiful scenery here. Second visit after 9 years and the place is great worth visit again.

Saw plenty of wildlife and natural beauty. You are pretty much on your own and the island is way bigger than it seems.

Awesome! We stayed 1N at the penitentiary (thank you ranger Fiona and Kate who made our stay wonderful) - which we’d highly recommend if you’re wanting to see the wildlife bc they are abundant dawn & dusk but as expected, aren’t very visible during the bright light and heat of day. Painted cliffs are accessible around low tide - so be sure to check the ferry times are compatible. We hired bikes (thanks for great service Pete). This meant we could get to the convict cells (beautiful spot to rest) vid painted cliffs and back again day 1 and have a lovely chill stroll for the reservoir circuit and fossil cliffs. Can’t get down to the beach at fossil cliffs til April 23.

Beautiful peaceful, lovely scenery lots of wildlife, perfect spot to unwind, do some walks or just picnic on the waters edge. Hint fly there with Par Avon small flights for an awesome day.

Wow. I would 100% recommend a day trip or an overnight trip. If you want to see a Wombat you MUST take the last ferry at 5:30 if visiting in Summer. You need to wait until it cools down so the animals are wanting to come out. Beautiful island. I want to go back.

Beautiful Island - didn't get to stay overnight due to fire ban but saw enough. Trollies for moving your stuff to the campsite, plenty of shade in campsite too, amenities were clean and the beaches were so blue and clear and just perfect for swimming in. The rangers were very helpful but make sure you take everything you need.

What a stunning island full of contrasts and critters, lots of critters, all surrounded by idyllic bays, white sand beaches and ocean blues! Best explored by bike in my opinion if you'd like to make the most of your time there. A must visit!

Excellent place hike. We did the painted cliffs and the Fossil cliffs. You can see the painted cliffs at high tide despite what you are told. You just have to take one of the more difficult paths down after walking past the first access point to the bluffs above the cliffs.

The Fossil cliffs were nothing special but we loved the hike. Beautiful scenery everywhere you look. It's a bit expensive at $45 each for the ferry but in hindsight we are glad we did it.

An exceptional World heritage listed National Park. It is uncrowded and offers the opportunity to see a wide range of fauna and flora. You can spend 2 hours there of a few days. We recommend to our guests to do day trips over and back. There are some great walking tracks ranging from easy to quite difficult. This island is a must see if you are on the east coast of Tasmania

A beautiful island, almost untouched my modern human civilisation. It is an absolute pleasure to visit the historic ruins and enjoy the untouched surroundings. Amazing to see how the ecosystem thrives without no humans disrupting the harmony 😀