This Bikepacking Loop in North West Tassie Passes Through the Tarkine & Cradle Valley

Experienced bikepackers Scott and Lu put together an epic itinerary through the heart of some pristine wilderness in North West Tasmania. They later describe the terrain as some of the hardest they’ve ever ridden – just what Moey needed for his first bikepacking adventure.

We Are Explorers acknowledges that this adventure is located on the traditional Country of the Palawa People who have occupied and cared for the lands, waters, and their inhabitants for thousands of years. We pay our respects to them as the Traditional Custodians and recognise that sovereignty was never ceded.

North West Tassie Loop Facts

Distance: 828km
Duration: 11-16 days
Elevation gain: 11,864m

Navigation file: Ride With GPS

Quick Overview of the North West Tassie Loop

The North West Tassie loop starts at Launceston Airport and follows the coast west before descending (and ascending) into takayna/Tarkine Rainforest and later towards Cradle Valley. This route offers a variety of landscapes from coastal cruising and ancient forests, to exposed rocky peaks and much more. The loop can be completed in either direction, but it’s suggested to first head west along the coast towards Stanley. Allow 10-16 days.

Read more: 5 Unmissable Mountain Bike Trails on Tassie’s West Coast

About the North West Tassie Loop

The great thing about the North West Tassie loop is that it’s packed full of quaint towns and extraordinary ecosystems. However at times the distances between towns are great and therefore resources are limited. Due to Tasmania’s relatively small scale, yet condensed geography, it feels like you can see and explore a lot within a ‘small’ distance.

Read more: 10 Tassie Adventures That Are Out of the Ordinary

Ride alongside giant tree ferns

North West Tassie Loop History

For 40,000 years Tasmanian Aboriginal groups inhabited the North West regions and had strong cultural and spiritual connections to the land.

Some significant groups include the Tommeginne people around Stanley, the Tarkiner people from the regions of Sandy Cape through to Pieman River and Arthur River, and the Big River Tribe around Cradle Mountain.

Of importance, takayna/Tarkine has one of the highest concentrations of Aboriginal sites in the southern hemisphere.

Read more: Discover Indigenous Culture in lutruwita / Tasmania on This 7 Day Road Trip

How to Get to the North West Tassie Loop

Being off the mainland of Australia, you’ll either need to fly or catch the ferry to Tasmania.

By Plane

The great thing about flying into Launceston Airport is that there are bike stations to help set up your bike upon landing.

I suggest flying with Virgin as they’re much better with extra and oversized baggage than their competitors. At the time of writing, tickets from Melbourne to Launceston cost between $60-110 one way.

By Ferry

The benefit of taking the ferry is that you can have your bicycle already set up and ready to hit the trails. However, the journey is much longer and often more expensive ($130-300 one way).

Where to Stay Along the North West Tassie Loop

We had a great variety of camping options and stays on the trip, ranging from wild camping, caravan parks, and cabins.

Some suggestions for stays include:

• Duckbill Banks Camping on Hipcamp – a great place by the river that includes an outdoor hot tub
• Big 4 Stanley Holiday Park – with views of The Nut and right on the foreshore with easy access to see the penguins come in at night
• Savage River – near Corinna and in the heart of takayna/Tarkine, a beautiful spot next to the river
• Waldheim Cabins – at the base of Cradle Mountain, allows unrestricted access to the walking trails of Cradle Mountain
• Wild/free camp – get out of your comfort zone and camp anywhere! Particularly along The Western Explorer where campsites are limited

Read more: Cradle Mountain is a Land Lost in Time

We had a jolly time in the jacuzzi at Duckbill Banks

Skill Level

Intermediate – Advanced

This loop can be ridden by someone inexperienced in bikepacking, but due to several factors including remoteness of some areas, knowledge of gear and how to repair it, and the highly variable climate that occurs at all times of the year in Tasmania, I recommended going with someone who has bikepacking experience.

A very good level of fitness is required to tackle the Tasmanian climbs and extra weight is required to be carried out in the remote west as there are minimal services except for in Corinna.

Read more: What Should You Carry In Your Bike Repair Kit?

Essential Gear for the North West Tassie Loop

• Mountain bike
• Bike and tyre repair kit including tubes (even if riding tubeless)
• Bike shorts
• Helmet
• Zinc/sunscreen
• Lightweight hat
• Small bike lights
• Headtorch
• Tea/coffee
• Chia seeds
• Bike computer/watch for tracking the ride
• Towel
• First aid kit
• Rain jacket and pants
• PLB
• Power bank
• Camera
• Water bladders for extra carrying capacity (2L+)

Read more: Remember to leave no trace

Always pack a couple of roadside lunches!

What It’s Like to Ride the North West Tassie Loop

In short for a first-time bikepacker this was a serious test of physical and mental fortitude. By the end of our trip, my perception of what a hill is had definitely changed.

There were many points along the way where I wanted to soak in the surrounding environments more, hence the 10-16 day recommendation.

If you’re looking to immerse yourself in nature, experience a variety of landscapes and weather patterns, challenge yourself, and do something cool with your friends, then this is it.

Crossing the entry to the Tarkine

Day 1 – Launceston Airport to Duckbill Banks

Distance: 64km
Duration: 4 hours riding

After arriving at the airport in the early afternoon and setting up our bikes we depart through the outer suburbs of Launceston. Today is a test day, having never used some of our gear, with a smaller distance until our first campsite at Duckbill Banks.

A highlight of the day is a late night jacuzzi by the river to recover from the ride.

Day 2 – Duckbill Banks to Penguin

Distance: 106km
Duration: 7 hours riding

Our host leaves us with some inspiration to keep ‘noggin on’. Having never ridden over 60km, today was sure to be a test with a 100km day planned.

The coastline before riding into Penguin is beautiful and we have a well-earned swim upon arrival.

To top the day off, we walk into the Penguin pub for a mini celebration of my first 100km day where the owner of Sea to Summit sits and gives Scott some beer money for repping his gear.

A friends tiny house in Penguin was a trail luxury for us

Day 3 – Penguin to Burnie/Bus from Burnie to Stanley

Distance: 18km riding/80km by bus
Duration: 1 hour riding/1.5 hours by bus

The day starts with a ride to Mt Montgomery and a hike to the top where we start to see the forecasted storm roll in.

We’re just outside of Burnie when the storm arrives and saturates us. With no sign of the storm letting up, we made the decision to take the bus from Burnie to Stanley.

Watching the storm come in at Mt Montgomery

Day 4 – Stanley to Milkshake Hills

Distance: 77km
Duration: 6.5 hours riding

We make the short hike up to The Nut before making our way to the entry point to takayna/Tarkine. Surprisingly, most of the ride is farmland before reaching Trowutta Arch.

Admiring the unique Trowutta Arch

We cross a raging river at Tayatea Bridge before one last climb, then set up camp at Milkshake Hills.

Day 5 – Milkshake Hills to Western Explorer

Distance: 78km
Duration: 7.5 hours riding

A day packed full of highlights. There were tree trunks five arm lengths in diameter at Lake Chisolm, plenty of cockatoos and pademelons, and a great rest spot at Julius River.

The climbs up to the Western Explorer junction were tough.

One of those tough climbs Scott seemed to love

Day 6 – Western Explorer to Savage River

Distance: 65km
Duration: 6 hours riding

Today we cycle through a vast exposed landscape predominantly comprising buttongrass hills. Out here we’re very isolated, with plenty of hills to climb.

The views of Mt Donaldson are incredible and the descent into the forest towards Savage River is just as good.

Day 7 – Savage River to Wilson River

Distance: 53km
Duration: 4.5 hours riding

Day 7 offers a nice cruisy morning ride into Corinna where we stop for a coffee and kayak to Lovers Falls, with some seriously still reflections and lots of greenery.

The exit out of takayna/Tarkine offers views of the Cradle range and beyond. The landscape around Whaleback Lookout is akin to the moon.

Kayaking towards Lovers Falls, Corinna

Day 8 – Wilson River to Cradle Mountain

Distance: 77km
Duration: 7 hours riding

This is a big unknown part of the ride which exceeds expectations. A huge 13km gradual climb up to the Cradle Mountain turnoff – I’m proud of myself for making it up this one without stopping!

A warm room and hot showers are a big win after getting soaked on the way in.

Day 9 – Hike day at Cradle Mountain

Distance: 16.5km
Duration: 6 hours hiking

Day 9 is a ‘rest’ day, hiking around the Dove Lake Circuit and up to the top of Cradle Mountain with lots of wombats and Pandani trees around.

We enjoy a special experience at the summit where a cloudy day blows away revealing the deep valleys surrounding us, with no one else around but my sister and I!

On top of Cradle with no one else but ourselves!

Day 10 – Cradle Mountain to Round Hill

Distance: 42km
Duration: 3.5 hours riding

An exploration of the trails around Waldheim Cabins and learning about the history of the area is well worth it.

Lots of echidnas roadside as we make our way out of Cradle Valley and towards Champagne Falls. The climb out the other side of the falls from Lemonthyme Wilderness Retreat is very scenic.

Day 11 – Round Hill to Chudleigh

Distance: 50km
Duration: 4 hours riding

A morning climb up to Round Hill Lookout before tackling Mount Claude summit, which has great views of both Mt Roland and Cradle Mountain.

As we head back to a more civilized area, farmland starts to become more dominant between pockets of some typically beautiful Tasmanian forests.

Round Mountain Lookout, getting our gear ready before continuing on

Day 12 – Chudleigh to Bracknell

Distance: 71km
Duration: 5 hours riding

This ride takes you through what must be some of the most scenic farmland in all of Australia.

We’re now nearly back where we started from and onto Bogan Road again. Liffey Falls is a well-known waterfall nearby and there’s also a secret one worth finding with a little bit of digging.

Day 13 – Bracknell to Launceston Airport

Distance: 41km
Duration: 2 hours riding

Our last night ends with a great camping spot next to the river in Bracknell. Unfortunately, due to a fall on a steep gravel descent, it’s only Scott and myself riding out to Launceston Airport to meet my sister Lu.

We load up on some gourmet donuts from The Rustic Bakehouse before sharing them at the bike station to conclude our trip.

Bracknell River camping on our last day

Tips for Bikepacking the North West Loop

• Carry extra water and snacks throughout takayna/the Tarkine and Western Explorer, as services are limited
• Spend two days around Corinna if possible, of note is Lovers Falls, Mt Donaldson, and Savage River
• Complete the route anticlockwise for an ‘easier’ time
• Stay one night at Stanley for a free penguin parade
• Carry clothing for all weather conditions regardless of time of year

Pack for the unpredictable

FAQs for Bikepacking in Tasmania

Do I need a permit to bikepack through Tasmania?

When riding through or camping in national parks, you will be required to hold a valid Parks Pass. We suggest purchasing a Holiday Pass, which gives you access to all the national parks except Cradle Mountain for two months. But there are other options if you’re travelling for longer, which you can check out here.

Do I need to wear a bike helmet while bikepacking in Tasmania?

Not only is it a legal requirement to wear a helmet while cycling in Tasmania, it’d be pretty silly not to. A lot of this loop is in remote areas, uneven terrain, or on roads which means there’s susceptibility to injury and help may not always be easily accessible. Be safe and wear ya helmet please!

Can I bring my bike on public buses in Tasmania?

According to Metro Tasmania, bikes can be brought on buses – but only if they can fold up and be stored in the luggage racks. That being said, Scott and Lu managed so it might depend on operators or private companies. Best to call ahead!