Tassie’s Tolkien Trail Takes You to Some of the Tallest Trees in the World

Walk beneath giant Swamp gums only a few hours from Hobart. The Tolkien Track in Styx Tall Trees Conservation Area is home to these gentle giants.

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.

Tolkien Track Highlights

• Experience some truly magnificent and giant trees
• A good intro to easy off-trail hiking
• Less than two hours’ drive from Hobart (close to Mt Field National Park)

Tolkien Track Quick Facts

Duration: 1-2 hours
Distance: 2-3km
Elevation gain: 100 metres

How to Get to the Tolkien Track

Leaving Hobart, follow directions to Mount Field Visitor Centre. Instead of turning into the national park, follow the Gordon River Road about 13km southwest until you pass the small village of Maydena. 

Do not follow your GPS. It’ll take you the wrong way at multiple points.

About 1km past Maydena, turn right onto Styx Road heading south. Within about 500m the road will U-turn and pass back under the main road.

Keep following this for about 20 minutes. Drive until you come across a small toilet block and information signs. Pass this and take the next right about another kilometre further which (depending on your map) will be called Styx Spur 13 or Waterfall Link Road.

Follow this to the top of the hill around to the right until you see the small yet fitting sign ‘Tolkien Track’.

There’s not so much of an official track, but the pink tape shows the way between the special trees.

Skill Level

Intermediate

The walking itself is easy in the dry, other than the odd fallen tree to get past. The important thing is to keep your bearings.

Essential Gear for the Tolkien Track

• As with any hikes in Tasmania, a good waterproof jacket and other wet weather gear
• Sturdy, waterproof shoes – it can get mighty wet in these parts
• A camera
• 1L of water per person
• Snacks or lunch
• A GPS or good orientation skills. Although there’s pink tape to follow, it’s often hard to see

What It’s Like to Walk the Tolkien Track

Always Ask the Locals

After chatting with a local Tasmanian Parks Ranger about how much we love the local trees, he gave us some special tips on where to find what he considers Tasmania’s most impressive trees – and he was right.

While it isn’t a well known fact, Australia is home to the world’s second tallest tree species, the Eucalyptus regnans, known as the Mountain Ash in Victoria and the Swamp gum in Tasmania.

These giants are known to grow to more than 100 metres tall, like Centurion, the world’s second tallest tree found not too far from this forest. 

The trees on this hike known as ‘The Tolkien Track’ might be just a little smaller – but hey, who’s counting? As the local ranger told us, while Centurion might be bigger, this spot is much more impressive.

Read more: Best Waterfalls in Tasmania

Gandalf’s Staff ascending to the heavens

Mighty Giants Almost Felled

Tasmania has its problems with logging, which we won’t go into right now. But this magnificent part of the forest was almost lost when it was marked for logging back in 2003. 

Luckily some brave activists, with the help of Greenpeace and The Wilderness Society, built a basecamp high up in the most spectacular of these trees, which is today known as Gandalf’s Staff.

This story has a happy ending and this part of the forest was protected and is now known as the Styx Tall Trees Conservation Area.

The iconic giants in this patch are now protected and have been given fitting Lord of the Rings themed names like Fangorn, Morannon ‘Black Gate’, Cave Tree, the Felled Giant, and of course Gandalf’s Staff, which is 85 metres tall and around 400 years old.

‘Black Gate’ or Morannon in the elvish language, is one of the huge trees in this protected patch

While the activists secured a great victory that captivated people around the world, much of the surrounding forest is still actively logged – a sad sight you must pass to get to this now protected reserve.

Walking Among Forest Giants on the Tolkien Track

The path through the forest is as fantasy-filled as the name suggests. While the path is occasionally marked with pink tape, many of the markings have fallen with the branches and been buried in leaf matter. 

Like in some of Tolkiens’ forests, time moves strangely here, paradoxically like it’s speeding through growth and decay, while standing still for aeons.  

It feels like no one has passed through for a very long time. Layer upon layer of life, death, and growth fill the floor and your nostrils with an ancient forest scent.

Follow the pink tape to stay on track

In parts the way is steep and you’ll need to duck or climb over fallen logs. Part of the magic is the density of the forest. 

With your eyes and mind focused on finding the way the giants seem to suddenly appear as you look up and emerge from the undergrowth.

Leave no trace: Spots like this are fragile. To minimise your impact make sure you take all your rubbish with you, hit the loo before your walk, and stay on the pink tape trail. Do your best to resist the urge to climb on the trees, if everyone does they’ll start to feel the impact!

Tolkien Track FAQs

How long does it take to walk the Tolkien Trail?

The trail is only a few kilometres long, but you’ll want to include time to stand at the base of the trees and marvel at them! So give yourself around 1-2 hours to make the most of the trail.

Where is the Tolkien Trail?

The Tolkien Track is found in Styx Tall Trees Conservation Area, under two hour’s drive from Hobart.

What will I see on the Tolkien Track?

Lots and lots of trees! As you walk through the stunning and lush forest, you’ll soon emerge at a grove of some of the tallest trees in the world – the Swamp gum (or Mountain Ash).

Walk More Tassie Day Hikes

• Tassie’s Leven Canyon is a Remarkable Ravine
• Tassie’s Little Swan Point Walk is a Nature-Filled Stroll for the Whole Family
• Fluted Cape Walk – A Dramatic Day Hike on Tassie’s Bruny Island
• Cape Hauy – A Guide to Hiking This Jaw-Dropping Tassie Coastline