kunanyi / Mt Wellington

kunanyi / Mt Wellington is a sliver of wilderness stretching up from the South-West World Heritage Area right to the heart of Hobart, Tasmania. Locals look to ‘the mountain’ sitting just to west of the city, right in the roaring 40s like a visual barometer warning of the wind and rain about to engulf. There is a great physical challenge to some or our walks. The Eastern face of ‘the mountain’ is steep, rising 1271m from sea level over about 14km from the shore of the Derwent Estuary. Crossing through dry eucalypt forest to wet tree-fern / rain forested gullies, around the dolerite organ pipes to the wind swept alpine environment.

Cultural Intrigue

For more than 30,000 years, Tasmanian Aboriginals have been the sole custodians of Tasmania. Little is known of the significance of kunanyi / Mt Wellington to their lives. But it’s prominence in the landscape no doubt held special meaning. For the time being, many of the aboriginal stories of kunanyi lay asleep, and perhaps one day will be awoken to be shared once more. The mountain is packed with human stories, from our current understanding of how the Tasmanian Aboriginals lived, to the early European visitors and later colonial development. We visit the caves, huts, ruins and trails that best allow us to tell the stories of old and new alike. Follow in Darwin’s footsteps, hear about brutal bushrangers, the range of industries, brewing beer, and collecting drinking water.

Natural wonders

One of the steepest bioclines in the world, where in just a few kilometers you can walk from coastal environment, dry and wet eucalypt forest, rainforest gullies and the sub-alpine forest and alpine heathlands. It’s also home to the mighty swamp gums and gum top eucalypts the tallest flowering plants on Earth. Come up close to the wonderous buttresses of the dolerite organ pipes, hear how they were formed, a process which is responsible for much of Tasmania’s unique scenery. Endemic wildlife such as birds, and wildflowers including those little hidden gems – the native orchids.

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