Tasmanian Walking Company’s three-day guided walks in lutruwita/Tasmania will have you feeling revitalised, enriched and transformed, all in the space of one long weekend.

Discover your own Long Weekend at taswalkingco.com.au

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A mission to connect people back to nature and themselves has always been central to Tasmanian Walking Company (Tas Walking Co). Since 1987, they’ve been creating immersive experiences that invite guests to step out of everyday life and into the natural environment. Now with walks all over the country, they’ve introduced their Long Weekend walk series, celebrating the much-loved Australian tradition of the extended weekend by combining guided easier day walks with the hospitality and creature comforts for which Tas Walking Co has become a Tasmanian icon.

Each of the Long Weekend walks includes return transfers from Hobart or Launceston, three-course chef-inspired meals and locally-produced beverages, the use of a backpack (and you’ll only ever walk with a light day pack) and Gore-tex jacket, and incredible eco-accommodation in some of Tassie’s most breathtaking landscapes. All you need to bring is a moderate level of fitness, some basic supplies, and a willingness to get lost in nature.

Here’s where you can get your three-day wilderness break at the bottom of the world.

BAY OF FIRES LONG WEEKEND

Tasmania’s east coast has its own unique colour palette: the vibrant rust of its lichen-covered rocks, piercing aquamarines of its oceans, and close-to-blinding white sands of its long and pristine beaches. On Tas Walking Co’s Bay of Fires Long Weekend walk, you’ll take in a veritable rainbow, as you traverse the region by foot, drift along Ansons River by kayak, and retire each night to the award-winning Bay of Fires Lodge.

Departing from Launceston, the first of your three days offline begins with lunch in the sand dunes before exploring the more than hundred-year-old Eddystone Point Lighthouse. Then, it’s time to walk: a four-hour trek across the east coast’s iconic beaches to reach your home for the next two nights. As the only building in these 20 kilometres of Bay of Fires wilderness, the lodge is your itinerary’s most compelling case for luxury, with an expansive timber deck, open fire, outdoor tub, guest library, and arguably Tasmania’s most remote spa, where you can indulge in a full body, foot or face massage. Dinner, prepared and served by your friendly guides, is a long-table affair, celebrating the best local produce and complemented by hard-earned wines.

Day two takes the activity to both land and water, beginning with a kayaking adventure down Ansons River, a natural habitat for abundant birdlife and other native fauna. Back ashore, a stroll over the dunes will return you to the lodge for another delicious dinner and an evening of stargazing or slumber.

Maximise your long weekend with a leisurely start to day three - there’s time to squeeze in another spa treatment or an ocean swim, before a winding walk (with a stop for lunch, of course) through coastal heathland and eucalypt forests to be picked up for a return to Launceston.

THREE CAPES LONG WEEKEND

As the tallest sea cliffs in Australia, it’s little wonder that the Tasman Peninsula’s three capes - Raoul, Pillar and Hauy - attract sightseers from all over the world. Making good on its mission to take walkers back to nature, Tas Walking Co leads a number of multi-day Three Capes walks, including a long weekend offering that is as wild as it is indulgent.

Setting off from nipaluna/Hobart, take the 90-minute cruise to Nubeena via private boat, complete with spectacular coastal views and local stories. Your first day is a comprehensive introduction to the peninsula region - you’ll discover ancient sandstone tunnels at Remarkable Caves, the ocean’s full might at Maingon Blowhole, and panoramas of all three capes from the peak of Mount Brown. Several kilometres of wandering later, you’ll meet your home for the next two nights. Offering hot rainwater showers, private decks and gourmet catering, Tasman Camp might be the most comfortable “camp” you’ll ever have the pleasure of laying your head.

Day two sounds challenging on paper, but is distractingly enjoyable in practice. A moderate 14-kilometre trek scales eucalypt forest to Cape Raoul’s edge, with vast visions of the grand Tasman Sea at most turns. At the lookout, hold on tight and feel the magnitude of this awe-inspiring part of the world, before settling in with lunch to refuel for the return trip.

You’ll feel well-acquainted with the Tasman Peninsula by now, but the final day of your long weekend walk proves there’s still more to explore. Beginning at Tasman Arch, a natural bridge over the Tasman Sea, day three’s walking effort climbs gently around impressive sedimentary rock formations to the aptly-named Waterfall Bay, where water cascades over the seacliffs into the ocean. Pack a camera to immortalise the sense of appreciation you’re sure to feel here, then toast to it all with lunch and a wine tasting at the acclaimed Bangor Vineyard Shed on the way home to Hobart.

BRUNY ISLAND LONG WEEKEND

Most Tasmanians have been to Bruny Island, but few have gotten as close to its heart as Bruny Island Long Weekend walkers. This little island off an island has more than earned its reputation for great produce, wine and beer, and Tas Walking Co does that reputation justice by sourcing almost all of the food and drink consumed over this long weekend from Bruny itself and close surrounds. In some cases, you’ll even meet the person who made it before you tuck in.

On day one, a Hobart departure takes you by private boat to the shores of Bruny Island, where you’ll begin your first walk of 12 kilometres to the spectacular Cape Queen Elizabeth. Combining bush and beach, your destination is also your reward, with picture-perfect access to the very Instagram-able Mars Bluff Arch. Further reward comes in the form of Great Bay, where you’ll wade out to learn how Bruny’s famous oysters are farmed and shucked straight from the cool water. Finally, retire to The Long Weekend camp, your exclusive off-grid accommodation on 100 acres of native bushland.

After a quality sleep beneath the stars, day two beckons with a warm breakfast and trek from home base to East Cloudy Head. The journey begins along Cloudy Bay Beach, before meandering up through coastal heath to a prime lookout towards the island’s rugged south coast. Back at camp, there’s little to do but enjoy a hot shower and anticipate another spread of local fare for dinner.

On day three, a slow morning enjoying the property and its resident native bird species will soften the blow of bidding farewell to your long weekend of connection and revitalisation. Your return to the Bruny Island jetty via the ancient Gondwana rainforest to the island’s highest point adds a final four kilometres to your legs’ hard work, before one final multi-course lunch at The Jetty Café.

Back on the Tasmanian mainland, it might be time to return to everyday reality, but three days of connection and clarity in the wilderness might just make it the perfect time to plan your next Tasmanian long weekend.

To discover your own Long Weekend walk, visit taswalkingco.com.au