Mount Wellington visit: kunanyi drive and walks from Hobart

A Mount Wellington visit is easy to plan, because one sealed road, Pinnacle Road, climbs from the edge of Hobart to the summit. The mountain, also called kunanyi, rises 1,271 m above sea level. The drive is short, but the weather at the top can be very different from the weather in town, so pack warm clothes and check the road before you leave.

Sources for this section: Wikipedia, Mount Wellington (Tasmania); Wellington Park Management Trust, How to get there.

Getting to the summit

Pinnacle Road is the only vehicle route to the summit. To reach it, take Davey Street west out of Hobart and carry on to Huon Road towards Fern Tree. Do not turn left into the Southern Outlet. Just before the township of Fern Tree, about 8 km from Hobart, turn right into Pinnacle Road.

The road is narrow and sealed. Wikipedia puts the summit about 22 km from the centre of Hobart. The Springs, a picnic area on the way up, is about 3.5 km past Fern Tree and sits 720 m above sea level. The summit, called the Pinnacle, is a further 9 km from the Springs. There is parking at the Springs, at the Pinnacle and at other points along the road.

You do not need a car. Metro buses run to Fern Tree from Franklin Square in the centre of Hobart. Several private shuttle services run between Hobart and the Pinnacle, and one of them runs to a schedule. One service has wheelchair access and a rack for up to four mountain bikes. The Tasmanian Travel and Information Centre on Davey Street takes bookings.

Sources for this section: Wellington Park Management Trust, How to get there; Wikipedia, Mount Wellington (Tasmania).

Road closures and snow

The Wellington Park Management Trust says Pinnacle Road may occasionally close because of snow or ice, extreme fire danger or a community event. Access may be limited over the winter months when snow or ice builds up on the road. Wikipedia adds that sections can close at any time of the year after snowfalls or icy conditions.

Check the City of Hobart website before you set out, or call 03 6238 2711. If the road is shut for snow, a privately run all wheel drive shuttle takes visitors up the mountain when conditions allow. The Trust also publishes a snow information sheet for visitors.

Sources for this section: Wellington Park Management Trust, How to get there; Wikipedia, Mount Wellington (Tasmania).

Weather and what to wear

Dress for a different season at the top. Wikipedia describes a tundra climate on the mountain and says visitors should dress warmly against the often icy winds. Winds there have been recorded at a sustained 157 km/h, with rare gusts up to 200 km/h. A single day can bring clear sky, rain, snow and sun again.

The Bureau of Meteorology figures quoted by Wikipedia show how cool it stays. The average high is 13.4°C in January and 2.4°C in July. The average low in July is minus 1.5°C, and the record low is minus 9.1°C. Snow often covers the summit in winter, and lighter falls are common in spring, summer and autumn.

The Trust links a mountain weather check from its visitor pages. Use it, and bring a windproof jacket, a hat, gloves and sturdy shoes even on a sunny summer day in the city.

Sources for this section: Wikipedia, Mount Wellington (Tasmania), citing the Bureau of Meteorology; Wellington Park Management Trust, How to get there.

What to see at the top

An enclosed lookout near the summit gives views over the city and the Derwent estuary to the east. On a clear day you can also glimpse the World Heritage Area nearly 100 km to the west.

From Hobart, the best known feature of the mountain is the Organ Pipes, a famous rock face near the top. The summit also holds the main radio and television transmitters for the Hobart area, so the skyline is not all wilderness. Modern huts open to the public stand at the Springs, the Pinnacle and the Chalet, a picnic spot about halfway between the Springs and the Pinnacle.

Sources for this section: Wikipedia, Mount Wellington (Tasmania).

Short walks from Fern Tree and the Springs

The lower slopes are thickly forested and crossed by many walking tracks and a few fire trails. Fern Tree is a handy starting point. Park in Stephenson Place or the Fern Glade parking area only, because there is no public parking at the Fern Tree Tavern.

The historic Pipeline Track links several of Hobart's bushland reserves. It starts at Waterworks Reserve, runs on a mostly gentle gradient and reaches Fern Tree Park. You must climb some steps at Gentle Annie Falls. Other routes follow the Hobart and New Town Rivulet linear parks up to the Wellington Park boundary. Walking tracks and fire trails also lead in from Fern Tree, South Hobart and Lenah Valley, and mountain bikes are allowed on the fire trails.

For a first walk, the Springs is a good base. It has a picnic area and a hut, and it sits at 720 m, so the air is already cooler than in town. The Trust has a bushwalking information sheet and map to download before you pick a longer track. Take water, a map and a warm layer, and tell someone where you are going.

Sources for this section: Wellington Park Management Trust, How to get there; Wikipedia, Mount Wellington (Tasmania).

A little history

The road was built in the early 1930s as a relief scheme for unemployed workers, an idea that came from Tasmanian Premier Albert Ogilvie. Governor Sir Ernest Clark opened it on 23 January 1937, after two years of work. It is officially named Pinnacle Drive.

The mountain has carried several names. Early Europeans called it Table Mountain, and it was renamed in honour of the Duke of Wellington in 1832. In 2013 the Tasmanian Government announced a dual naming policy, and kunanyi / Mount Wellington became one of the first dual named features. Charles Darwin climbed the mountain in February 1836. The Springs chalet and early excursion huts were lost in the bushfires of 1967.

Sources for this section: Wikipedia, Mount Wellington (Tasmania).

Sources

1. Wikipedia, Mount Wellington (Tasmania): en.wikipedia.org
2. Wellington Park Management Trust, How to get there: wellingtonpark.org.au