A day trip to Maria Island, Tasmania

The Best Things to see and do on a day trip to Maria Island, Tasmania

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After several visits to the island of Tasmania, I am still charmed by the place. With its wilderness, history, wildlife and stunning beaches, Tasmania tours have a lot to offer. On our last road trip there, we took a day trip to Maria Island, Tasmania and enjoyed this unique place on a beautiful sunny day.

The Best Things to see and do on a day trip to Maria Island, Tasmania

Maria Island is a sizeable island off East Coast Tasmania, made of two land masses joined by an isthmus. The island is a natural gem, where tourism and human dwelling only exist in their most basic form in order to preserve the wildlife and natural environment. If you are looking for things to do in Tasmania, Maria Island is worth a day trip or even a few days’ exploring if you are keen on camping.

Darlington Jetty is the point of entry to Maria Island
Hopground Beach, Maria Island

Islands in Australia often offer a mix of scenic nature and history and Maria Island is easily in the top 10 things to do in Tasmania. For another beautiful place, there are plenty of things to do on Bruny Island.

Maria Island History

One of the main attractions to Maria Island is its place in history. It was initially home to local Aboriginal tribes. In 1642, Dutch explorer Abel Tasman named it after Mrs Van Diemen, wife of the Governor General of the Dutch West Indies. Tasmania was initially named Van Diemen’s land. Later on, convicts and whalers gave Maria Island a place in history. In 1802, French explorer Nicolas Baudin encountered the first whalers there. 

Maria Island is a place of history
Frenchs Farm, Maria Island

Activities in Tasmania often relate to Australia’s colonial past and there are two convict periods in Maria Island’s history. The first one went from 1825 to 1832 and from 1842 to 1851, Maria Island became a Convict Probation Station, where secondary offenders and runaways were put to work in the clothing, shoemaking and carpentry workshops. At the time, Irish Nationalist leader William Smith O’Brien was held there for his part in the Young Irelander Rebellion of 1848. He was later sent to Port Arthur, where his cottage still exists.

Maria Island is an important historic landmark in Tasmania
Darlington, Maria Island

Maria Island has some fine examples of convict-era architecture and there are three remaining buildings: the Commissariat Store built in 1825, which is now the reception and visitor’s centre, the Convict Penitentiary, completed in 1828. The dam at Bernacchis Creek was also built by convict labour.

Both Maria Island and Port Arthur are places of interest in Tasmania for convict sites.

Maria Island has some interesting natural landmarks too
Painted Cliffs, Maria Island

Seal hunting started as early as 1805 and whaling became a local industry in the 1830s and 1840s. In the 1880s, an Italian entrepreneur set several enterprises on the island, such as silk, wine making and even a cement factory. In 1920, cement works were built at Darlington, which became a sizeable township with a few hundreds of residents and several hotels.

All those business ventures failed around 1930, partly due to the Great Depression, and until the late 1960s, Maria Island reverted to farming.

How to visit Maria Island

The Maria Island ferry leaves from Triabunna. Ferries run several times a day and it’s a pleasant 30 minutes crossing. There are also some Maria Island tours leaving from Hobart if you are not motorised.

A great way to explore Maria Island is to cycle around
Cycling on Maria Island

The island is fairly sizeable, 20km from north to south and 13km from west to east, and the only way to get around is on foot or on bicycle. I wanted to add some Tasmania walks to my journey but the island is pretty big so cycling was a better option.

Accommodation Maria Island

Maria Island accommodation is quite basic. Visitors can book to stay at the Penitentiary, where convicts used to be housed. There is no electricity or running water in the rooms but there are hot showers, toilets and cooking facilities available. 

The easiest accommodation in Maria Island is camping
Cottage at Frenchs Farm

As there are no shops on Maria Island, visitors need to bring all their food, water, cooking gear and bedding. There are several camping areas on the island at Darlington, Frenchs Farm, Encampment Cove and Robeys Farm.

Bookings for the Penitentiary must be made through the Parks & Wildlife Service and park fees apply for camping.

You can stay in Darlington Penitentiary on Maria Island
Darlington, Maria Island

As we were doing a day trip, we stayed in Orford, Tasmania. For previous Tasmania getaways, we’ve also stayed in Swansea, Tasmania but that’s a little further north.

The Best Time to visit Maria Island

December and January are the busiest months due to school holidays in Australia and the Tasmania weather is likely to be the warmest and sunniest. We visited in December and the ferry was busy, but we didn’t find the island overcrowded once you get away from Darlington. March and April are probably the nicest months of the year to visit Maria Island as there are less visitors and it’s a little cooler.

There are many sandy trails on Maria Island
Maria Island

You can also explore Maria Island in winter, however the ferries run less frequently.

In my experience, Tasmania destinations are great all year round but the winter does get cold and the sky gets pretty cloudy, the island being so close to the Southern Ocean.

What to do in Maria Island National Park

Maria Island is home to very diverse wildlife: kangaroos, wallabies, Cape Barren geese, wombats and Tasmanian devils. Tasmanian devils are not easy to spot as they are quite shy but wombats are everywhere and fairly tame. It is important not to feed them and not try to handle them too closely: they are still a wild animal and Maria Island is their sanctuary.

Wombats are delightful wild creatures
Wombat

The main activities on Maria Island are walking, cycling, swimming, snorkelling, camping, bird watching and generally relaxing. Don’t forget to pick up a Maria Island map when you get there!

If you intend to cover the whole island on foot, it will take you several days. Cycling will take  you places quicker but you need to be comfortable on fairly rocky terrain. Bicycles and helmets can be rented at Darlington.

The scenery is really beautiful on Maria Island
Maria Island

We had mixed Maria Island weather that day, a bit of sunshine and a bit of cloud. There are some beautiful beaches in Tasmania but we wanted to experience an island walk that day so we didn’t worry about swimming.

Darlington

Many Tasmania attractions are connected to the colonial past and here, the main convict settlement and only township is Darlington. The ferry docks at Darlington Jetty, just near the old cement works and the Commissariat Store. Darlington is one of these places in Tasmania that mixes the old with the more recent and it’s a little mismatched… 

The Commissariat Store was built by convict labour
Commissariat Store, Maria Island

Built in 1825, the Commissariat Store is a fine example of convict architecture and is now the Maria Island visitor centre. The ranger on duty can give you information on Maria Island activities and there are displays about the island’s history. The cement works are less attractive…

The cement works at Maria Island is not the most attractive building
Darlington Jetty, Maria Island

When you get to the Darlington settlement, there are several buildings to look at, including the Penitentiary and an old hotel. We found some very friendly wombats there, obviously loving the attention…

Wombats roam freely around Darlington
Darlington, Maria Island

As we only a day to spend on Maria Island, we hopped on our bikes and headed south towards the isthmus.

Painted Cliffs, Maria Island

The Frenchs Farm Coastal Route will take you to the Painted Cliffs, which are definitely worth a visit. The sandstone cliffs are adorned with beautiful patterns formed through staining by iron oxide.

It is best to see the Painted Cliffs at low tide
Painted Cliffs, Maria Island

You can access the cliffs for about two hours before and after low tide, and the best light is in the afternoon. The sky was a bit cloudy when we stopped there and the water was fairly high. Therefore, I recommend checking the tide in advance if you want some good photos.

Painted Cliffs are a highlight of Maria Island
Painted Cliffs, Maria Island

If this is of interest to you and Tasmania islands are too far, you can actually see it in Bouddi National Park north of Sydney, NSW.

Frenchs Farm

We cycled through the forest and came across very few people. We stopped at Frenchs Farm and encountered a few campers. Frenchs Farm was established as a homestead for sheep farmers in the 1930s. There is an unoccupied cottage built in the 1950s with a most useful water tank and campers can pitch their tends around.

Farming was important on Maria Island in the past
Frenchs Farm, Maria Island

The old shearing shed is still standing and is definitely worth adding to your Tasmania photos. The mix of wood and rusted corrugated iron almost feels haunted but this would have been a busy workplace back in the day!

The Frenchs Farm Woolshed is still standing
Frenchs Farm Woolshed

Encampment Cove

After Frenchs Farm, we continued to cycle to Encampment Cove and had a picnic there, with a view of the isthmus. Whilst the two parts of Maria Island are quite mountainous, the isthmus is very low and feels less interesting. We tried to get across the isthmus but Tasmania walking tracks are quite sandy and progress was slow. On the southern part of the island, Robeys Farm and Haunted Bay are worth visiting but are beyond a day trip. 

Encampment Cove is a great location for a picnic and a swim
Encampment Cove, Maria Island

In order to include them in your Maria Island tour, you would need to camp at Frenchs Farm.

We cycled back to Darlington as we had to catch the last ferry back to Triabunna. This day was definitely one of our Tasmania highlights!

More Time in Maria Island

There are more things to do in Maria Island of course and a day trip isn’t enough to cover it all. On the north island (Ile du Nord), don’t miss Fossil Cliffs. There are also two day hikes not to miss. Mount Maria is the highest point of the island at 711m and the return trip takes six to seven hours. Bishop and Clerk is another high point of the island and is a four-hour return trip. Those day walks probably count as some of the best hikes in Tasmania.

There is an isthmus linking the two parts of Maria Island
McRaes Isthmus, Maria Island

Port Arthur Tours
Tasmania

Tasmania Road Trip

East Coast Tasmania

Have you been to Maria Island? Tell me about it in the comments below? Do you recommend other places to visit in Tasmania?

Save these Maria Island tips on Pinterest!

Maria Island in Tasmania is a great day trip
Maria Island in Tasmania is a wildlife sanctuary
Take a day trip to Maria Island Tasmania
This is my guide for a day trip to Maria Island, Tasmania

24 thoughts on “The Best Things to see and do on a day trip to Maria Island, Tasmania”

  1. A comprehensive guide to Maria Island, its history and attractions, thank you. I hope to get back to Tasmania one day and visit Maria Island.

  2. It would be cool to stay at the Penitentiary and live the history of the island. I also love to bike ride, so a place where I can do that sounds perfect.

    1. The accommodation at Maria Island is fairly basic but camping would be great. Imagine waking in this pristine nature with the wombats sniffing around… And then setting off on a bike ride!

  3. So much history here! I never really relate Australia to the whaling industry, but it makes sense that there would have been stations there too. I like the idea of camping here, it seems to be the sort of island that compliments that kind of holiday.

    1. Australia had quite a bit to do with whaling but most stations have been completely dismantled… The only one that was left intact is in Albany, Western Australia. I have a post coming up very soon!

  4. Maria Island comes across as beautiful and at the same time intriguing island. It’s colonial history and legacy lends it a fascinating aura. The painted cliffs look so awesome and are in fact one of its best visual landmarks. Its large open spaces lend themselves so well for a great cycling experience.

    1. Hi Sandy, I loved the painted cliffs, I wish I had timed our visit with the tide though, we didn’t have much time to move around. Still, our visit to Maria Island was a highlight of our time in Tasmania.

  5. Maria Island sounds like a great place if you’re looking to get away and learn about some history! I wouldn’t want to stay overnight, a little too sparse for my tastes haha. But I would love to visit – it sounds fascinating!

    1. Hi Maggie, I thought the basic accommodation wasn’t for me either, I like my comforts… Camping for a night would be OK though, just to have a bit more time to enjoy the place!

  6. Caroline Muller

    I had never heard of this island before. Thanks for the detailed guide. My brother lives in OZ so will be sending this to him!

  7. Maria Island looks absolutely stunning. I’m pinning & saving this article for later, because there’s no way I couldn’t add Tasmania to my bucket list now that I have seen this amazing blog post!

  8. Tasmania just seems so mysterious to me, but it sounds like it’s fairly easy to get to from the mainland. We just always linger too long in the Perths and the Sydneys and etc. Next time!

    1. I always find that the best places in Australia are away from the major cities. I adore Tasmania and will go back any chance I get. Many visitors leave it out when they come to Australia but it’s one of the most interesting places.

  9. I am making a bucket list of places to visit in Australia this year and most of them are in Tasmania! I’ve had my eye on Maria island for some time and now it’s on my list!

  10. Juliet Dreamhunter

    I would love to visit this place solely for wildlife! I’ve never seen any of the animals you mentioned: ” kangaroos, wallabies, Cape Barren geese, wombats and Tasmanian devils”, it would be an amazing memorable experience to see them all in natural habitat. Thanks for sharing!

    1. It’s really nice that there are so many wild animals on Maria Island. Some of them are more visible than others, I wish I’d had the chance to see a Tasmanian devil but they are very shy…

  11. One of my favourite holidays was a road trip through Tasmania and heading out to Bruny Island. I did so much research for that trip and I can’t believe I’ve never heard of Maria Island! I’ll have to put it on my list for the return trip with the hubby!

  12. Tasmania looks so darn pretty! Ive been wanting to go to Australia for so long now, and something always comes up! I am pinning this for sure, thank you for sharing!

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