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You’re really spoilt for choice when hiking and bushwalking in Tasmania / lutruwita. Nature and mountains are never far away on the island. But having so many options can mean it takes a while to get through them all, especially if like hiking Mount Roland for me, you’ve built it up in your head for quite some time.
I’m not sure how many times I passed by Mt Roland while exploring north western Tasmania. But I’d wager that almost every time I saw it I thought about the hike that takes you to the top. So when I finally made it happen and hiked up Mount Roland at the end of my time in Tassie, it was one of my proudest moments that year.
Unless you’re really fit, you can expect this hike to be quite tiring, but even more rewarding. Climbing Mt Roland is an excellent alternative to hiking at Cradle Mountain, as it’s so much quieter and you can find terrain around Mount Roland that is very similar to that found at Cradle Mountain National Park. Here’s what it’s like if you’re thinking of taking up the challenge.
About Mount Roland
To understand why I was was so excited to hike up Mount Roland, you first need to know a little about the mountain. Mount Roland sits just outside the town of Sheffield in the Kentish Municipality of northern Tasmania. It reaches a height of 1233 metres above sea level, meaning it’s lower than many major Tasmanian mountains.
Several things make Mount Roland stand out. For one, Roland is surrounded to the north by open farmland, making it a prominent feature of the skyline when you’re north of it. It is close to the edge of the Central Highlands, but they’re all kind of tucked away behind it to the south. Also close by are the Alum Cliffs, another outdoor destination with somewhat gentler nature walks.
While Mount Roland is described as a single mountain, the names there can get confusing. Roland is home to multiple peaks, including Mt Claude and Mt Van Dyke, but they aren’t actually separate mountains.
Its name comes from Captain John Rolland who travelled through the area in the 1820s. Unfortunately, I’ve been unable to find Roland’s indigenous name/names. More information on the mountain can be found here.
Mount Roland Tracks
One of the great things about hiking Mount Roland is that there are actually three different routes to reach the summit. This gives you some choices about how you want to tackle it, but honestly there’s one obvious choice for most people – the Roland Track from O’Neills Rd.
The Roland Track is marked down as 4 to 6 hours return to climb Mount Roland, with a “moderate incline” that is “fairly strenuous in places”. It took me a little over 6 hours return, with a decent break at the top before hiking back. Based on my sports tracker, it’s around an 18km return hike. I feel like this is the track most suited to people of average fitness, whereas the others are meant for more seasoned hikers.
The first of the two other routes is the Face Track, leaving from Kings Rd. As its name suggests, this is the super steep route right up the mountain’s face. While it is shorter, the Face Track is still down as a 3-5 hour return hike.
Then you have the longest route, which is to tackle each of Roland’s peaks in one go. First you take the Mount Claude Track from Round Mt, continue on to the Mount Van Dyke Track, and finish by joining the Roland Track to the summit. It may be a less steep route, but my guess is that it’s considerably longer.
Now that I’ve done the Roland Track, I’m tempted to try the other two ways in future. I will need to be much fitter before I try though.
Hiking in the Forest
Leaving the car park for the start of the hike, you should find pretty easy going. The trail here is wide and has a gentle incline. Either side of the track is forest, but it’s relatively open so you have a decent view of your destination up above.
But the trail and scenery does change soon enough, with the track starting to rise and fall as the forest closes in around you. While most of the trail was in good condition, the occasional muddy section reminded you that you weren’t on a gentle stroll.
Walking among dense ferns and eucalypts is one of the best parts about bushwalking in Tasmania. In other places, that’s the environment for the entire walk or hike. Here, it’s just the preamble, filling the first hour of walking as you simply draw close to the base of the mountain.
Things get real when you cross a small creek bridge. That’s because on the other side there’s stairs, stairs that just keep going and then disappear. It was around here that I passed a small scouts /cubs troop and immediately wondered how far they’d get on the hike. I’ll never know as I didn’t pass them on the way down.
While I’m not a fan of climbing endless stairs, I’m less fond of what came next – muddy dirt slick with leaves. This is the point where I was glad I was wearing proper hiking boots and had my hiking poles on hand. Fortunately, there wasn’t too long a stretch of this before more cursed stairs.
Open Highland Trails
After roughly 1.5 hours of hiking, the junction with the Mt Van Dyke trail comes into sight. It’s just past this point that you break free from the forest canopy and walk out among the start of the alpine scrub. But it’s worth taking a moment to look back at how much progress you’ve made, as it’s not nothing.
Up in this environment, the track starts out with flat boardwalk, which is sure to be a pleasant change after all that uphill climbing. The thinning nature here also lets you see more of the landscape and views to the Central Highlands become more frequent.
This stage of the hike feels like the easiest bit, making it a nice break after the constant climb. But all good things come to an end and after a while the path narrows and degrades into uneven rocks, often sitting under water.
I’d encountered these semi-flooded tracks (perhaps better described as creeks) a few times in Tasmania, most notably hiking at Lake St Clair. You’re going to want waterproof shoes for this.
Not all of the track is under water and those are the parts where you can speed up a bit. That is, until you reach the Face Track close to the summit and hit mud. In case you haven’t gotten the hint yet, try not to go after it’s recently rained.
Summit Path and Views
After roughly 3.5 hours of hiking (with stops), I made it to the summit of Mt Roland. Only thing is, reaching the very tippy top isn’t a simple task.
Roland’s summit is basically a motley collection of boulders stacked upon each other, just up from the clearing seen above. Try as I might, I could not see any clear path up the boulders, let alone an official one. So I made my own way, hopping from one boulder to the next up. Watching others come up after me, each and every person took a different route up, and often a different route down too.
But I wouldn’t recommend stopping short of the summit, even if the end is intimidating. Once you climb up to the trig point on top, you’re treated to an inspiring panoramic vista. You really feel like you’re looking down on Tasmania from here, or at least the island’s north.
The summit provides expansive views across the entire region, even way out to the coast. In one direction you see the Dial Range outside of Ulverstone and an even distribution of farmland meadows and forest; the other, the rolling hills and mountains of the Central Highlands and all their secrets. I believe it’s even possible to make out Cradle Mountain, based on the direction and its unique shape, but I could well be wrong.
Travel Tips for Hiking Mt Roland
In terms of advice, I can’t think of much that wouldn’t apply to any hike in Tasmania. Start early, because even in Tasmania the sun can get to you. Something about the atmosphere here means that the summer sun feels 5 degrees hotter than it says.
And the weather is going to dictate when to climb the mountain. Hiking in summer in Tasmania can work, but it’s going to be hot and snakes are a real possibility. That’s why going in November felt right, and I’d wager that trying in April or May would be good too. Trying in winter doesn’t sound fun, with snow and icy winds likely.
Bring snacks and plenty of water. And actual hiking boots, especially if it has rained recently. Don’t ruin sneakers by taking them through the mud and pools of water. Hiking poles helped with the incline sections, so they can be worth bringing too if you have them.
Have you seen Mt Roland before and wanted to climb yourself? Have you taken any of the other hiking routes up? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.
