Even a decade ago, Tasmania wouldn’t have topped many mainlander’s lists for a winter getaway. But gradually – as the MONA effect catapulted the state into the cultural crosshairs, and our cravings for restorative wilderness experiences kept on growing – the island’s cold, crisp winters started looking pretty good. 

Now, three luxury tourism outfits have banded together on an exclusive winter package that shows off the island’s staggering east coast, in particular, one of the state’s greatest under-the-radar walks. For the new Winter Wilderness Escape, The Maria Island Walk has teamed up with Saffire Freycinet and MACq 01 on a five-night, six-day adventure that takes you from the atmospheric Hobart waterfront to one of Tasmania’s most protected National Parks, before finally landing you in the lap of luxury on the doorstep of Wineglass Bay.

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Leg one: Touch down in Hobart

The package kicks off with a pre-hike night at MACq 01, a five-star stay on the historic Macquarie Wharf. It’s a chance to acclimatise to the brisk Tassie evenings and awaken your hunger for Tasmanian food. Check off one of Hobart’s many excellent restaurants, or conserve your energies beside the open fireplace in the MACq 01 Lounge. The Maria Island Walk bus collects walkers from the front door first thing the next morning, for a winding 1.5-hour drive up to Triabunna on the east coast – the departure point for the Maria Island ferry.

Leg two: Cosy up on Maria Island

Off the east coast of Tasmania, Maria Island is as beautiful today as it must have seemed desolate to the convicts deported there at the heights of transportation. A jewel in the lands of the Oyster Bay nation, Maria Island combines historical relevance and rich biodiversity with vistas of the kind that only Tasmania’s wilds can offer. The relatively tame wombats that roam the plains like squat wildebeest are iconic, but many other wild creatures also thrive here, from swarthy Cape Barren geese to Tasmanian devils and Forester kangaroos. 

While several state-run campsites dot this island-off-an-island, Wild Bush Luxury’s Maria Island Walk is the defining experience in these parts, the eco-tourism pioneer having led all-inclusive guided hikes on the island for more than 20 years. The four-day summer hike traverses south to north, staying in cushy campsites and capping off days of walking with Tassie wine and cheese (with different local finds every evening) and swims on empty beaches. 

But when short daylight hours make the daily distance between camps too tight, The Maria Island Walk transitions to its winter series – a three-day, two-night wilderness experience based from the historic 1880s Bernacchi House in the former convict settlement of Darlington. 

At one time, Diego Bernacchi was the big man in town – an irrepressible Italian settler who tried his hand at everything from concrete-making to grape-growing on the island. His former family home is The Maria Island Walk’s Darlington base, a five-minute walk from where the comfortable ferry deposits day-trippers and campers. Recently restored to its former glory with the help of Tasmanian artisans, the pretty weatherboard contains five bedrooms, two bathrooms, a generous lounge with a fireplace (enjoyed during the nightly aperitivo hour) and a welcoming dining room where the three-course included dinners are served each evening.

During the day, guests can set out to explore the island on foot on hikes that range from a gentle stroll to an all-out scramble, or simply kick back on Bernacchi’s front porch in the winter sun and watch wombats and pademelons amble across the coastal hills. Hiking highlights include a loop of the Darlington settlement to the Fossil Cliffs – remnants of an ancient ocean – or the 4km return walk along white-sand beaches and through coastal woodland to the blazing ochre and yellow Painted Cliffs.

Confident hikers shouldn’t hesitate to summit Bishop and Clerk – one of Tasmania’s best day hikes. To reach the most scenic vantage point on the island, this 11km hike hugs the coastline before climbing to dolerite peaks that spear out of the ocean nearly 700m below, similar to Three Capes’ iconic spires. The last push involves a clamber up a field of loose stone and a little gentle bouldering to reach the flat summit. But the view at the top, stretching for kilometres right up and down the coast, occasionally disappearing behind puffs of thick cloud, is worth every metre of scree.

Related story: The best hikes to tackle in Tasmania

Leg three: Lap up luxury at Freycinet

Mountains conquered and much Tasmanian wine and cheese consumed, the final leg of the package starts with a transfer north to Saffire Freycinet. This gleaming construction of steel and glass commands an unbeatable vantage point over Coles Bay towards The Hazards, a mountain range that glows with precious deposits of pink granite. In the winter season, crisp sunny days and low winds are more the rule than the exception on the Freycinet Peninsula, making it a surprisingly ideal time to see this iconic landscape liberated from the summer crowds. 

With only 20 rooms, each positioned to face mountains and sky, Saffire is one of Australia’s most lauded all-inclusive luxury lodges. A la carte meals, as well as a nightly degustation with paired wines, showcase Tasmanian produce with a European inflection. For lunch, that could mean a pearlescent local trevalla fillet with hand-cut chips, or a generous ploughman’s platter of Tassie charcuterie and cheeses (if Bruny Island C2 is on, don’t hesitate, just order). At dinnertime, the daily set menu can be mixed and matched with a la carte options – think Tasmanian wallaby with a dusting of native kunzea, or fresh-made tagliatelle, southern calamari and fresh-podded peas in a buttery fish stock emulsion. To drink, Tasmanian boutique drops naturally feature, many from vineyards you will have driven past up the coast. 

Daily included and optional activities fill the void between meals with still more Tasmanian gastronomic discoveries, such as a guided tasting at nearby Waubs Harbour Distillery, or helping apiarist Rob Barker tend to hives that supply the kitchens. A Seafood & Sparkling cruise was launched last year in partnership with Tasmanian sparkling wine maker Jansz. Hosted on one of the resort’s own boats, canapes of Australian seafood are paired with three expressions of sparkling from this respected winemaker, as you bob about on lazuline waters so clear, you can see the ripples on the sandy bottom.

The Connection to Country walk with Mick Quilliam is a must. A Palawa artist and natural and generous guide, Quilliam reveals the edible and medicinal super foods hiding among the hundreds of endemic species planted on the grounds, or down on the waterfront – botanical marvels that are only now starting to make ripples in scientific circles, but have been healing and nourishing Quilliam’s ancestors for generations. Through his eyes, this epic landscape takes on even more vitality. 

In Saffires’ vaulted lobby or in the communal bar, it’s not uncommon to lock eyes with another guest shaking their head in disbelief at the view just beyond that floor-to-ceiling glass. Australians are so accustomed to venturing overseas in search of wonder, but the six-day immersion offered by the Winter Wilderness package is a reminder that sometimes, we just need to look a little further south.