The Overland Track in Tasmania is known as one of Australia’s best hikes, attracting thousands of people every year. The 65km trail (one way) is located in the Cradle Mountain, Lake St Clair National Park, and is normally walked over six days.

It offers stunning ancient glacial lakes, temperate rainforests and incredible peaks such as that of the famous Cradle Mountain, as well as Tasmania’s highest peak, Mount Ossa. Its popularity is why the Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service’s website has seen a massive spike in traffic since it started taking bookings for the trail on July 4, placing people in virtual queues thousands deep.

“Surely not,” one man posted on the Overland Track Tasmania Facebook page alongside a photo that showed him to be 3765th in the booking queue. “It’s become the southern Kokoda Track!!!” one person lamented, while another joked: “Are you sure you’re not in the queue for Taylor Swift tickets?”

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Given the thousands of people trying to secure tickets, the site reportedly kept crashing.

“If/when it crashes DON’T REFRESH! Open a new tab, log back in, you will still be in the same place in the queue. I’m on tab #3, down to 401 from 2100+,” one person warned.

“Yup, I was waiting at 8.30am and the site crashed at 9.02am. At 9.04am, I was #3,057. I am still waiting,” said another.

One person simply wrote: “Absolutely crazy.”

The track starts at Cradle Mountain and finishes at Lake St Clair and costs $285 for adults and $245 for children 17 years and under. It’s described as an “exhilarating and life-changing journey” that attracts walkers from across the globe.

Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service spokesperson told news.com.au there has been very high demand from walkers wanting to book the Overland Track and as at July 7, 5411 walkers have made a confirmed booking.

“There are 34 places available for booking each day over the season, which equates to 8,296 walkers over the full season,” the spokesperson said.“These limits are put in place to manage daily departures and reduce the potential for damage to the fragile remote bushwalking environments on the Overland Track.”

The spokesperson said the popularity of the track reflects the “quality and uniqueness” of the experience.

“[And] the recent investment in world-class visitor facilities including two new huts at Windermere and Kia Ora.”

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There’s a warning on the site that the track is “a serious undertaking, for well-prepared walkers, with a good level of fitness and who understand the risks of walking in a remote alpine area”.

It also offers a safety video to help keen hikers understand the dangers of being cold and how to be prepared. Despite the warnings, those who have visited boast about its stunning scenery, adding it makes the challenging hike worth it.

“I was lucky enough to do the Overland Track in Tasmania — it’s a week-long walking trail and I absolutely loved it,” avid Aussie traveller Laura Waddell said in a TikTok. There was “unexpected snow” during her hike but she said it made the experience all the more exciting.

“Personally I really loved the snow I just wasn’t expecting it for this time of year for this walk.”

“I thought it was such an incredible experience.”

According to the site, almost half of the track is above 1000 metres in elevation on exposed plateaus in a remote area. “It’s no wonder the Overland Track has secured its reputation as one of the world’s great wilderness bushwalks,” it states.

Meanwhile, those who missed out on a spot are still in luck, with spaces left in October, November, April and May. December through to February is fully booked.

This story originally appeared on news.com.au. It has been reproduced here with permission. 

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