Touring Tasmania – Rocky Cape National Park

Rocky Cape National Park (Photo: Tourism Tasmania and Joe Shemesh)

Of all of the national parks in Tasmania, Rocky Cape is one of the smallest and so it’s often discounted by visitors rushing past on their way to somewhere else! Like all of Tasmania’s other national parks, Rocky Cape is definitely worth visiting and what intrigued us the most was the fact that this park is rich in Aboriginal history.

About Rocky Cape National Park
The Rocky Cape National Park area began to be inhabited by Aboriginals about 10,000 years ago and for about 8,000 years they lived here continually. Evidence of this habitation has been found through studying the ‘middens’ found in the caves. Middens are basically dump piles for domestic waste and other household items, and would have been added to over the years. Archaeologists are able to study the remains of these piles to determine a lot about the people living here, how long they have been living here and more.

Because the Aboriginal people stayed in this area for so long, Rocky Cape remains an important place for them today, visiting for cultural and spiritual reasons.

What to See and Do in Rocky Cape National Park
There are a variety of trails at Rocky Cape and you can choose the length appropriate to how long you want to stay in the park. If it’s just a quick visit, start with a 20 minute trail, though if you’re spending more time in the area and have a whole day free there are also trails with day long walks as well.

Whilst walking look out for some of the main features of the park. There are many caves and rock shelters to see where Aboriginals have made their homes for thousands of years. If you have time to spare also take a walk up some of the hillsides for great views over Bass Strait or hike up to Tinkers Lookout for great views too. The hillsides are full of wildflowers and birds and there are some beautiful little beaches here too, perfect for swimming. Boating and fishing are also popular pastimes here too.

There are some facilities at Rocky Cape, including toilets as well as picnic tables and barbecues at Mary Ann Cove. There’s no drinking water though, so make sure you bring plenty with you.

For great places to stay around the Rocky Cape National Park, Book it Now has a fantastic selection of North West Tasmania Accommodation.

‘Touring Tasmania – Rocky Cape National Park’ by Claire Bolgil