Overland Track booking guide for 2026/27

The Overland releases its whole season on one morning: the first Tuesday in July. For 2026/27 that was Tuesday 7 July 2026. Bookings open at 9am AEST, and from 8am you can sit in an online waiting room. At 9am everyone in the room is put into the queue in random order, so arriving at 8:01 earns you nothing over 8:59. Join after 9am and you go to the back. Phone bookings aren't taken on opening day.

If you searched for 2025 or 2024 bookings, those seasons are done. The 2026/27 season runs to 31 May 2027 and is already on sale, so you're not waiting for a release, you're competing for what's left plus whatever comes back. The 2027/28 season should follow the same rule, which would put opening day on Tuesday 6 July 2027. Parks advises that opening day is your best chance at your preferred dates, and to have a range of departure dates in mind in case your first choice fills while you're in the queue.

1. Get your party's details together. For every walker you'll need first and last name, date of birth, state and nationality. The person paying gives an email, mobile number and postcode, and becomes the contact for any change or refund later, so make it the person who'll manage the trip. Payment is Visa or Mastercard only.
2. Pick a departure date. Only your start date needs to have space. You can book up to 8 people per booking, so larger groups need more than one booking (school, commercial and community groups contact the booking team instead). If you need to change the date mid-booking, use the Edit button, not your browser's back arrow.
3. Choose fares. Children are 5 to 17, and each adult can be responsible for no more than three children. Parks doesn't recommend the track for children under 8. Concession fares need an Australian Pension, Health Care, Seniors or DVA card, which you show when you collect your pass.
4. Pay and check your confirmation. It should arrive by email within 24 hours. If it doesn't, or a name or date is wrong, email the booking team. You can also order a printed information pack, but packs go out weekly and can take up to four weeks, so inside three weeks of departure buy one at the visitor centre instead.
5. Book the bits the fee doesn't cover. Transport to Cradle Mountain and from Lake St Clair isn't included, and most walkers finish by taking the privately run Lake St Clair ferry from Narcissus, which you need to book before you start. Without it, the lakeside walk to Cynthia Bay adds 17.5 km and usually another day.

On the day, you collect your Overland Track Pass at the Cradle Mountain Visitor Centre after a walker briefing. Bring your confirmation, ID, a signed Walker Safety Checklist and any concession cards. Passes must be collected by 1:30pm on your departure day (12:30pm in April and May), or from 3pm the afternoon before. The fee covers the shuttle from the visitor centre to Ronny Creek, and your park entry for the length of the walk.

Most walkers take six days, and the standard overnight stops are Waterfall Valley, Windermere, Pelion, Kia Ora, Bert Nichols and Narcissus. None of those huts can be reserved, and on a busy night there may not be room for everyone, which is why Parks makes a tent compulsory: a 3 to 4 season tent, in any month. Our Overland Track packing list covers the rest of the mandatory gear.

Fees are per person, in Australian dollars, and apply to walks from 1 October to 31 May. Parks reviews them every year in line with CPI.

The fee includes park entry for the duration of your walk and the Cradle Mountain shuttle to the track start, so there's no separate Parks Pass to buy for the walk itself. You'll need one if you spend extra days in the park before or after, or visit other national parks.

Changing dates. The person who made the booking can move it to another departure in the same season, subject to availability. Check the booking page for a free date, then phone or email the booking team. You can't push a booking into the next season.

Swapping a walker. If someone drops out, you can substitute another walker, ideally at least 14 days before departure so it can be processed. Whole bookings can't be transferred to someone else.

Cancelling. Cancel 14 or more days before departure and you lose 25% of the fee. Inside 14 days there's no refund. If illness or injury stops you, Parks may offer a new date or a full refund with a medical certificate, for the sick walker, one other adult and any children in their care. Bad weather alone doesn't earn a refund, with one useful exception: if the Bureau of Meteorology issues a Bushwalkers Weather Alert for the Central Plateau district, you can move your date or apply for a full refund. Bushfire closures get a full refund or a new date.

That 14-day line matters if you're hunting for a spot. Anyone wavering has a real reason to cancel before it, and those places go straight back on sale.

There's no waitlist. In Parks' words, "Should there be a cancellation, availability in our booking site will update in real time." Because you only need one free start date, not a run of nights, a single cancellation is enough to get a solo walker on, and a few on the same date can fit a pair or a family.

Nobody can watch a booking page for weeks, so Spotbagger does it for you. Set a watch on the Overland Track with your dates and party size, and we check the booking site often and tell you the moment a departure opens up. You book it yourself on the Parks site, ideally before anyone else has noticed. Our guide to the Overland Track booked out goes deeper on why spots come back, and if you're going alone, see hiking the Overland Track solo.

There's also the off-season. From 1 June to 23 September there's no booking or fee, but you do have to register, carry a valid Tasmanian national parks pass and a proper 3 to 4 season tent, and buy a shuttle ticket if you use it. Registrations for winter 2027 reopen in April 2027. Parks is blunt that winter walking is for very experienced bushwalkers only: briefings stop, maintenance is minimal and there's no guarantee of heating at the huts.

Do you need to book the Overland Track?

Yes, from 1 October to 31 May every walker needs a paid booking for a set departure date, walking north to south. From 1 June to 23 September there's no booking, but you must register and hold a Tasmanian national parks pass.

How much does the Overland Track cost?

The Overland Track fee is $312 per adult and $272 for children (17 and under) and concession card holders. It includes park entry for your walk and the shuttle to the start. Transport to and from the track and the Lake St Clair ferry cost extra.

Do you need to book the Overland Track in winter?

No booking or fee from 1 June to 23 September, but you must register, hold a Tasmanian national parks pass and carry a 3 to 4 season tent. Registrations for winter 2027 reopen in April 2027, and Parks says winter walking is for very experienced bushwalkers only.

When do Overland Track bookings open?

On the first Tuesday in July, at 9am AEST, with a waiting room open from 8am. The 2026/27 season opened on 7 July 2026 and is on sale now through to 31 May 2027.

Can you book the huts on the Overland Track?

No. You book a departure date only, and the huts are first come, first served each night. You must carry a tent in case a hut is full or you don't reach it.

Is there a waitlist for the Overland Track?

No. When someone cancels, the place reappears on the booking site straight away for whoever is looking, which is why a watch on your dates is the reliable way to catch one.