Maria Island National Park — Attraction in Maria Island

Search for "Maria island gateway" to get to the ferry stop. You'll need to purchase your ferry tickets in advance. (About $50+ 2 ways for adults). You'll also need a national park pass to visit Maria island. You should aim to get to the ferry station 15-30 minutes before the ferry departure so you have enough time to park your car and exchange your tickets at the station. We did a day trip (0830-1630) and it's awesome. We hired a bike for $33 per day, Peter explained to us clearly on how to use the bike properly. We have some elderly travelling with us who don't cycle often and we didn't have any problems with using the bikes. You can book the bike when you purchase the ferry tickets. On my second visit, I took the 1130am flight and the place was extremely busy, took me a while to find a parking spot! Would recommend taking the earlier ferry if possible.

This island is definitely a gem. You get to see lots of wild wombats and wallaby hopping around, and most of them are not afraid of people. You shouldn't touch them though as they will bite when they feel threatened. The fossil route was very muddy and a lot of uphills but the view is absolutely breathtaking. We went to the painted cliffs first, would be a lot nicer if it's in low tide. On my second visit, I barely saw any wombats (prob about 30+ wombats that are happily eating away everywhere on my first visit and only saw about 3 on my second visit.) Spoke to a ranger and she said it might be due to the weather - I came on 30/12/2022 on my second visit and it was pretty warm, that's why they're hiding a little bit!

Did the "bishop and clerk" hike on my second visit. It's definitely NOT 2-4 hours hike as per signage. (Maybe if you run or something haha) I took about 4.5 hours return, with lots of photo stop and chilling at the top. The first half of the walk is pretty easy and chill, lots of shades too. Once you hit the rocky part, it's pretty much uphill and lots of rumbles. Towards the end you'll have to also do a bit (just a bit) of rockclimbing to get to the top.

You will have to bring enough water and food to last through the day as there isn't any food supply in the area. You can purchase some snacks and coffee on the ferry itself.

It is possible to spend the night on the island, you'll just have to check for availability on the website. I booked a night at the penitentiary for my second visit. It's actually pretty cool and convenient - there's a mess hall where pots and pans are provided, you can cook and eat in there. There's a "laundry" room where you can hang your clothes if you do any washing. Check in is at 2pm and check out is at 10am. There's no key to the room so don't bring any valuables if possible.

I would definitely recommend anyone who's travelling to Tassie to visit Maria island, it's an experience that you can't get anywhere else...

I’ve rated 5 starts as it’s honestly such a special place and all the staff bar one were lovely (including the best boat captain I’ve come across). We hired bikes making the day quite costly in the current climate for a young family, but we wanted to go and saved up. We arrived on the first ferry and walked to the bike collection point in Darlington to collect our bikes.

The bikes were all clean and in terrific working order but before taking off we had to listen to some instructions from a tall older gentleman who at first seemed great albeit took his role very seriously. We then had to demonstrate a series of turns before coming to a controlled stop before he would let us go. This was poorly organised and he had very little control over the environment trying to have large number of riders complete the demonstration at once in and amongst other guests and moving vehicles. None the less the wife and I had no troubles. My 10yo son on the other hand was taking a little longer to adjust to the bike. He does have a Trek mountain bike at home he rides, but this one was different so he took a few tries to get the hang of the power of the brakes and gear changing method which was different. The gentleman showed very little patience and spoke to him in a way which was quite humiliating and demeaning in front of a large group. One example he said to my son “take off in any gear you like” to shout at him 10 seconds later “YOU’RE IN THE WRONG GEAR, START AGAIN!” I could see my son was very anxious and I had to step in and say something to this gentleman. I appreciate he needs to ensure riders are safe, but I think he had the averse affect as my son was so anxious he was quite rattled and it impacted his confidence.

Later that day I witnessed him shouting rudely at a tourist completing the demonstration who perhaps had issues with the bike. Given he is one of the first people you greet after coming off the boat, he should see his position as an opportunity to give riders a sense of confidence and excitement to take on the island. That was not the case. None the less the rest of the island and day was perfect. If you are riding be prepared for some steep sections. Be sure to bring water and take rests as needed. Those with kids, perhaps bring a bike from home if possible to avoid a similar situation. Hope I haven’t deterred people from going, but perhaps just something...

I went to Maria Island at the end of the Summer with 7 of my friends. The island itself is beautiful with breathtaking scenery and amazing wildlife. The beaches are serene with white sand and clear blue water. The customer service was poor and did take away from our experience on the island. We arrived at the port with 10 minutes to spare (and tickets pre booked online), but had to then get a physical ticket from the office. When we arrived at the island, there was a talk for everyone who had just landed. We were humiliated in front of the group as we were called out as the group who was “very late” arriving, and asked to hang back for the talk we should have received prior to the ferry. None of us had realised we were supposed to be at the ferry terminal 45 minutes prior to the ferry leaving. We then got a 2 minute lecture where she brought up the fact we were “late” several times and were sent on our way.

We then got to the bike hire building to pick up our bikes and helmets. We were once again lectured on the fact that we had booked our tickets “late” (that morning). They repeatedly demanded that the girls lower their ponytail so that the helmets would fit, when we were trying to find a helmet that would be a suitable fit and change of out jumpers. (We are 26 years old, have all ridden bikes and worn helmets before). We were advised to be back at the bike shop for 3:30pm (evening boat 4:15pm).

We then had a beautiful day on the island- I would recommend doing 8-4:15pm to have more time or even to camp overnight.

Just before we arrived back at the bike hire rental shop, one of the girls hit a rock and came off her bike, cutting both knees and both hands as well as getting a huge fright from the fall.

6 of the 8 of us were back at the bike shop at 15:20 and let them know that 2 of the girls would be 5-10 minutes getting back due to the fall and walking back the bike. When she arrived (at 15:31) with blood pouring down her shins and upset, he merely said “you’re late”.

Overall it was a great day, the island exceeded all expectations but we were insulted by the customer service, instead of being respected as paying customers we were treated...