Cape Raoul – The Forgotten Cape
The Three Capes Track is now one of the most popular walks in Tasmania, as guests embark on a multi day walk through the Tasman National Park marveling at stunningly tall dolerite cliffs as they traverse coastal heathland from Port Arthur to Cape Pillar and Cape Hauy. It sounds like a rather wonderful experience, however, the only trouble with all this is – that is only Two Capes! Whatever became of that forgotten, third cape – Cape Raoul?
From my recollection (for what its worth) I seem to remember the original plan including some kind of boat transfer to allow guests on the Three Capes walk to visit all three capes, but perhaps cost or a think tank conspired to rule that out. So as things stand, Cape Raoul is a separate walk – and well and truly worth the half day required to visit.
For me, I was keen to repeat a trip I did 12 years ago – rather than doing Cape Raoul as a day walk, I took the Shiploads advice and bought a box, bag and friend and set off late one sunny summer afternoon to spend a night at Cape Raoul.
The track is very good, having been upgraded as part of the Three Capes Track planning. The signs all say 5 hours return, but it took us 2 hours each way.
All in all its a really great walk. Basically quite easy too. Well worth it in its own right, not just as a “forgotten” third cape!