Bishop and Clerk day (early ferry)
Guide updated · verify Parks Tasmania and Encounter Maria Island the morning you go
Grade 4, 11 km return, 4–5 hours walking plus scramble caution. Not a first-timer default. Not stacked with Mount Maria.
Official Bishop and Clerk notes: 11 km return, Grade 4, 4–5 hours walk. Avoid the steep summit route in strong wind. Bike limit is signed.
Leave Hobart early. A 10am departure from the city is how this walk eats the last ferry.
Not walked for this URL. Verify parks.tas.gov.au and encountermaria.com.au the morning you go. Parks Pass plus ferry. No extra walk permit. Same-day adult fare reviewed $59 on 26 August 2026 — verify live.
Published 4–5 hours is walking time, not jetty-to-jetty. Add scramble caution, food stops, and a last-ferry buffer. Unfenced cliffs. Turn around before the scree if wind, energy or the clock fails.
Track status, ferry seats, fares, tide windows and closures change — verify on Parks Tasmania and Encounter Maria Island before you leave, then use the timeline below as a planning skeleton only. A booked sailing is not a café, a shop, or a later ferry you can invent.
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Timeline
Night before
Wind, sailing, Plan B
If the East Coast forecast is a gale, do not run this plan — Fossil Cliffs plus Darlington is competence. Recheck encountermaria.com.au and parks.tas.gov.au. Parks Pass held. Food packed for 6+ hours of walking plus buffers. Agree a clock-time turn-around before the scramble, not on the columns.
05:30–07:00
Leave Hobart early
A 10am city departure is how this walk eats the last ferry. 75–90 minutes to Triabunna in light traffic. Snack in the car. This is a mission clock, not brunch. If anyone will not walk Grade 4, switch itinerary now.
Gateway → sailing
Check-in then ~45 min to Darlington
Maria Island Gateway — (03) 6123 4040. Wind layer on at the jetty; the summit is colder than Hobart. Same-day adult fare reviewed $59 (26 Aug 2026) — verify live. No visitor cars. Screenshot last return.
Late morning
Leave Darlington on the Bishop and Clerk track
Official: 11 km return, Grade 4, 4–5 hours walk (verify). Grassland and woodland toward Fossil Cliffs / Skipping Ridge. Bikes left at the signed point about 2 km past the Fossil Cliffs junction — scramble is on foot. One of Tasmania’s 60 Great Short Walks; still unfenced cliffs.
Midday
Scree and scramble — or turn around
Exposed dolerite, unprotected edges, summit about 620 m. Parks Tasmania: avoid the steep summit route in strong, windy conditions. Turn around before the scramble if wind, energy or the ferry clock fails. Freycinet can show on a clear day. Return the same way. There is no loop that still meets a sailing.
Afternoon
Descent and jetty buffer
Walking time is not jetty-to-jetty time. Do not add Painted Cliffs unless a real buffer remains. The ferry does not wait for a summit selfie. If you are behind clock at the bike limit, you are already in reverse mode.
Hard reverse
Darlington jetty with margin
Last sailing is the product. If you are still on the ridge, you already failed the plan. Headlamp is a winter/buffer item, not an excuse to start late.
Evening
Sailing and A3 dusk
Wildlife on the Tasman Highway still applies. Honest debrief: if the scramble felt like enough, do not invent Mount Maria tomorrow on a day-return. Overnight Darlington is the upgrade if you want a second walk.
Packing
- Waterproof shell
- Grip shoes
- Food and water for 6+ hours (treat or carry)
- Warm layer for the summit
- First-aid basics
- Headlamp (buffer / winter daylight)
- Rubbish bag (pack out)
- Sun hat / SPF — open slopes
- Offline timetable screenshot
Kit searches live on Gear · Some stay, tour and gear links may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Parks Pass fees, official camping, Penitentiary bookings and the Encounter Maria Island ferry are never affiliated. Disclosure
Gateway & access tips
- Triabunna ferry car park. Island has no visitor cars.
- Arrive at Gateway with time for check-in — this is not a jog-on city ferry.
- Do not leave valuables visible. Overnight in the car park is a mainland stay problem, not an island one.
- Fuel/food at Sorell or Triabunna before you sail.
- Early Hobart leave is the parking/access tip that actually matters.
Skip if short on time / energy
- Mount Maria on the same calendar day
- McRaes Isthmus
- A late Hobart leave
- High wind on the East Coast
- Kids who cannot hold unfenced-cliff discipline
- Painted Cliffs tide wait stacked after a late summit
Extra tips
Who this plan is for
- Fit walkers who will leave Hobart early
- Groups that will turn around before the scramble in wind
- Not first-timer default, not a family township stroll
Summit filter
- Avoid the steep summit route in strong wind — Parks Tasmania.
- Bikes stop at the signed limit. Scramble is on foot.
- Turn around before the scree is a legitimate shorter day.
Decision gates
- Gale or track alert: Fossil Cliffs + Darlington, not ego
- Behind clock at the bike limit: reverse
- Anyone talking about Mount Maria after lunch: no
What success looks like
- On the booked return sailing
- Summit or an honest turnaround — both count
- Whole group still able to drive the A3
Related trail guides
Open the walk how-to for grades, honesty filters and official track context — then return to this timeline for the day shape.
- Bishop and ClerkThere-and-back from Darlington Settlement: grassland, woodland, Skipping Ridge / Fossil Cliffs country, then scree and an exposed dolerite scramble to about 620 m. One of Tasmania’s 60 Great Short Walks. Parks Pass plus a ferry booking. Not walked for this guide — planning from Parks Tasmania.
- Fossil CliffsFrom the Commissariat / ferry precinct north past industrial ruins to fossil-bearing limestone cliffs. Often combined with wildlife on the grasslands. Not the Bishop and Clerk summit. Not walked for this guide.
Official links to verify
Stays & tours for this plan
Optional next steps once your timeline is set. Kit searches live on the gear hub. Parks Pass, official camping, Penitentiary and ferry bookings are never affiliated. Guided days live on Tours.
Nearby stays
Triabunna (primary) · Orford · Hobart
- Stays at TriabunnaFerry town — closest beds to Maria Island Gateway check-in
- OrfordNext coastal town south — still a short drive to the ferry
- HobartDay-trip base — about 75–90 minutes each way to Triabunna plus the ferry
All Booking.com links open in a new tab and may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Official Parks Tasmania camping, Penitentiary bookings, Parks Pass fees and the ferry are never affiliated.
Some stay, tour and gear links may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Parks Pass fees, official camping, Penitentiary bookings and the Encounter Maria Island ferry are never affiliated. Affiliate disclosure · Privacy