Overland Track 2026: Everything about July 1 bookings

Overland Track permits for the 2026-27 season are expected to open in early July 2026. All 34 independent walker spots for every day of the October-May season are released at once. Peak months sell out within hours.

For a full breakdown of how Tasmania's booking system works, see our state-by-state guide to Australian camping bookings.

When do 2026-27 bookings open?

Parks Tasmania hasn't announced the exact date yet. The pattern over the past two seasons has been the first Tuesday in July: July 2 in 2024 and July 8 in 2025. In 2026, the first Tuesday in July is July 7.

For the 2025/26 season, Parks Tasmania opened the online waiting room at 7am AEST (two hours before the 9am opening). Everyone who joined between 7am and 9am was assigned a random position when the queue started moving at 9am. Expect the same pattern for 2026/27 — joining at 7:01 gives you the same odds as joining at 8:55. The race is to be in the room before 9, not to be first. For the universal playbook on what to do once you're in the room (multi-browser, cart-first, post-launch recovery), see our opening day booking queue tips.

Watch the Parks Tasmania Overland Track page for the official announcement. We'll also send an alert when the date is confirmed.

How the booking system works

All Overland Track permits are booked through a dedicated portal on the Parks Tasmania website. This is separate from standard Tasmanian campground bookings. If you're searching the general Parks Tasmania pages, you won't find it.

During peak season (1 October to 31 May), 60 walkers can start the track each day. Of those, 34 spots go to independent walkers. The rest are split between the commercial guided operator (Cradle Mountain Huts) and group bookings for schools and community organisations. You're competing for the 34 independent spots.

Permits cost $300 per adult for the 2025/26 season. Children and concession holders pay $260. This includes your National Parks pass for the duration of the walk and the shuttle from the Cradle Mountain Visitor Centre to the Ronny Creek trailhead. It does not include transport to Cradle Mountain or the Lake St Clair ferry at the end.

For the 2024/25 season, over 5,110 of the roughly 8,200 independent walker spots were booked by 2pm on opening day. January goes first. December and February follow within hours.

What to prepare before booking day

• Create your account on the booking portal before July. Don't be setting up a password at 8:55am.
• Pick 3-4 departure dates. If your first choice is gone by the time you reach the front of the queue, switch immediately.
• Have everyone's details ready. Full names and a credit card.
• Try multiple devices. Each gets its own queue position.
• Know your side trips. The booking locks in your start date and duration. You can extend with side trips (Pine Valley, Mt Ossa) but your departure day is fixed.

The track at a glance

The Overland Track is a 65 km walk from Cradle Mountain to Lake St Clair, typically completed in 6 days. During peak season, the track is one-way only: north to south, starting at Ronny Creek.

Six public huts are spaced along the route: Waterfall Valley, Lake Windermere, New Pelion, Kia Ora, Bert Nichols, and Narcissus. All are first-come, first-served. You can't book a specific hut. If a hut is full when you arrive, you pitch your tent. Carrying a tent is mandatory.

Huts have bunk beds (no mattresses), composting toilets, and rainwater tanks. No showers, no cooking equipment. Bring everything you need.

At the end, most walkers take the Lake St Clair ferry from Narcissus Hut to Cynthia Bay (~$55, must be pre-booked). The alternative is walking the 17.5 km lake shore trail, which adds another 5-6 hours.

What to do if the Overland Track sells out

Peak months sell out on opening day. But "sold out" in July is not the end.

Parks Tasmania's cancellation policy has one threshold that matters:

• 14+ days before departure: 75% refund (25% cancellation fee)
• Under 14 days: no refund
• Medical cancellation: full refund with a medical certificate (for the ill walker plus one companion)

The 14-day mark is when most cancellations happen. Walkers who booked speculatively or whose plans changed cancel before the refund drops to zero. After the 14-day cutoff, cancellations stop almost completely.

Parks Tasmania has no waitlist. Cancelled permits reappear on the booking portal for whoever happens to be checking. No notification.

Schnerp monitors Parks Tasmania for Overland Track cancellations. You tell us your preferred departure dates, and we scan for openings. When a permit becomes available, you get an alert so you can book it before someone else does.

You can set up an Overland Track availability request in under a minute.

Quick reference