Driving Up kunanyi Mt Wellington Hobart

Last updated on 13 February 2026

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When a friend and I decided to head to Tasmania for a holiday, we knew that we wanted to check out kunanyi Mt Wellington Hobart when we were in the city. It actually ended up being the first thing we did after flying in from Melbourne mid-afternoon. We picked up the rental car from Hobart Airport and then headed straight up the mountain to check it out before finding our motel later that evening. And it was totally worth the trip up there to check out those stunning views.

kunanyi Mt Wellington Hobart

Mt Wellington (also called kunanyi, which means ‘mountain’ in palawa kani, the language of Tasmanian Aborigines – learn more about that here) is a huuuuge mountain just to the south-east of Hobart, the capital of Tasmania, Australia. It really does tower over the city at 1270 metres tall, and has these really cool rock formations running down the sides. You can see it from nearly everywhere.

Getting there

If you have a car, it’s a pretty easy drive up the mountain. We were there in August, so it was the end of winter in the Southern Hemisphere. It was cold up the top, but there was only a little snow, meaning the main road up to the summit, Pinnacle Road, was open.

From the Airport, we followed Google Maps straight into the heart of the city and then out and up the other side, eventually winding our way around the mountain to the top.

If you don’t have a rental car, you do have other options. As well as the bus, The Explorer, which you can pick up from the Tasmanian Travel and Information Centre, there are some great kunanyi Mt Wellington tours you can take. Or if you’d like to bundle it with other Hobart adventures, then the Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Hobart has a route that you can jump on that will actually take you to the top of the mountain.

It’s about a 30min drive from the city centre up to the summit.

To keep an eye out for: There is a proposal which has been in the works for years now about building a kunanyi Mt Wellington cable car, which would enable more visitors to the top of the site, but also allow more inclusive access, and, really importantly, maintain the nature and the mountain. You can keep up to date with the progress on this proposal here.

What to expect at the top

Whether you’re driving up yourself or you’ve booked yourself a tour, the top of the mountain is beautiful. As I mentioned, it was the end of Winter when we were there and oooff it was cold. The wind was very brisk, and while the snow was patchy, it was still very much there.

The summit itself is very cool, with lots of rocky formations, and paths and tracks you can walk around, some with mini-lookouts overlooking each side of the mountain. There are some proper hiking tracks that you can also check out – both short walks and more challenging hikes. Bike trails are also across the mountain and the park.

There’s a visitor’s centre with some information about the site and the history (though not much!), and then you can walk down boardwalk walking paths and stop at lookouts, overlooking Hobart, the Derwent River, and across Tasmania below. There are also toilets there, and plenty of parking.

Side Story: We had booked a rental car, which was all fine and good, except they gave us a car that was a lot bigger than we had asked for. Initially, this was fine as we were going to be road tripping around the island a bit. But our first trouble we ran into was up the mountain when it was beginning to get a little dark and we couldn’t for the life of us figure out how to turn on the headlights.

We had a VW T-Roc, and I never want to drive one again.

We looked in the manual, we googled it, we saw another VW T-Roc up the mountain and my next idea was to wait until they got back to their car and literally ask them how to turn on the lights. We figured it out in the end – instead of having the lights on the opposite side to the indicators on the steering wheel (like a normal car!!), it was this weird dial, down on the right hand side of the steering wheel. Why?! Outrageous light placement and it should be illegal. Okay story and rant over.

Summit Cam at Mt Wellington Hobart

If you want a sneak peek before you head up kunanyi Mt Wellington (or you’re standing down in Hobart city, wondering what the weather’s doing up there), the Summit Cam is your new best friend.

There are actually two of them, one looking out over Hobart and the Derwent Estuary, and the other pointed right at the summit itself. They show off those wide, beautiful views, but they’re also brilliant for checking real-time conditions, especially when the mountain decides to throw in a bit of snow. The video updates every 5 minutes, so you can get a pretty accurate idea of what it’s like up there at any given time.

You can even watch a full day unfold via the time-lapse videos on Tas Images’ YouTube channel.

Is kunanyi Mt Wellington Hobart worth the trip?

100% yes. While the weather can be quick-changing, like any mountain, the views from the top make it so worthwhile. It’s easy to get to, easy to get around when you’re at the top, and, when your headlights are working, easy to drive yourself up and down.

If you’re visiting Tasmania and staying in Hobart at all during your time there, highly recommend checking it out!

Have you been up kunanyi Mt Wellington?