Overland Track bookings: when they open and what's left

Overland Track bookings open once a year, on a Tuesday in early July, for the whole October-to-May walking season. The 2026-27 season opened at 9am on Tuesday 7 July 2026, and Tasmanian media, citing the department that runs Parks Tasmania, reported the peak December-to-March period fully booked by 2pm the same day. Parks Tasmania hasn't announced the 2027 open day yet (as of 23 September 2026). Its stated policy is the first Tuesday in July, which would be 6 July 2027, but Parks Tasmania didn't follow that rule in 2025.

What's left of 2026-27 right now: on 24 September 2026 the official booking portal showed open dates from 1 to 30 October 2026 and from 2 to 31 May 2027. Every departure from 31 October 2026 to 1 May 2027 was fully booked. Those peak dates only come back through cancellations.

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

When do Overland Track bookings open?

Overland Track bookings open at 9am on a Tuesday in early July, and one opening day covers the whole walking season from 1 October to 31 May. Parks Tasmania's FAQ says bookings open "on the first Tuesday in July each year". The last two open days show why I'd treat that as a guide, not a date:

The waiting room works the same way each year. Everyone who joins before 9am is placed in a random queue at 9am, and anyone who arrives later goes to the back. The 2026 waiting-room times are in Parks Tasmania's own FAQ. The 2025 7am waiting-room opening, and the link going out on the Parks Tasmania Facebook page, come from the Parks and Wildlife Service notice as republished by Tasmanian Times. From June 2027, I'd watch the Parks Tasmania Overland Track page and its Facebook page for the 2027-28 announcement.

What's still available for 2026-27

The 2026-27 Overland Track season still has open dates in October 2026 and May 2027. Everything in between is fully booked. Here's the official booking portal as of 24 September 2026:

October and May bookend the season with cooler weather and shorter days, but they're genuine Overland conditions and they're what's bookable on the booking portal. November to April now depends on cancellations (more below). In late July, November still had scattered first-week spots and late April was open on many dates. By late September both had filled. For next year's opening day, the playbook lives in our opening day queue tips.

How the booking system works

All Overland Track summer permits are booked through Parks Tasmania's official Overland Track page, where the waiting-room link appears on opening day. It runs on the same booking system Parks Tasmania has used for previous seasons.

Two things catch people out. First, this is separate from standard Tasmanian campground bookings. Second, it's also separate from the winter walker-registration system at registrations.parks.tas.gov.au, which covers winter starts (1 June to 23 September, walkable in either direction). Parks Tasmania lists no registration fee for winter, though you still need a parks pass, and walkers 18 and over starting at Cradle Mountain need a shuttle ticket.

Summer (October to May) is a paid booking. If you're searching the registration site for a summer permit, you won't find it.

During the booking season (1 October to 31 May), up to 34 independent walkers can start the track each day, always north to south. Guided walkers and organised groups are handled separately and don't come out of your 34. You're competing for the independent spots only.

Permits cost $312 per adult for the 2026/27 season. Children (17 and under) and concession holders pay $272. 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. You pay by credit card (Visa or Mastercard) at the end of the booking, after choosing your dates and entering each walker's details.

On the 2026 opening day, Tasmanian media reported that December through March was fully booked by 2pm (citing the department that runs Parks Tasmania) and that 5,805 walkers had booked by 4pm.

What to prepare for a booking day (file this for next July)

• Create your account on the booking portal before opening day. Don't be setting up a password at 8:55am.
• Pick 3-4 departure dates. Midweek dates outside school and public holidays are far easier to secure. If your first choice is gone by the time you reach the front of the queue, switch immediately.
• Have every walker's details ready. Name, date of birth, state, and nationality for each person, plus a credit card.
• Check your card limit for big groups. If you're booking the maximum 8 people, make sure your card clears a charge over $2,000. Declined cards at checkout are a common way people lose their spot.
• Consider a second device. Everyone in the waiting room at 9am gets a random queue position, so I'd expect a second device to be a second draw. Parks Tasmania doesn't say either way, so check the year's instructions.
• 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.

My tip: if your dates are flexible, aim for late April or May. In 2026, March was reported sold out on opening day along with summer, early-to-mid April was full by late July, and late April had filled by late September. May 2027 was still wide open on 24 September.

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 ($60 per adult one-way, $30 per child under 12). Book it before you start walking, and reconfirm by radio from Narcissus Hut. The alternative is walking the 17.5 km lake shore trail to Cynthia Bay, which Parks Tasmania lists at 5-6 hours, usually as an extra day.

What to do if the Overland Track sells out

Peak months sell out on opening day. But a fully booked date in July is not the end.

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

• 14+ days before departure: a 25% cancellation fee applies (you get 75% back)
• Under 14 days: no refund
• Medical cancellation: full refund with a medical certificate, covering the ill walker, one accompanying adult, and any children in their care

I'd watch hardest in the days before the 14-day mark. That's the last point where a walker who can't go gets 75% back, so anyone whose plans have changed has a reason to cancel before it. Under 14 days, a walker gets nothing back unless they have a medical certificate, so the money reason to cancel early is gone.

If you already hold an October or May permit, the person who made the booking can change it to another date in the same season, subject to availability. So you can book a shoulder-month date now and move it if a peak date opens up.

Parks Tasmania is explicit that there is no waitlist: cancelled permits go back onto the booking site in real time, 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