Elephant Pass
11 km
distance
18 min
Contour time
8.5
avg score
Sealed
surface
Scenery
Tasmania
The east coast of Tasmania around St Marys and the Break O'Day region is pastoral and lightly populated. Elephant Pass...
Road quality
8.5 RQS
Strong. Above average on most quality signals.
Accessibility
Fully sealed
Best in Sports car. Peak season: Year-round.
7-day forecast
One of the best sports car roads in Tasmania. Motorbike equally rewarding. Surface is consistently maintained.
Scored 8.5/10 by Contour's road quality algorithm across curviness, surface, elevation and traffic. Best suited for sports car drivers.
The road
Elephant Pass is the stage that defines the Tasmania Tarmac collection. The 11-kilometre climb along the Tasman Highway is built on a series of linked blind crests and off-camber mid-corner transitions that reward careful reading of the road. The gradient is consistent enough to make the climb feel purposeful, but not so severe that it becomes a pure grip test. The road passes through dense forest on the lower section before opening to heathland near the summit with views east across the Tasman Sea. The descent is a different challenge to the climb - faster, more committed, with a long open section near the bottom that catches out drivers who have not reset their expectations after the tighter upper section. The road surface is among the best maintained on the east coast. The Elephant Pass Pancake House near the top is a genuine Tasmanian institution.
Elephant Pass is the stage that defines the Tasmania Tarmac collection.
Why this road
The region
The east coast of Tasmania around St Marys and the Break O'Day region is pastoral and lightly populated. Elephant Pass marks the transition between the sheltered east coast climate and the wetter, cooler conditions of the interior. The pass has been a key transport route since European settlement, connecting east coast communities to the interior.
History
Elephant Pass has been a Targa Tasmania stage since the event's early years and is one of the most recognised stages in Australian tarmac rallying. The name references the silhouette of the hill as seen from the coast. The pass road was completed in 1888.
Before you go
Fuel in St Marys before departing - no services on the pass. The road is sealed throughout but exposed to weather on the upper section. The Elephant Pass Pancake House near the summit is worth the stop. Stage elevation ranges from 51 m to 415 m.
See a routing error?
Flag itWorth stopping for
Elephant Pass Pancake House
A genuine Tasmanian institution near the summit. Worth the stop regardless of when you drove it.
St Marys Gorge Walk
Short walking track into a sandstone gorge on St Marys Creek, 20 minutes from the pass base.
Route
Start
Elephant Pass (lower)
End
Elephant Pass (upper)
Gallery
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