Cradle Mountain-Lake St. Clair National Park

The trip departs out of Launceston at 8am from the Hotel Grand Chancellor. Our initial drive takes us into the Mersey River valley, and along the base of the Great Western Tiers, before we stop after an hour or so for a morning tea break. From here it’s only another 1.5 hours before we arrive at Cradle Mountain village. We will stop at the main visitor centre to pick up our park passes, then have lunch on the edge of the park before heading out on our main walk for the day – the Cradle Valley Boardwalk. This easy walk takes us along the course of the Dove River and features a vast assortment of native flora. In early summer the endemic Tasmanian Waratah flowers are particularly magnificent. Once at Ronny Creek, we go searching for wombats across the buttongrass plains before looping around to the historic Waldheim Chalet – originally built by the parks founding pioneers Gustav Weindorfer, and the site of Cradle Mountains first tourism venture.

Cradle Mountain-Lake St. Clair National Park

Starting from Dove Lake we will take the Lake Rodway track up and over Hansons Peak – which provides us with a completely different view of Cradle Mountain and the surrounding lakes. The climb to the top of the peak is at times steep and uneven underfoot, and a chain is provided on nearing the summit to assist walkers. Once over the other side, we pick up our return route via the Twisted Lakes and Lake Hanson – remnants of glacial scouring from previous ice ages. These pools are very tranquil and are encompassed by endemic pencil pines and fagus. This section is normally very peaceful, a bit of a hidden gem, and we will find ourselves a nice rocky outcrop for lunch whilst we soak up the views. We loop back to the Lake Rodway Track completing the circuit, and reverse our inward journey – returning to Dove Lake to meet the bus.

Cradle Mountain-Lake St. Clair National Park

Today’s walk takes in some of the most breathtaking alpine scenery in all of Australia. Starting at Dove Lake, we walk past Lake Lilla and Wombat Pools on our way to Marion's Lookout. The ascent to Marion’s is an exciting steep and rocky section of track where we use chains to assist our climb to the viewing area. In fine weather, the views from Marion's are magnificent and far reaching – with Cradle Mountain itself dominating the panorama. From here we descend back towards Wombat Peak and turn onto the world-famous Overland Track towards the glacially formed Crater Lake. This lake features an old boat shed, and during autumn is one of the best locations in the state to see the changing foliage colour of the deciduous Myrtle Beech (or fagus) – Australia’s only seasonally deciduous native.

Cradle Mountain-Lake St. Clair National Park

After breakfast and lunch making, we pack-up the trailer and head out for our final walk - the Dove Lake Circuit. This is one of Tasmania’s 60 Great Short Walks and a must-do for anyone visiting the park. This 6km loop is a lovely way to wind down from your adventure – as it is mostly flat and even underfoot, with only a couple of short hills. It allows you to fully focus on the looming backdrop of Cradle Mountain high above and the numerous waterfalls which cascade down towards the lake from the surrounding slopes. We finish our loop atop the impressive formation of Glacier Rock, which provides us with a final vista across the landscapes we have explored for the past four days. After lunch, we jump back on the bus and start our return journey back to Launceston. En-route we will stop by the lovely little town of Sheffield – where we should have ample time for a break and a wander around the muralled streets.