Cradle Mountain National Park

Cradle Mountain – Lake St. Clair National Park (to give it its full name) sits in the central highlands about 103kms north of Hobart. It covers over 1,600 km² (about 620 square miles). Definitely one of the places you need to visit in Tasmania.

Very few vehicles are allowed entry into the park so most visitors check in at the visitor’s centre and take the regular buses that drop you off at several key locations in the park. From any of those stops you are free to walk the many tracks laid out specifically for tourists and too keep the environment as untouched as possible.

The highlight is undoubtedly Cradle Mountain and its adjoining peaks. We got off the bus at Dove Lake where the iconic views across the lake awaited us…

Cradle Mountain

Words cannot describe it. They rarely even get close. Neither can photographs. I am a firm believer in that, but we all try and take them anyway eh? However clear and striking they may be, photos only show that one small area. But as that is all I have, here are some pictures from our visit to Cradle Mountain…

Here are some more photos, mainly from the other side of the lake…

First Live Wombat

We had seen countless dead wombats along the side of roads. Usually on their backs legs stiffened and up in the air. But we had never seen a live one. We were told that there was a spot in the park where there would be a good chance of seeing wombats. And sure enough we found one.

Fun Fact: Even if you are not lucky enough to spot a wombat during the day there is plenty of evidence that the animals live in the area. Their scat (aka shit!) is quite distinctive. Almost cube shaped – see photo. Weird eh?

The park is also home to the platypus but we were not fortunate enough to see one. I think that requires a fair bit of time and patience. Maybe… One day…

From the national park we drove to Launceston, Tasmania’s 2nd biggest city. En route we stopped off in the small town of Sheffield known as ‘The Town of Murals’. More on that one next post…

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