A landscape carved by ice, kept quiet ever since.
Cradle Mountain sits at the northern end of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area: glacial lakes, button grass moorland and rainforest that has grown undisturbed since Gondwana. It is a little over two hours from Launceston by road.
Dove Lake
The six-kilometre circuit around Dove Lake is the walk everyone comes for — mostly boardwalk, largely flat, with the mountain in view the whole way. If a full loop is more than you want, the twenty-minute stroll to the boat shed and Glacier Rock gives you the same view with a fraction of the effort.
Ancient rainforest
The Enchanted Walk and Weindorfers Forest Walk pass through myrtle beech, sassafras and pandani on level, well-maintained track. Cool, still, and green in every direction.
Wildlife you are likely to meet
Wombats graze the moorland near Ronny Creek in the late afternoon, and pademelons and echidnas are common along the tracks. Your guide will know where to look and when to stop the coach.
When to visit
- Summer, December to February
- Long daylight, temperatures around 16–20°C at the park. The busiest and most reliable walking weather.
- Autumn, March to May
- The deciduous beech turns gold in late April — the fagus, Australia's only native deciduous tree.
- Winter, June to August
- Snow on the peaks and very few people. Boardwalks are cleared and the coach is warm.
- Spring, September to November
- Waterfalls at full flow, wildflowers through the button grass, changeable skies.