What to do at Cradle Mountain
Located in the north west of Tasmania, Cradle Mountain, part of the Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park is one of the islands most celebrated destinations. With stunning scenery, excellent hiking and abundant wildlife it should be on every Tasmania itinerary. Here are a few tips to get the most out of this incredible national park.
If you want more information on what to do in Tasmania check out our article on exploring Tasmania’s East Coast!
Travel Within the Park
There is one main road in the national park that takes you past all of the hotels and down to the visitor centre. This main road leads all the way to Dove Lake, which is at the base of Cradle Mountain. It’s here you can get the iconic boat shed shot.
There are regular shuttle buses that run visitors from the visitor centre down to Dove Lake stopping at various points on the way. They advise ALL visitors to park in the visitor centre car park and get a bus down to their desired start point. You do not always have to do this. Continue down the road until you get to the experience centre. Here there will be a set of barriers, if the lights are flashing the car parks beyond are full and you need to park at the experience centre or back at the visitor centre and take a shuttle bus. If the lights are not flashing then there is a good chance there are available spaces, but it’s not a guarantee.
During our time there we did not have to use the shuttle buses, we were always able to get a spot. However do remember that the best times to get spaces are before 10am and after 4pm. Be aware you will need to display your Tasmania Parks Pass otherwise you risk a hefty fine.
Although there are shuttle buses a car is still essential for getting to and from the park itself. We rented from Europcar. From our searches they offered the best prices, both in terms of daily price and cost of insurance.
Where to Stay
Here’s the tricky part. You can stay in the park itself, but its not cheap. There is a caravan park which is reasonably priced but this books up quickly in the summer months. We took the plunge and stayed in the Cradle Mountain hotel. There are cheaper accommodation options around Sheffield or other towns, however these are approximately an hour away from the park. For us the savings were not worth the commute so we went over our budget to stay in the park itself. It does make things far more convenient.
Parks Pass
This is a must for anyone planning to visit Tasmania’s National Parks. It costs $58 AUD per vehicle and gives you unlimited entry to Tasmania’s National Parks for 2 months. You can buy it at any National Park visitor centre. Just remember to display it on your dashboard or you will be fined. It also saves $10 AUD on the ferry to Maria Island. The alternative is paying $24 AUD per 24 hours. So long as you visit national parks for a minimum 3 days then you’ve made your money back.
What to do at Cradle Mountain
We spent 3 days around Cradle Mountain hiking and horse riding. Our personal favourites were the Dove Lake Circuit and the Cradle Mountain Summit. There are numerous other hikes in the area and information can be found at the visitor centre.
Day 1: Driving from Boat Harbour Beach and hiking the Dove Lake Circuit
We drove from Boat Harbour Beach, located on Tasmania’s northern coast, checked into our hotel and headed straight for Dove Lake. We were lucky enough to snag a parking space at the lake itself. From here we embarked on the 6km dove lake circuit which takes between 2-3 hours to complete. If you want to avoid the tourists taking photos at the lakes entrance take the set of stairs to the left of the car park that cut through some bushes. Follow that path for 5 minutes and you will have a stunning view of the Dove Lake and Cradle Mountain with no tourists.
We took the clockwise route around the lake which meant we got to the boat shed at the end. A great place to relax as the sun is going down. Be aware that as you drive back wombats, wallabies and pademelons can just pop out of nowhere!
Day 2: Cradle Mountain Summit Hike
Get out early to get a parking space at Dove Lake to begin an excellent track that takes in 4 tracks in 1. Effectively the goal of the track is the Cradle Mountain summit itself. Please note this is an extremely challenging hike that requires good shoes and a high level of fitness. Also the summit section should not be tackled in rainy or snowy conditions as it is more like bouldering then hiking.
From Dove Lake car park head anti-clockwise. After passing the boat shed take the right hand turn signposted for Marions Lookout. This steep track will reward you with breath taking views and flat ground. From here follow the track that goes towards Cradle Mountain itself past the kitchen hut. It’s around here the flat ground disappears and the summit climb begins.
The summit climb itself is approximately 2-2.5 hours return. After a steep uphill section the path disappears and you will be scrambling up and over boulders. The section is more fun than it is difficult, but sadly there are a couple of “fake summits” that can break your heart. However don’t feel disheartened, encountering these just means you are getting closer to the real one. When you get there, take in the view and relax. You’ve earned it.
Head down the summit track, but instead of heading back the way you came take the first right. This will bring you onto the face track taking you along the base of Cradle Mountain towards Dove Lake. This track does have some steep sections so do be careful. Keep on following this track and it will drop you back down into the middle of the Dove Lake circuit where you have a nice easy walk back to the car park.
It took me 6 hours 20 minutes altogether and as tough as it is, the views are definitely worth it.
Day 3: Horse Riding
We took the opportunity the check out some of the shorter walks around the experience centre including the lovely enchanted nature walk.
In the afternoon we headed out horse riding with Cradle Country Adventures who offer a variety of horse treks giving you phenomenal views of Cradle Mountain. The horses we rode were extremely docile and even with no riding experience we had a blast.
Here are a few more of our favourite photos
