Five Great Walks at Cradle Mountain
Something for everyone from a stroll on a boardwalk to an eight hour trek that might make you cry.
It beats me that some visitors go to Cradle Mountain and just hop out of the car at the top car park, take a selfie and hop back in again, maybe after a short stroll down to Dove Lake.
I grew up in mountains. Every summer we went to the English Lake District and walked on the fells. My earliest memories are of accepting a block of chocolate from a couple amused to see a five year old striding out ahead of her family, of the four of us trudging up to the top of Helvellyn, of putting a stone on a summit cairn. Not to get out and walk on a mountain, an ancient piece of landscape, is missing something that goes deep. The mountains are my church.
So when my hairdresser, a woman I have a beautiful friendship with which depends on us looking at each other in a mirror, said she and her family were going to Cradle for the first time ever, despite them all being born and raised here, I wrote down five of the walks so they could get out amongst the mountain and feel it in their bones.
Cradle Valley Boardwalk
This is an easy boardwalk track through the spectacular valley alongside the Dove River. It starts behind the Cradle Mountain Interpretation Centre and ends at Ronny's Creek. Even though it’s parallel to the road, it still feels spectacular and remote. There are ancient button grass plains, the sound of the river, and a bridge level with the treetops at the southern end.
At the halfway mark, there’s a narrower boardwalk leading to the river. A great boulder sits midstream marked with striations made by glaciers. In winter, icicles hang from the rocky river banks. With a steep-sided forest embankment opposite, the scene is breathtaking.
Finishing at the southern end at Ronny Creek car park you can catch the shuttle onwards to Dove Lake, or back to the Interpretation Centre. It’s the perfect walk for the day you arrive, or just before you leave.
Walking time: Up to 3 hours.
Dove Lake Circuit
There’s a timber boardwalk almost all the way round Dove Lake and spectacular lake and mountain views. Leave from Dove Lake car park and go anti-clockwise. You pass the Granite Rock lookout after ten minutes for great views of Weindorfers Tower and Cradle Mountain. Later you’ll pass right under the mountain with its immense crags and waterfalls. The way back takes you through ancient, enchanted woods. There's a short climb over a promontory, then the famous boat shed. Even on a wet day this is a great walk, because the colours of the saturated flora are amazing.
Walking time: approximately 3 hours.
Ronny's Creek and Waldheim Chalet
Kate and Gustsav Weindorf were the couple who campaigned for Cradle Mountain to be designated a Reserve. There is a replica of the rustic chalet they lived in at Ronny Creek, near the original site, backing onto ancient myrtle woodland. In the valley below is a boardwalk and beautiful scenery. If you stay at the Waldheim huts behind the chalet, you have this valley to yourself between sunset and sunrise as the national park is closed for the night, and it’s magical. The grassy valley is home to a huge colony of wombats which fossick around right next to the boardwalk. Don’t step onto the grassland – that’s their territory.
Visiting time: an hour or two
Marion's Lookout
This is a more advanced walk, adventurous and fun. Start from the Dove Lake car park – check maps beforehand to see which route you’d like to take. The path up Crater Valley passes enchanting waterfalls, age-old forest and the awe-inspiring Crater Lake. Then it’s out onto more elevated paths across the plateau leading to Cradle Mountain. On the last stretch up to Marion’s Lookout you’re pulling up through rocky crevices with chain handrails to hold onto. From the top of Marion’s you’re looking directly across at the face of Cradle Mountain and Weindorfers Tower, the iconic craggy shape in all the photographs.
Walking time: approximately 4 hours
High Circuit
For advanced walkers only, there is a walk which circles Dove Lake but at higher altitude. Heading off from Dove Lake car park, you pass over Hanson’s Peak, past the eerie Twisted Lakes, and across the front of Weindorfers Tower via the Face Track. You can head north again past Marion’s Lookout on the Wombat Pool track, or along the Horse Track towards Ronny Creek. It’s challenging and difficult and not recommended unless you are an experienced walker in mountain terrain. It took me and my family eight hours and reduced some of us to tears. Two days after we did it, an experienced walker had to be rescued from the Horse Track in a blizzard.
Walking time: approximately 8 hours
Have fun but stay safe is the mantra when visiting Cradle Mountain. Study maps of the walking trails so you know where you’re going, sign the register at the start of your walk, and take provisions and the right clothes. Once you’ve got that right, enjoy! It’s a stunning part of Tasmania’s Cradle Mountain and Lake St Clair National Park and a must-see when visiting the island.
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