There’s so much to say about Cradle Mountain – Lake St Clair National Park. This UNESCO World Heritage Site, with it’s remarkable rainforests, wandering wombats, and alpine peaks really did live up to the hype. The first few days we spent there were rained out, but it came good in the end.
7 nights – Discovery Parks Caravan & Holiday Park – Cradle Mountain, TAS
We had a great site at Discovery Parks, located on Wombat Way, right near the Currawong Camp Amenities. I just have to say, the bathrooms had heated flooring! So luxurious. It was pretty tempting just to hang out there for a while under the guise of needing to poo. I only pretended a couple of times. In the Camp Kitchen there was a TV, plenty of seating and dining areas and board games to play. On one of the very rainy days that we were there, we enjoyed playing a game of Monopoly – Caravan Edition. The two older boys, Hubby and I played a game that went for nearly 3 hours. I bailed out after having to mortgage my properties, but the other 3 played until the end, with Hubby being victorious. Apparently he used to cheat a bit as the banker when he was a kid, but I’m not one to spread rumours! The kids didn’t like the taste of defeat or the brutal blows that the game delivered… such is life kids. It’s good learning for adulthood!
At Melaleuca Camp, there was a central fireplace, and it was so toasty indoors there that we could actually strip down to shirt and shorts. Another rainy afternoon, was spent there catching up on writing our travel journals and doing some school work. Not a bad gig for the teachers (Mum and Dad) who got to drink red wine and eat a nibble platter by the fire!
Dove Lake Circuit – 6kms
This was the biggest walk that we did as a family, which they say will take 2-3 hours. It took us 4 hours in total, including a break for some hot drinks and lunch. What an amazing effort for little legs!
The scenery was stunning around Dove Lake, and the terrain and track was constantly changing, from timber boardwalk through temperate rainforest, to climbing gravel and quartz rocky staircases surrounded by alpine heathland. We had sunshine one minute, and cold misty rain the next. But we didn’t get bored of the views around Dove Lake and after many climbs, we would turn around and marvel at the impressive rocky peaks of Cradle Mountain. Ok, maybe some sections got the better of Crazy Cat…
“I’m getting bored of climbing stair cases”, he would moan.
In the next section, however, he’d spot some interesting fungi, or a trickling waterfall, and he’d be excited again. Having lunch at a little rest stop along the way was truly memorable. Making hot chocolates for the boys (even if they mostly got poured out!) and tea and coffee for us from the thermos, as well as warm tubs of baked beans, cuppa noodles, and chilli beef felt like an absolute luxury to defrost and recharge. The biggest battle was keeping our shoes dry after the Ballroom Forest section, as we climbed through staircases that resembled waterfalls more than stairs. We’d opted for sneakers over gumboots, being such a long walk for the kids, which was a good decision up until this point. We made it to the Lake House, and had enough about 10 mins to spare to get back to the bus shelter before last shuttle bus at 4pm. What an incredible way to spend a day!
Tasmazia & The Village of Lower Crackpot – Promised Land, TAS
A few days into our time up the mountain, Hubby’s Mum and Step Dad, a.k.a Meema and Peepa, joined us for our travels, having driven down from Queensland. They’ll be staying in Cabins and Hotel accommodation nearby us, along the way, and will be with us for a total of 3 weeks.
We met up with them at Tasmazia, and the boys, especially Big Boy, were so excited to see their grandparents, after having missed them for over 7 weeks. We’re all very luck to see them a few times each week, as we live close by one another. So, this was a long time between visits.
Tasmazia, was amazing! We were lucky to have no rain and mostly sunshine, starting off in the Great Maze, spotting hilarious joke signs, and adorable pademelons everywhere. Followed by the Balancing Maze, which was a huge hit. We’d spent most of our time on the walks at Cradle Mountain, telling the kids to “walk in the middle of the path!” and to stop balancing on the rock or timber edges of the paths. So, to have a maze entirely made of edges, meant that they were in their element.
As we left the Great Maze area, the tall, loose hedging, opened up into a tiny wonderland that is ‘The Village of Lower Crackpot’. It’s an array of streets and buildings of every shape and colour, with the tiniest details painted in the windows, and over every wall and rooftop. It’s absolutely magic, and we couldn’t help but marvel at the sheer time and labour of love that has gone into the creation and ongoing maintenance of this place. Astonishing!
When we climbed ‘the Tower’ and peered over the ‘Confused Maze’ and The Village, we could spot another two mazes to explore, plus a whole world of other buildings – embassy’s from all across the globe. This is not a place for political correctness. In fact, there is a grave in it’s honour. There is humour, cheekiness, clever puns and all sorts of wonderful discoveries at every turn.
I was absolutely in my element when I discovered that there was a real life miniature ‘yellow brick road’! My childhood dreams of being Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz finally came to life, as I skipped and skedaddled all over the path, singing along the way, making the Hubby and Mum-in-Law join for a skip or two!
Lunch consisted of toasted sandwiches, sausage rolls, coffees and juice at the Café, all at a very reasonable price, and we were able to head back in again for another hour after lunch. It was such an exciting and wondrous day out, and for the $90 it cost our family of 5, for half a day of entertainment, it was well worth the entry fee.
We went to Sheffield for a quick look after that, to top up on groceries, and the boys met a man with his birds walking down the street. So random and cool.
Enchanted Forest Walk – 1.2kms
The Enchanted Forest was a really easy walk. No big climbs, a boardwalk for the entire circuit, absolutely gorgeous moss-covered rainforest and a crystal clear flowing stream and waterfall. We saw our first wombat on this walk, right next to the pathway. It was so close that we could have scoochied his big furry butt, but of course, we didn’t! We admired him nibbling away on button grass, completely oblivious of us, and of the other tourists ogling and photographing him. We decided to come out to this walk for a nighttime spotlighting adventure too. We found some animal bones within a tree hollow, which was spooky. Although we didn’t spot any quolls or devils, we did see another (or maybe the same) wombat munching away right near the path. And a cheeky possum once we got back to our camp!
Waldheim Chalet – 2km
It was a drizzly morning and we decided to all venture out as a group of 7 – four adults and three kids. When I say it was drizzly, it could better be described as – icy cold, blowing wind and piercing rain. We were going to walk the Cradle Valley Boardwalk, at least to Snake Hill, from the Ronny Creek bus stop. An easy 45 mins. Except that when we got to Ronny Creek, we needed to use the toilet. No worries, the closest one to the bus stop was at Waldheim Chalet, 2kms uphill, nearby the beginning of the Overland Track. So, we started venturing up the skinny boardwalk track through open buttongrass lands. Icy cold, windy, exposed, adding another 2 kms to the hike. I was starting to get a bit over the cold. I hadn’t packed gloves for the kids, or beanies, as it had been sunny when we left camp.
Big mistake!
Lulled into a false sense of security, I had not dressed warm enough, I did not have my raincoat, so my big jacket was quickly soaked. The kids were underdressed. Hubby took off his long socks to give to Middle Man, acting as leggings because he’d only worn footy shorts. Almost up the hill to the bathroom we saw a little movement off to the left of the boardwalk – “Stop, there’s a wombat! And it’s a got a baby Wombalena!” I yelled ahead to Middle Man, who was leading the group.
Just like that, we were all cutified!
The little wombat was absolutely adorable. Mumma wombat decided to cross the boardwalk, right in front of Middle Man, with baby trailing behind. Then all of a sudden, baby went rogue and ran away from Mumma, back up the hill, possibly towards their burrow. Mumma seemed oblivious, and carried on eating, as wombats do. We quickly got out of their way, continuing uphill on the track. About 10 mins later, after our toilet break, we peered back down onto the grassy plains , where we could see that the pair had reunited. There was even a rainbow to celebrate.
While here, we had a little look at Waldheim Chalet, a replica build of the 1912 historic home of Gustav and Kate Weindorfer, people who played a pivotal role in establishing the national park. Had we not needed the toilet, we likely wouldn’t have ventured up here at all. We discovered the story of how Gustav died, kick starting his motorbike, in the snow, a few hundred metres from his home, and dying in the cold. Meema and I could not understand why on Earth he couldn’t just have left the bike when it didn’t start, and headed back home. Just leave the damn bike!
Cradle Mountain Summit – 12.8 kms
Full disclaimer, I did not do this walk.
This epic climb – Cradle Summit – was carried out by Hubby and Peepa.
This is not for the faint-hearted. It is a full day return hike with a 600m elevation gain.
According to the Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service, it is a Grade 5 walk, which is the most challenging – ‘requiring good fitness, rock scrambling skills, and a head for heights’. Bloody oath! It lived up to its name and level of difficulty. The guys drove up to Dove Lake car park at 7am, beating the shuttle bus, and in -5 degree temperatures, they started the climb. This is only the second time that I have seen Hubby wear long pants (technically long skins and shorts) on our trip. He insists that he’s not cold most of the time. Fair enough. I don’t think that the Tassie locals believe that he’s a Queenslander. The rest of us are rugged up to buggery! He admitted that it was in fact cold at the start of this hike.
It was a total whiteout up on the mountain, and throughout the walk there was no view in sight, just the track ahead and white, foggy cloud cover. Thankfully, as the duo reached the top of the track, the clouds gave way for a few brief moments. Just long enough to get a photograph. They met another couple of hikers on their travels, a father and his adult son, who had attempted the climb twice previously. The father was determined to get to the summit this time, so Hubby and he continued the rocky scrawl up to the summit, following nothing but loosely spaced white post markers to get there. The son and Peepa headed back to the rest area at the top of the track, while the others continued on. It was an incredible feat of endurance for all involved, and they were very pleased with how far they’d come. Hubby and Peepa were back that evening before 5pm, feeling tired, but satisfied, and very keen for hot showers, cold beers, and a warm, hearty dinner of spaghetti bolognaise. What a bunch of legends!
Cradle Valley Boardwalk – 5 kms
I decided to sit out the summit walk. I needed some solitude. After 7 weeks of van life, I was struggling with the need for space, peace and quiet and a slower pace. I was very grateful for Meema taking the kids for the day over to her cabin. I slept in, had a yummy cooked brekky, then decided to go off for a little venture on my own. I got on the shuttle bus and from Ronny Creek, I walked the Cradle Valley Boardwalk back to the Interpretive Centre / Ranger Station. It was a blissful, ever-changing walk, varying from rainforest, to open grasslands, and with direct access to the pristine waters of the creek. I only passed 3 people from the whole 3 hours on the track, which was absolutely perfect. I love hiking on my own. I find that after about 40 mins, my mind completely quiets down and there’s a blissful silence and sense of calm that comes in. I start to notice my surroundings and my senses kick back in again, taking in the sights, smells and sounds all around.
King Billy Circuit – 2 kms
I popped into the Cradle Mountain Lodge for a sneaky schooner of ginger beer and toilet stop.
Side Note – the Lodge have the best seasoned fries and aioli! A few other things on the menu are overpriced, but these are scrumptious!
I decided after my rest stop that I wasn’t quite done with walking, so started off on the King Billy circuit. What a glorious decision this was. As much as I’d loved the openness of the boardwalk, it was so divine to be enveloped by the cool canopy of the dense rainforest again. These types of walks are my favourite. I love walks that feel like a magical journey of discovery. Towering trees overhead, moss-covered rocks, fallen rotted timber covered in mushrooms of every colour, size and shape, and trickling streams. Magical places where I could imagine that a faery would be flitting about near the water, resting under a mushroom, or playing with other forest animals in the treetops. This was the highlight of my day, and by the end of this walk, I felt truly at peace again. I headed home (caravan), for a hot shower, a warm cuppa tea, and some cheese and crackers. It was State of Origin night, and the rest of the family were watching the game, but I was happy to decline and stay in my solitude bubble for a little while longer. After a restful sleep, I was ready to reintegrate into the world again.
Devils @ Cradle – Cradle Mountain
Wow, we loved seeing the Tasmanian Devils and quolls. We braved the rain and donned our jackets, getting up there in the morning. We all fell in love with the Eastern and Spotted-Tailed Quolls. So tiny and cute, yet terrifying. All of the animals had names too, which were chosen by the people who paid to sponsored the, and some of them were fantastic. My personal favourites were ‘Quoliflower’, ‘Pepper’ and ‘T-Rex’. As part of our entry fee, we were able to come back for a feeding sessions, and chose to go with the 5pm time slot. This was so worth coming back for, as there was much more activity after nightfall. We learnt a heap about some of the threats to Tasmanian Devils, namely face tumours which occur whilst the animals are fighting and are fatal if untreated, and the conservation programs for these animals, and the quolls. It was also heartbreaking to hear of the history of the eradication of Tasmanian Tigers, and the significant bounty placed on their kills, back in the early 1900s, which quickly lead to their extinction. I left with a greater appreciation for the carnivorous marsupials of Australia. We have some unique and unbelievable animals here in Tasmania.
Cradle Mountain was magical and unforgettable! I’d love to come back and explore more of the walks again one day, including the iconic Overland Track, when I’m not with the kiddos. What an absolute treasure of Australian Wilderness to be preserved and celebrated.
Fun Quiz – If you could be any animal, what would you be, and why?
See you all next week.
Much Love,
MumOf3WRs