Cradle Mountain Travel Guide

Alamy © Luke Gackle - Landscape photograph of the stunning Cradle Mountain and Dove Lake

Cradle Mountain is one of Tasmania's Premier tourist destinations which is famous for it's stunning landscape and beautifully scenic views of Cradle Mountain behind Dove Lake, however for a trip to Cradle Mountain it is important to come prepared as there are many things to consider when planning your visit.

What to bring to Cradle Mountain

What you need to bring on your visit will depend on what you are planning to do, Cradle Mountain caters to those who are just coming for a quick visit, all the way to those who are planning multi-day hikes.

Regardless of the type of visit you are planning it is important that you come prepared for all types of weather, Cradle Mountain is an Alpine region and the weather can change rapidly, it's not uncommon to have high winds, snow, hot blistering sun, or sudden rain, it's essential that you bring the following:

• warm jacket
• plenty of drinking water
• something to eat for lunch
• a map or GPS/Google Maps
• a mobile phone in case you get lost
• sunscreen
• walking boots are also recommended if you plan on doing any hiking.

Entry into Cradle Mountain also requires a parks pass which you can purchase online at www.parks.tas.gov.au you will need to print this off and display it in your car windscreen to avoid getting a fine.

Parks Tasmania have further information in their Essential Bushwalking Guide which includes a handy Walkers Checklist you can download

Transport

Transport options to Cradle Mountain is only by car, however entry into Cradle Mountain is where things get a tad complicated.

When you turn off of Cradle Mountain road, you will come to the visitor centre, this is where you can stop during opening hours to get additional information about the park or purchase a parks pass if you don't already have one.

The actual start of Cradle Mountain is another 9.3km further down the narrow road where there is parking available at Dove Lake, because of the popularity of the park, Parks Tasmania has bus services that run along the narrow road into Cradle Mountain, unfortunately this means for the safety of road users, cars are not allowed past the visitor centre after 8 am when the buses start running.

As long as you have a parks pass you can travel on the shuttle buses for free, however if you would prefer to take your car into the park you will need to arrive prior to 8 am, at the time of writing the last shuttle bus for the day is at 5:30pm however check with Parks Tasmania for the latest timetable.

If you are taking your own car into the park it is also important to understand the procedure for driving out of the park, when exiting you may only exit by escort, when a bus drives back out you can follow it out off the park.

Facilities and Activities

Some of the facilities located at Cradle Mountain include:

• TrailRider, an all-terrain wheelchair
• Visitor Centre - Includes a park shop, and café
• Rangers Station and Interpretation Centre - Includes an art gallery, informative displays, and videos
• Picnic areas throughout the park
• Toilets located at each centre and the Dove Lake car park

Key Attractions

• Dove Lake and Cradle Mountain
• Twisted Lakes
• The kitchen hut
• The Boat Deck
• Hanson's Peak

Hiking trail options

As previously mentioned Cradle Mountain can cater for anyone from a half hour walk to a 6 day hike, I have separated this section into two subtitles, shorter walks, and longer walks.

Shorter walks

Dove Lake Circuit

This walk is a 2 - 3 Hours walk around Dove Lake suitable for most ages with a hardened surface track which may include steps.

Pencil Pine Falls and Rainforest Walk

This walk is a 10 minute walk from the interpretation Centre (just down the road from the visitor centre) this short walk is suitable for anyone and with a completely flat surface this walk is well suited to those with wheelchairs and is the only wheelchair accessible walk in the national Park.

Longer walks

Marion's Lookout

Marion's lookout is a 3 hour return hike which will give you stunning views from above Dove Lake, however if you go early in the morning you will find your photos will be filled with glare from the morning sun.

There are two trails to go to Marion's lookout, one is longer and Less steep, and the other is shorter and quite steep, the path that you choose will depend on your hiking plans.

If you are just planning to go to Marion's Lookout and return, then it is recommended to take the longer trail (first signed trail to Marion's Lookout)

If you are planning to continue on along the path beyond Marion's Lookout, then you may find the shorter steeper trail a better option that will save you a lot of time as this route is more direct. If you do take the shorter and steeper trail I would recommend that you take your time, don't expend all of your energy trying to quickly hike up the shorter route.

To provide more of an idea of how steep the trail is the photo below shows the terrain along the Marion's Lookout Link Track which includes chain guides up the steeper parts.

Marion's Lookout and Twisted Lakes

This is not an official walk as such but is the route that I took when I visited Cradle Mountain, for this route bushwalking experience is a must have, however this is not the only route to visit the Twisted Lakes which is a stunning location and definitely a place worth checking out, just check out the shot from Twisted Lakes below.

A shot of Twisted Lakes with Cradle Mountain in the background.

This hike took about 6 hours to complete and has a mix of different surfaces, mainly loose gravel and rocky paths but also some boardwalk. Hiking boots are definitely recommended for this route as there were sections where it was quite muddy along the face track.

This hike saw us following the Marion's Lookout Link Track (shorter steeper trail) up to Marion's Lookout, following the trail up to the Face Track, and hiking along the Face Track until reaching the trail for the Twisted Lakes.

The Twisted Lakes trail links back up to the Lake Rodway Track which will lead you back to the dove Lake car park.

Cradle Mountain Summit

For only the most experienced hikers Cradle Mountain summit is a 7 to 8 hour hike which will take you up to the summit, for this hike bushwalking experience, hiking boots, scrambling experience, and adequate clothing are all required.

The last hour of the Cradle Mountain summit hike will see you scrambling all the way to the summit, there are some false peaks along the way as well.

For this hike you will likely want to be parked at the Dove Lake car park which means you need to enter the park prior to 8 a.m, if you decide to use the shuttle busses then check the timetable to find out when the last bus is, at the time of writing its 5:30pm.

Once you have hiked to the summit there is a shorter return path available from the Face Track which will take you straight down and back to the Dove Lake car park.


You can find more information from Parks Tasmania in their Cradle Mountain Guide

Tourist Tips

• Be prepared and plan your visit, bring all the necessary items with you. See: What to bring to Cradle Mountain
• Be aware of snakes
• If you want to capture a great shot of Cradle Mountain and Dove Lake, once you come down from The Dove Lake car park follow the trail left about 100 metres or so for the perfect photo location, everything in the landscape lines up nicely so you can get the best photo.
  

Cradle Mountain Map