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Cradle Mountain – Lake St. Clair National Park
State: Tasmania
Gateway City: Devonport in northern Tasmania is served by Qantas. Devonport is approximately a 2½ hour drive from Cradle Lake.
Climate: Tasmania has a maritime climate and conditions can change in a matter of minutes. What started as a warm sunny day can quickly deteriorate to sleet and snowfall in the mountains. Temperatures in the summer average between 15oC and 20oC however days of
Number of visitors per year:
History
The Cradle Mountain – Lake St. Clair area was first protected in 1885 and was named a State Park in 1936. Encompassing 620 square miles, it boasts of stands of the rare King Billy Pine. In the 1920’s Gustav Weindorfer settled in the Cradle Mountain area. Recognizing the attributes of the area, he mounted a vigorous campaign to have the area included in the Australian National Parks registry. Today a replica of his chalet is open to visitors as a historical artifact
About
The Cradle Mountain – Lake St. Clair National Park is located in western Tasmania. This National Park is the northernmost National Park in the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage area. The National Park provides the visitor of breathtaking mountains that rise from an ancient rainforest and alpine heatherlands. Cradle Mountain is the starting off point for the Overland Track; a six day walk across the heart of Tasmania.
Tasmania has a maritime climate and conditions can change in a matter of minutes. What started as a warm sunny day can quickly deteriorate to sleet and snowfall in the mountains. Temperatures in the summer average between 15oC and 20oC however days of 30oC are not uncommon. It is also not uncommon for snow to fall in the mountains during the summer. In the winter, temperatures range from 5oC to 10oC. Summer months average 150 to 200 mm of rainfall while the winter can experience over 300.
Cradle Mountain is a vast unspoiled region. With breathtaking views of Cradle mountain and Dove lake, visitors can appreciate nature at its finest. The beginning of the Overland Track, Cradle Mountain contains some of the finest hiking in the world.
Highlights
The Cradle Mountain area contains some of the only deciduous trees on the continent. In the fall these beeches provide a glorious splash of color to the mountainsides. The geodiversity of the area ranging from craggy mountains to upland meadows and peat bogs attracts a variety of birds and animals. The lodges at Cradle Mountain provide the visitor all of the amenities one would or could expect in a remote location of the world. For the more adventurous, cabins along the trails are available for a small fee.
Residents
Cradle Mountain plays home to Tasmanian devil, the spotted-tailed quoll and the eastern quoll all three of these are the larges carnivorous marsupials in the world. Platypus and echidna abound both species being monotremes, some of the oldest creatures to still exist. Millions of songbirds of an astounding variety call Cradle Mountain home. Additionally birds of prey including eagles, hawks, falcons can be seen swooping and soaring in the clear blue sky.
Activities
Day walks provide the visitor with vistas of the mountains, waterfalls, flora and fauna seldom found elsewhere. The Park Rangers provide educational and inspirational seminars periodically that provide insight to the Cradle Mountain Area. Cradle Mountain is the beginning of the Overland Track, a 65km. 6 day hike through the Tasmanian World Heritage Trust.
Conservation projects
A comprehensive management plan is in existence and is being implemented by the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage organization. This plan is constantly being reviewed, evaluated and updated.
