Cradle Mountain
Encyclopedia
Cradle Mountain is a mountain in the Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park
, Tasmania
, Australia
. Rising to 1,545 metres above sea level it is one of the principal tourist sites in Tasmania, owing to its natural beauty. The mountain is composed of dolerite columns, similar to many of the other mountains in the area.
One of the world’s best multi-day walks starts here, the Overland Track, that leads up hill and down dale through a variety of extraordinary landscapes to finish 80 km to the south at Lake St Clair, Australia’s deepest lake.
. The mountain is frequently climbed by tourists, virtually year round. It is a strenuous (recommended allotted time: 6.5 hours) return hike from the Dove Lake car park. The climb up the rocky part of the mountain involves scrambling over large boulders for several hundred metres. The entire climb is exposed to any bad weather that may arrive quickly and at any time. From the summit, (where there was a trig point
tower) there are spectacular 360° views, encompassing Dove Lake, Barn Bluff
and Mount Ossa.
The mountain rises above the glacially formed Dove Lake (934m), Lake Wilks, and Crater Lake.
The mountain has four named summits. In order of height they are Cradle Mountain (1545 m (5,069 ft)), Smithies Peak (1527 m (5,010 ft)), Weindorfers
Tower (1459 metres (4,787 ft)), and Little Horn (1355 m (4,446 ft)).
The mountain itself is named after its resemblance to a gold mining cradle.
(Button Grass) which dominates the alpine wet sedgelands. Some plants that grow on the mountain include the mountain buzzy, the heart berry, the alpine strawberry, the waratah
, the King Billy pine
and the pencil pine
.
In addition to getting here by private transport or by hiking on the Overland Track, there are also public bus services from Launceston and Devonport to the Cradle Mountain Visitors Centre. Many tour companies also stop here.
Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park
Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park is located in the Central Highlands area of Tasmania , 165 km northwest of Hobart. The park contains many walking trails, and is where hikes along the well-known Overland Track usually begins...
, Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. Rising to 1,545 metres above sea level it is one of the principal tourist sites in Tasmania, owing to its natural beauty. The mountain is composed of dolerite columns, similar to many of the other mountains in the area.
One of the world’s best multi-day walks starts here, the Overland Track, that leads up hill and down dale through a variety of extraordinary landscapes to finish 80 km to the south at Lake St Clair, Australia’s deepest lake.
Access
The area around the mountain has a large number of day walks, as well as being one terminus of the Overland TrackOverland Track
The Overland Track is one of Australia's most famous bush walks, situated in the Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park, Tasmania. More than 8000 walkers each year complete the track. Officially, the track runs for 65 km from Cradle Mountain to Lake St Clair. However, many choose to add...
. The mountain is frequently climbed by tourists, virtually year round. It is a strenuous (recommended allotted time: 6.5 hours) return hike from the Dove Lake car park. The climb up the rocky part of the mountain involves scrambling over large boulders for several hundred metres. The entire climb is exposed to any bad weather that may arrive quickly and at any time. From the summit, (where there was a trig point
Trig point
A triangulation station, also known as a triangulation pillar, trigonometrical station, trigonometrical point, trig station, trig beacon or trig point, and sometimes informally as a trig, is a fixed surveying station, used in geodetic surveying and other surveying projects in its vicinity...
tower) there are spectacular 360° views, encompassing Dove Lake, Barn Bluff
Barn Bluff
Barn Bluff is a mountain located in the Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park in the Central Highlands of Tasmania at the junction of the eastern most points of the Murchison River and Mackintosh River river catchments...
and Mount Ossa.
Features
The mountain has four named summits. In order of height they are Cradle Mountain (1545 m (5,069 ft)), Smithies Peak (1527 m (5,010 ft)), Weindorfers
Gustav Weindorfer
Gustav Weindorfer was an Austrian-born Australian amateur botanist, lodge-keeper and promoter of the Cradle Mountains National Park.-Early Years:...
Tower (1459 metres (4,787 ft)), and Little Horn (1355 m (4,446 ft)).
The mountain itself is named after its resemblance to a gold mining cradle.
Flora
The area is covered in a wide variety of alpine and sub-alpine vegetation, most notably including the colourful deciduous Nothofagus gunnii (Deciduous Beech), itself an anomaly given that most Australian native flora is evergreen, and the Gymnoschoenus sphaerocephalusGymnoschoenus sphaerocephalus
Gymnoschoenus sphaerocephalus, commonly known as button grass, is a species of tussock-forming grass from southeastern Australia. It forms part of a unique habitat in Tasmania....
(Button Grass) which dominates the alpine wet sedgelands. Some plants that grow on the mountain include the mountain buzzy, the heart berry, the alpine strawberry, the waratah
Waratah
Waratah is a genus of five species of large shrubs or small trees in the Proteaceae, native to the southeastern parts of Australia...
, the King Billy pine
Athrotaxis selaginoides
Athrotaxis selaginoides is a species of Athrotaxis, endemic to Tasmania in Australia, where it grows at 400–1,120 m altitude. In its habitat in the mountains snow in winter is very usual...
and the pencil pine
Athrotaxis cupressoides
Athrotaxis cupressoides is a species of Athrotaxis, endemic to Tasmania in Australia, where it grows at 700–1,300 m altitude.Its common name is Pencil Pine, although it's not a member of the Pine family....
.
Access to the Park and region
There is a parking area at Ronny Creek, the outlet of Lake Dove, which is approximately 8 km from the national park visitors’ centre. A shuttle bus runs between the two.In addition to getting here by private transport or by hiking on the Overland Track, there are also public bus services from Launceston and Devonport to the Cradle Mountain Visitors Centre. Many tour companies also stop here.
The park
- Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife Page
- Photojournal covering Cradle Mountain as part of The Overland Track
- Cradle Mountain Tourist Attraction
- Webcam
Public transport access
- Tassielink have buses to/from Devonport and Queenstown/Strahan.
- McDermott's run buses between Cradle Mountain and Launceston (not every day)