CRADLE MOUNTAIN

Cradle Mountain - A must See !!

On our trip to Tassie I had hoped that we could get to Cradle Mountain. But, as with all plans there are many things that you have to consider. 

In this wonderful island state, the weather is something that concerns me. 

And in July snow is a distinct possibility.

When we left Devonport Discovery Park  we were told that the roads we would be travelling on  to Cradle Mountain were passable, if we were driving through Sheffield, but not if we were travelling from Burnie. 

The Tasmanian Police Facebook page is worth checking out too,  as it has road closures listed, or links to them.

Ute packed up and off we went, and very soon found the drive  interesting and very pretty, and discovered that it was going to be one where you cannot completely accept the arrival time that your sat nav tells you as there was always  somewhere to stop along the way. I either had the window open and taking photos or hubby was stopping so I could get out to take some photos of

unique scenery

We discovered the town of Sheffield. Please do not drive straight through. You need to take a break and walk around the streets and admire all the murals. The town has an annual mural festival and these amazing paintings are worth the time spent admiring them. Such very clever people! 

Me, I can't paint to save myself and I really admire those people who can wield a paint brush with incredible results.

There is quite a large carpark in the side street behind the IGA supermarket with plenty of room for caravans, and clean and neat public toilets.

Don't forget to stock up on some food and fresh water if you need to, as  there are no supermarkets up on the mountain. The Cradle Mountain Discovery caravan park has a small shop where you can grab some essentials.

After leaving Sheffield it was not long before we began our ascent up the mountain. 

Lots of wildlife to see

Was I stressed ?

Yes !

A bit of an anxious passenger am I !

But overall, the drive up was not as bad as I had imagined. Oh yes, we had plenty of tight bends, and long drops when you looked over the side. And I was looking at the tree tops. But hubby stated that he would not have a problem towing the caravan up to the top.

We did have snow, but only along the edges of the road at the final section of our ascent.

Checking in at Cradle Mountain Discovery Park was easy and the staff friendly and helpful.
https://www.discoveryholidayparks.com.au/

So nice to arrive at our nice warm cabin, a gas log fire glowing welcomely.

And little Pademelons were sitting in the snow next to our cabin, waiting  to greet us.

Snow at Discovery Park Cradle mountain

Plenty of these cute pademelons roam the caravan park

After an early night we headed over to the Tasmanian Parks visitor centre to jump on a bus up to Cradle Mountain car park, as private vehicles are restricted. 

We had purchased our Parks Pass whilst on the Spirit,  and you must have one to allow you to enter the parks. There is no charge for the bus trip which covers approx. 7 kms of winding road but stunning scenery.

Once you arrive there are many walks that you can choose to attempt, or you can just sit and take in the scenery.

If you are walking you will need sturdy boots, and a good quality coat to keep the wind and rain out. I am so thankful for my great hiking boots, waterproof coat, beanie and gloves.

Not all the walking paths around Dove Lake are this good.

There are stone steps and water on some tracks

We tackled the Dove Lake walk which took us 2.5 hours. It is a walk that has water on some sections of track, some well constructed boardwalk, but also some steep stone steps but awe inspiring views. Was it worth it ? Hell yes ! 

While I carried my camera bag, hubby carried a back pack with a thermos and cups so we had the opportunity to enjoy a cuppa in the shadow of Cradle Mountain.  A memory  that will remain with me for a long time.

Well if that walk wasn't enough, we returned for more walking the next day. But this time we jumped off the bus at the Ranger Station. These walks were much shorter than our Dove Lake walk, but the scenery was still spectacular. Tree ferns  and waterfalls were a big component of these walks and they were definitely worth filling in another day of walks. 

Knyvet falls

Lots of boardwalks to make access to these places a bit easier

A holiday at  Cradle Mountain, no matter what season, is something that is worth considering, but make sure you are prepared.

While we were at Cradle Mountain we  did not have the opportunity to see falling snow much to hubby's disappointment, although the temperature seemed cold enough. 

But then if it did snow we may not have been able to head to our next destination, Strahan.