March 1, 2024


Day 10 : Cradle Mountain and Tasmanian Devils


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Cradle Mountain National Park is part of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. It lies at the northern end and is one of Tasmania's most popular parks. The park offers many hikes and walks to experience the beauty of this area. The hikes vary in length and difficulty, and there is truly something for everyone. Today we started with  the most popular hike , the Dove Lake Circuit. It  is 6km long, and takes you around the beautiful glacial lake. It also brings you to the foot of Cradle Mountain. The weather mostly cooperated , and the temperature hovered around 13 C. . As you circumnavigate the lake, you go through rainforest areas, where the trees are filled with beautiful green moss and lichen. There are pencil pines and ferns galore.  The track varies from man made boardwalk, to rock stairs, and gravel areas. The track itself is well maintained and offers many areas to rest and there are numerous lookouts to enjoy the views in all directions. Here are a few of the many pictures I took during our walk .

Dove Lake with Cradle Mountain in background





The variety of vegetation along the trail









The hiking track






The Dove Lake hike took about 2.5 hours and at the end, we ate our lunch at the trailhead building where the park shuttle lets you off. We then decided to try another short hike in a meadow of buttonwood grass. This part of the trail is the jumping off point for those who choose to do a multi day hike through this area. We chose this spot, as we were told it was the place to see the park's favourite animal, the wombat. Wombats are marsupials and they  burrow in these types of fields. The also eat the buttonwood , which makes up a significant portion of their diet. We were not disappointed. There were more than a few wombats in this area. They take very little notice of you and we even got within two feet of one. 







Before departing the park, we did two small but beautiful hikes. One was two a small waterfall in a pencil pine forest and the other was through flat, marshy areas along one of the many streams that run through the park. We saw some unique red fungi as well.






We spent about 5 hours exploring this park. It is easy to see why people stay here and spend multiple days. 


    Devils @ Cradle

To see a Tasmanian Devil was certainly on my list this trip. There are two difficulties in trying to encounter them in the wild. The first is that they are primarily nocturnal animals and tend to live deep in the bush. The second reason it is hard to find them is that their numbers are in steep decline. One of the main reasons for this decline is that many have developed "devil facial tumour disease" a lethal type of infectious cancer. There is no known cure , and it is estimated that the population of the devils has declined by close to 80%. Conservation programs like Devils @Cradle are seeking to stabilize numbers and rebuild stocks, as researchers look to solve the riddle of this cancer. We had a unique opportunity to see the devils and their "cousins" , the quolls. The staff person was very helpful, and answered all our inquiries. They devils are "housed in large open areas, and are separated by sex and age.  to allow them to socialize and mature. The deals did not disappoint,











Tonight we "glamp", then on to the Gordon River tomorrow !































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