Cradle Mountain

Well Fiona is having a well-earned rest and has allowed me to come off the bench and tell you about our next adventure. Just a couple of thoughts first after reading some of Fiona's blogs:

-          I thought Fiona was a little harsh on ho hum Horsham Victoria. I thought Horsham was “hokay”. We stayed in a caravan park by the river with a several pretty walking trails, we were next to an impressive grass court tennis centre and the botanical gardens, the town was alive, there was Mt Arapilies….etc. I give Horsham the thumbs up without being spectacular.

-          I thought the nut at Stanley was spectacular and could have been promoted more. There was 360 degrees of breathtaking views from the top

-          To date we have been incredibly lucky with very little rain but we have copped a lot of wind and cold.

-          Fiona has just bought herself a bandanna to protect her ears from the cold (in January!!). Despite the three of us suggesting she desist from wearing it as it is not a good look ( and that is coming from me and my current grooming), she continues to wear it. We can only hope for warmer weather.

Like a fireworks display with many wow moments and then towards the end of the display the spectacular is ramped up for the finale, Tasmania is ramping up the wow moments on our adventure with beautifully scenic drives along the north coast, the Stanley nut and now Cradle Mountain. Fiona had especially been looking forward to Cradle Mountain.

This morning we started a little late but got the shuttle bus (which was very well organised) out to Ronnys Creek at the foot of Cradle Mountain. As the weather was good, we decided to do the most weather dependent walk which was also the toughest we would do. We travelled up to Crater Lake, Marion’s lookout and back via Wombat Pool, Lake Lilia to Dove Lake carpark. All up it took us around 3 hours but the scenery was simply magnificent.

starting the walk

impressive Crater Lake

 impressive people at impressive Crater Lake

nice place for lunch at Marions Lookout overlooking Cradle Mountain

After lunch and a rest back at the visitors centre, we headed off  mid-afternoon to the Rangers Station to do the Pencil Pines Falls walk and the Enchanted Walk. The Enchanted Walk was only a 20 minute walk but one of Tasmania’s “60 best short walks” and it was lovely. Beautiful streams, rainforest and wildlife (we came across a wombat). As with a lot of these all day attractions, it is very busy in the mornings but by mid-afternoon, things quieten down substantially. Long morning queues for the shuttle become non-existent later in the day. There’s a free tip for those considering a later start to their daily itinery of Cradle Mountain walks.

the Enchanted walk had a strange affect on Fiona

Hey would you keep it down out there!

After a long day, we headed back to camp, showered, dined and played cards by the fireplace before calling it a night.

Relaxing in our Jayco Eagle ensuite after a hard day trekking

Fiona ends the day with a visit from a Tasmanian Pademelon. To me the lines are a little blurred between a Pademelon and a dirty giant rat

The next morning was hot but we took our time with a leisurely breakfast and took the shuttle to the Dove Lake carpark arriving just before 11am for a walk around the much hyped Dove Lake. It was a lovely and picturesque walk but for me lacked the spectacular of the previous days trek. The walk took us 2 hours and minutes. 

Man mountain Andrew Burton

Lunching at the lovely Ballroom Forest Dove Lake

We headed back to the information centre but the previous days exertions must have taken it out us because after lunch we headed back to camp for a rest and we never made it out again . We had done all the big ticket walks and agreed to have a quiet and relaxing  afternoon. We chatted to our new neighbours from Caulfield in Melbourne, showered, dined played cards and had an early night as we were moving on the next morning. We have taught the kids to play poker so that is all the rage at the moment.

Retreating to the dining area of our Jayco Eagle. 10 seconds after this picture, Georgia knocked over her full drinking cup we went from relaxed to mayhem.

Next stop Strahan, Tasmanian west coast.