Cradle Mountain National Park is an area of world famous scenery with a huge variety of walking trails to choose from. With around 5 hours of time to spend in the National Park we leave our walking itinerary flexible to suit our guests and the weather conditions on the day.
Cradle Mountain and Dove Lake offer superb natural beauty, wildlife and Tasmania’s premier day walking opportunities on this tour day designed for the Active traveller. Experience ancient rainforests, alpine heaths, glacial lakes, rugged mountains and close encounters with our local wildlife.
Cradle Mountain National Park is an area of iconic scenery with a wide variety of walking trails to choose. Cradle Mountain is a stunning and World Heritage listed area. With around 5 hours to spend in the National Park we leave our walking itinerary flexible to suit our guests and the weather conditions on the day.
After departing Launceston we enjoy a short stop in Sheffield – The Town of Murals. Sheffield is a small and quirky rural village, in the foothills of the mountains. Sheffield is Tasmania’s own outdoor art gallery, featuring over 100 paintings on the walls of buildings across the town. The artwork depicts the history of the Cradle Mountain region, and is a great taster of what is to come, before we continue onwards into the mountains.
Arriving into the Cradle Mountain National Park, we prepare for the walking opportunities ahead of us. We aim for around 4 – 5 hours in the National Park, to really make the most of the trails. We begin with a series of short walks to Rainforest City and Pencil Pine Falls, 2 short and easy walks that introduce us to the area.
Our main hike for today’s tour, begins from Dove Lake with 2 walking options available. Here you can choose your preferred main walk. There is the iconic Dove Lake Circuit which is a 6 kilometer track, classified as easy and usually takes 2-3 hours. This is one of the premier walks in Tasmania, the track undulates around Dove Lake and traverses beneath Cradle Mountain. All the magnificent flora can viewed on this walk, with buttongrass, myrtle, sassafras, fagus and King Billy Pine along the way, along with epic views of Cradle Mountain. For the more active and avid hiker, we offer the chance to climb to the loftier heights of Marion’s Lookout. This is around 4 kilometers but is classified as a medium grade hike, with some steep sections. Marions Lookout sits at 1200m, and provides breathtaking 360 degree views of the surrounding World Heritage wilderness area.
We stop along the way for a lunch break, enjoy a rest by a quiet stream, watch the famous and friendly Cradle wombats in their natural habitat, or take the time to photograph the landscapes. Learn some of the local history as we visit Weindorfer’s Chalet and see the ancient King Billy Pines on Weindorfer’s Forest Walk.
On our return to Launceston, we stop to refresh and refuel at the delicious Van Dieman’s Land Ice Creamery and Christmas Hills Raspberry Farm. We return into Launceston around 6.00 – 6.30pm after a huge yet unforgettable Cradle Mountain day.
Cradle Mountain is the backdrop for a truly memorable and not to be missed Tasmanian experience.“This must be a National Park for the people for all time. It is magnificent, and people must know about it and enjoy it.” So declared Gustav Weindorfer from the summit of Cradle Mountain in 1910.
Highlights
- Cradle Mountain World Heritage Area
- Dove Lake
- Weindorfers Chalet
- Rainforest City short walk
- Pencil Pine Falls short walk
- Dove Lake Circuit Walk (easy grade 6km’s) or
- Marion’s Lookout (medium grade )
- Guided walks & interpretation
- Sheffield – historic ‘Town of Murals’
- Ashgrove Cheese Factory
Included
- National Parks Entrance Fees
- Professionally guided and interpreted walks
- CBD Hotel/Hostel pick up and drop off
- Free tastings of local products on extra stops
Not included
- Meals are not included
What to bring
- Sensible shoes for walking
- A variety of warm clothing, beanie/hat/gloves
- Weatherproof jacket if possible
- Hat/Sunscreen
- Water Bottle, snacks, lunch (or buy it on the day)
- Camera
- Sense of adventure
Tour Details
- Duration: 1 day
- Departs: Launceston 7.30am
- Returns: Launceston 6.30pm
- Pick up time: 7.00am to 7.30am depending on your location