Century-old boating legacy revived on Dove Lake with King Billy pine kayaks
Adventure operator Anthony O’Hern has revived a century-old tradition of boat tours on Tasmania’s Dove Lake using rare King Billy pine timber from local suppliers.
More than a century after naturalist Gustav Weindorfer took visitors out on Dove Lake in a locally built King Billy pine boat, adventure tourism operator Anthony O’Hern is honouring that legacy with water‑based experiences at Cradle Mountain–Lake St Clair National Park.
Mr O’Hern, who founded Cradle Mountain Canyons in 2010, has since expanded his business to include a three‑day pack‑rafting trip and a guided kayak tour on Dove Lake.
The kayaking experience crosses to the far end of the lake for a cup of tea among living King Billy pines — some thousands of years old.
“King Billy is a really special timber only found in Tasmania,” Mr O’Hern said.
“It’s very rare and it’s good for building boats, and there’s a long history of King Billy around here.”
To source the timber Mr O’Hern travelled to Strahan to meet the Bradshaw family, whom he describes as the only official suppliers of the speciality timber, with a shed of carefully seasoned stock.
“You’ve got to go down there, have a cup of tea with these old boys and tell them what you’re planning to do with it. If they like your idea, they’ll sell it to you,” he said.
Mr O’Hern said operating in a remote alpine environment comes with training and safety demands — and an increasingly cautious regulatory setting.
“One of the challenges is an increasingly risk‑averse environment, with governments and training providers too scared to provide good training,” he said.
Alongside growth, he said the bigger question is how to manage visitor numbers in a fragile landscape.
“There’s definitely still room to grow, but particularly in wilderness areas like this we’re starting to have conversations about how many people we can actually take. That’s a challenge and there are no easy answers.”
Weindorfer, a pioneering Tasmanian naturalist, was a champion of protecting the Cradle Mountain–Lake St Clair region, and his legacy still shapes how visitors experience the area today.
Cradle Mountain Canyons operates guided trips subject to park conditions and weather. For dates, prices and fitness requirements visit https://cradlemountaincanyons.com.au/
Originally published as Century-old boating legacy revived on Dove Lake with King Billy pine kayaks
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