Trek Cradle Mountain, Tasmania

STEEP treks through rugged scenery and underneath swirling clouds lead to amazing vistas for Neale Maynard in Tasmania.

TAsmania Cradle Mountain escape

IT IS a place of natural beauty and of elation wrenched from the tiring climb that leads to one of the best lookouts anywhere in the world.

Tasmania's Cradle Mountain has to be seen to be believed and you can get a pretty good taste of the place in a three-night visit.

Lakes and peaks, a well-maintained network of trails, friendly wombats, fierce quolls, good wine, great food and weather that can change dramatically provide an ideal backdrop for an invigorating weekend.

Photos: Cradle Mountain's moods

We flew out of Brisbane for Melbourne early Friday morning, caught a 45-minute flight to Devonport, hired a rental car and covered the winding 90km to Cradle Mountain Lodge in time to arrive by mid-afternoon. Light rain was falling, the weather was cool, and the fire in our cabin was welcome.

Next morning, the weather hadn't improved and after taking in the King Billy Track and Enchanted Walk in the grounds of the lodge, we caught a shuttle into the national park to walk the track around Dove Lake. As we made our way around the 6km trail, the clouds above swirled about Cradle Mountain, offering enticing glimpses of the peak.

Other than one steepish hill with a few hundred steps, the lake trail is a fairly easy walk, much of it in shade.

The trail is a mix of gravel, boardwalk covered in anti-slip chicken wire and occasional metal walkways bolted to a rocky hillside. 

The following day a high pressure system delivered clear skies and Cradle Mountain was visible.

We decided to try the walk to Marion's Lookout, high above Dove Lake. It's listed as a 90-minute walk although with photographic stops (and halting numerous times for a breather on the steep climb) it was closer to two hours.

On our map it was listed as moderate-difficult a fair description.

We began the walk from the Ronnys Creek carpark, dodging wombat poo on the boardwalk as we headed across grasslands towards the hills that lead to the lookout. The trail the start of the famed Overland Track winds through low hills, past pretty creeks and small waterfalls hidden in forest, before it arrives at Crater Lake.

The lake offers reflections in calm weather, and is also the point where the going gets tough. The trail becomes a series of rocky steps, which eventually get steeper to the point where walkers need to use a chain beside the track to haul themselves up.

It's supposed to be the hardest section of the Overland Track, but it's well worth the climb. And watching long-haul hikers carry heavy packs up the trail is a welcome distraction from your own discomfort.

The view from the top is an amazing panorama; the Ronnys Creek carpark is a speck in the distance. Telstra has 3G coverage at the lookout and we managed a Skype video call with family in Brisbane, sharing the vista.

After a morning tea break at Marion's Lookout we decided to go further, heading on the boardwalk across a couple of ridges towards the base of Cradle Mountain. You can see the track from the Kitchen Hut to the mountain top and we decided it looked steep and rocky enough to leave alone.

Instead, we headed back down the mountain, the return journey via Wombat Pool hard on the knees and further than we thought. You can take a short cut straight down to Dove Lake, but it's apparently even steeper.

It took 90 minutes to reach the Dove Lake carpark and from there we caught a shuttle back to Ronnys Creek.

Across the road, grazing in the open, unworried by our presence were a mother and baby wombat.

That night, we went on an animal spotlighting tour on a McDermott's four-wheel-drive bus that led us to a quoll, wallabies, pademelons, possums and another wombat. The highlight of the evening was a visit to the local Tassie Devil interpretation centre, Devils @ Cradle, which is home to both devils and quolls.

It's informative and you can pat a devil and watch a feeding session.

On our final day we headed back to Devonport via the town of Wilmot, the road lined by a collection of arty mailboxes including a Dr Who Dalek and a V8 engine.

As with many Tassie roads, it's very windy and you need to take your time.

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CRADLE MOUNTAIN

Getting there:

From Devonport Airport, Cradle Mountain is 99km via Sheffield. The route passes Mt Roland.

Staying there:

Cradle Mountain Lodge has a range of accommodation, starting with their pencil pine cabins ($320 a couple a night including breakfast).

The King Billy Suites are $760 a couple a night including breakfast, spa bath and hot tub. See cradlemountainlodge.com.au

Seeing there:

Cradle Mountain, Dove Lake, Crater Lake, Wombat Pool, Overland Track, Marion's Lookout.

More: cradlemountainlodge.com.au; puretasmania.com.au; discovertasmania.com.au; parks.tas.gov.au