Last summer, my Instagram feed was brimming with images of the Overland Track, as intrepid friends embarked on Tasmania’s epic multi-day hike. Incredible alpine scenery, dramatic changes in weather conditions, much appreciated pit-stops and pride of achievement fuelled my FOMO – though not so much the reported mud, blisters and those creepiest of crawlies, leeches – all seemingly unavoidable elements of life on the trail.

With a booking system offering just 34 places for independent walkers a day during peak season, between October and May, this six-day, 65-kilometre hike linking Cradle Mountain with Lake St Clair must be arranged well in advance, and is often fully booked.

Fortunately for those who don’t secure a booking – or who are lightweight, leech-averse hikers like myself – there are plenty of less daunting alternatives for experiencing the natural wonderland that is Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park.

Located in the heart of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area, this 1614-square-kilometre national park has two access points: Lake St Clair (Leeawuleena) in the south, and the more popular northern entrance near Cradle Mountain, a leisurely two-and-a-bit hour drive from Launceston (or longer, if you linger over the gourmet farmgate offerings on the Tasting Trail stretching across northern Tasmania).

With just three days to explore the region, I’m basing myself at Discovery Parks’ Cradle Mountain Holiday Park, one of a cluster of accommodation options near the Cradle Mountain entrance. Established in 1988, this property, nestled in the forest on a long-term National Park lease, has flipped the script on the traditional holiday park concept; while it still offers camping, caravan sites and budget cabins, it’s also venturing into the luxury market with new Premium Mountain cabins.

With floor-to-ceiling windows that embrace nature, a kitchen equipped with Smeg appliances, a soaking tub (some with forest views) and underfloor heating, these new “tiny houses” are stylish and romantic, with niceties such as complimentary Josef Chromy cuvee and a selection of Ashgrove cheeses to bring home the honeymoon vibe.

The Discovery Park is also a convenient short walk from the Cradle Mountain Visitor Centre, where you can buy Park Passes, get information on walks and activities and purchase a $15 three-day shuttle ticket (there is no private vehicle access to the park during daylight hours).

For hikers embarking on the Overland Track, the shuttle is included with their booking fee, with Ronny Creek the drop-off point. Most day visitors, however, continue onto Dove Lake, a glacial lake of heart-wrenching beauty that lies under the misty gaze of the distinctive saddle-backed Cradle Mountain.

A 5.7-kilometre track, largely on an elevated boardwalk protecting sensitive flora, circumnavigates the sparkling lake, passing through varied terrain – from scrubby button grass to cool temperate rainforest where endemic King Billy pines and lichen-swathed myrtles reach for daylight. During early summer, blood-red Tasmanian waratahs add a splash of colour, while sandy beaches offer tranquil moments of respite to dip the toes and soak in the views.

On the north-west shores of Dove Lake, an old wooden boatshed, constructed from King Billy pine in 1940, presents the hike’s most photogenic moment, the craggy peaks of the mountain reflected in the still waters behind the weathered grey shed.

Out on the water, a flotilla of handsome wooden kayaks harks back to the boatshed’s original purpose, when it housed rowboats hired out to tourists for use on the lake. Today, adventure company Cradle Mountain Canyons holds the only licence for watercraft on the lake, with guided two-hour kayaking excursions offering a unique perspective of the unforgettable vistas.

But it’s the kayaks themselves that give a real sense of place: hand-built over hundreds of hours by owner and guide Anthony O’Hern from recycled King Billy pine, a light and strong timber that can no longer be harvested from the wild.

After paddling across the mirrored lake beneath the shadow of the mist-covered peaks of Cradle Mountain, our kayaking group pauses on the rocky shoreline for a warming cup of tea, before taking a short walk to the Ballroom Forest to view living King Billy pines, some more than 1500 years old.

“It was recently discovered that the closest relative to the genus of the King Billy – which also includes the pencil pine and laxifolia – is the giant redwood in America,” O’Hern says.

“We’re always saying in Tassie: ‘We’ve got the oldest and tallest trees in the world – apart from the redwoods in California’. And it turns out that that special tree and our special tree are long-lost ancestors.”

Timeless though Cradle Mountain’s vistas and flora may be, its weather is fickle and moody, changing in the blink of an eye. As the heavens open, we make a hasty retreat to the log fire in the Tavern Bar at Cradle Mountain Lodge, taking in a casual bistro lunch and a glass of Tasmanian pinot noir over a game of pool.

With hiking plans stymied, we instead spend the afternoon indoors, wandering through nine rooms of art at the Cradle Mountain Wilderness Gallery. Celebrating the stories and creatives of Tasmania, its exhibitions range from dazzling photographs of the dancing lights of Aurora Australis, to intriguing ceramic sculptures inspired by the mosses and fungi of Cradle Mountain’s forests, created by local artist Christie Lange.

As evening falls, we prepare for a date with some of Tasmania’s most charismatic nocturnal creatures. Located just before the boundary of the National Park, the Devils@Cradle sanctuary is a conservation centre for Australia’s three largest carnivorous marsupials – spotted-tail quolls, eastern quolls and Tasmanian devils – with a captive breeding program ensuring the survival of these elusive, endangered species.

We’ve joined an After Dark Feeding tour, learning about the animals while they are at their most active and voracious. And just like the crazed, whirling dervishes made famous by Looney Tunes, the enraged little devils tear into chunks of wallaby thigh with bloodcurdling aggression, banshee-like shrieks and guttural growls echoing through the forest.

But then I look down and see something even more terrifying – a leech has launched itself onto my hand, squirming in its quest for fresh blood. With a screech matching the Tasmanian devils’, I flick the disgusting little sucker off, my quick action preventing it from latching onto my flesh.

Guess I’m better prepared for the Overland Track than I realised – perhaps it’s time to wear in those hiking boots.

THE DETAILS

STAY
Accommodation for two in a Premium Mountain Cabin at Discovery Parks Cradle Mountain starts at $428 a night. See discoveryholidayparks.com.au

HIKE
To register for the 2025-26 summer season of the Overland Track, see parks.tas.gov.au

TOUR
Dove Lake Kayaks, two to three hour tours from $170 adults or $580 family of four. Tours run from November to April. See cradlemountaincanyons.com.au
Devils@Cradle is open daily, except Christmas Day. General entry to the sanctuary with a Day Keeper Tour, from $25 adults, $15 children. After Dark Feeding Tours (including general entry), $37.50 adults, $20 children. See devilsatcradle.com

MORE
discovertasmania.com.au

The writer was a guest of Discovery Parks.