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Destination Guide

Cradle Mountain.
Worth every hour of the drive.

One of the most dramatic landscapes in Australia. Ancient dolerite peaks, glacial lakes, alpine moorland and some of the best walking in the country.

🚗 2.5 hrs from Launceston🚗 4.5 hrs from Hobart❄ Snow possible year-round🎫 Parks Pass required

Getting There

The drive in is part of the experience.

Cradle Mountain Road highland moor

From Launceston it is about 2.5 hours. From Hobart, 4.5 hours. If you are coming off the Spirit of Tasmania ferry at Devonport, you are only 1.5 hours away, many people make Cradle their first stop.

The road into the park winds through farmland before rising into the highland moors. The last 20 minutes through Cradle Mountain Road is genuinely beautiful. Fuel up before you leave, there is nothing beyond Sheffield.

A free shuttle bus runs from the visitor centre to Dove Lake every 10 to 20 minutes in peak season. Check the park website for current shuttle and road conditions before you go.

What to Do

The walks and what to know about each one.

The park has walks ranging from a flat 30-minute lakeside circuit to a full week on the Overland Track. Most visitors come for the Dove Lake Circuit.

  • Dove Lake Circuit: 6 km, 2 to 3 hours, fully boardwalked. Circumnavigates the lake with Cradle Mountain as a backdrop for most of it. The most popular walk in the park and genuinely worth it. Start early to avoid the crowds.
  • Cradle Mountain Summit: 6 hours return from Dove Lake. Requires some hands-and-feet climbing over dolerite boulders. Not technically difficult but exposed, requires good weather, proper footwear, and fitness. Do not attempt in rain or wind.
  • Enchanted Walk: 20 minutes, flat, through cool temperate rainforest near the visitor centre. Good for early morning wildlife.
  • Wombat Pool: 45 minutes return, easy, and one of the best spots in the park for wombats in the evening.
  • The Overland Track: 65 km, 6 to 8 days, Cradle Mountain to Lake St Clair. One of the great walks of the world. Runs October to May. Booking required and numbers are capped.

Where You Will Camp

Camping inside the park.

Camping Cradle Mountain tent alpine

Pencil Pine Campground sits right at the park entrance, a short walk from the visitor centre. It has the best facilities. Waldheim Campground is further in, quieter, and closer to the Dove Lake shuttle stop.

Pencil Pine — what is there

Powered and unpowered sites • Hot showers and flush toilets • Camp kitchen with cooking facilities • Close to Cradle Mountain Lodge shop

Both campgrounds require a Parks Pass. Book ahead for peak season (October to March) at parks.tas.gov.au.

☁ Good to Know

Cradle Mountain has its own weather. Respect it.

  • The summit is in cloud more often than it is clear. You may not see it at all on your first day. This is normal. People who stay two nights have a much better chance of a clear morning.
  • Snow is possible at any time of year at altitude. Even in January the summit can be icy. Bring warm waterproof layers regardless of the forecast.
  • The park entrance has no fuel. Fill up in Sheffield (30 min away) on the way in.
  • Wombats at dusk, the area around Pencil Pine and Wombat Pool is one of the best places in Tasmania to see wombats in the wild. They graze from late afternoon. Do not touch or feed them.

Ready to go?

Book your car and camping gear.

Pick up in Hobart with everything packed. Drop off at the end of your trip.

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