Cradle Mountain

Cradle Mountain forms the northern end of the wild Cradle Mt. – Lake St. Clair National Park and is one of the most popular natural areas in Tasmania. The jagged contours epitomise the feel of a wild landscape, while ancient rainforest and alpine heathlands, buttongrass and stands of colourful deciduous beech provide a range of environments to explore. You will be captivated by the abundance of wildlife, icy streams and the still waters of glacial lakes. It is the starting point for the world famous Overland Track, a journey of 5 – 7 days which will take you through majestic mountain terrain.
After talking about it for many years, we finally completed the Overland Track walk in March this year and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. For the first couple of days , we were bathed in sunshine. The climb to Marion's Lookout was challenging but the view from the top was awesome. Cradle Mtn itself, craggy Barn Bluff, the boardwalk across the moors to Lake Will, lunch stop at Lake Windermere were some of the many highlights of the first couple of days. On the horizon we saw our destination - Mt. Pelion East, Mt. Ossa, Mt. Pelion West and many others, giving us a tantalizing view of what lay ahead. We walk through dense myrtle and eucalypt forests, the rain begins providing spectacular waterfalls at D'Alton, Fergusson and Hartnett Falls.The track itself varies from boardwalk, logs, loose rocks, roots, deep puddles and mud, all making for a great experience. We walked silently through the magical forests of Celery Top, King Billy, Pencil Pine and Myrtle Beech, covered in green moss, lichens and the occasional brilliantly coloured fungii.
On the last day, as we head for the Narcissus River, we are following the path of a huge glacier that filled the valley about 20,000 years ago. The nearby mountain ranges form a massive cirque that is over 3 kilometres wide and more than 500 metres deep.
It is with a little sadness that this wonderful experience is coming to a close as we are getting closer to the modern world again, but we will take with us many fantastic memories and a respect for this beautiful timeless land.

Crater Lake	Cradle Mtn.	Walking towards Barn Bluff
Lake Windermere with our destination on the horizon	Magnificent forest	Mt. Pelion West from Pine Forest Moor