Things to do in Cradle Mountain
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Cradle Mountain
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Warmest and driest window, longest shuttle hours, peak prices and crowds, school holidays fill the strip, snow still possible.
Cooler and quieter, with the turning of the fagus from late April into early May and the first serious snow.
Wettest and coldest months, regular snow, shortest shuttle hours, canyoning shut and the Overland Track expert only.
Spring wildflowers and full waterfalls, very unstable weather, and the Overland Track booking season opens on 1 October.
What's on
- Turning of the Fagus late April to early May
Australia's only winter deciduous native tree turns gold to red around Crater Lake and Dove Lake, with lodge photo competitions and guided walks about 18 April to 9 May.
Best things to do in Cradle Mountain
Devils@Cradle
A devil and quoll conservation sanctuary by the park entrance, best at the after dark feeding tour when the animals are active.
Cradle Mountain Visitor Centre
The park hub for passes, shuttle tickets and honest ranger advice on whether the high tracks are sensible that day.
Enchanted Walk
A 20 minute rainforest circuit along Pencil Pine Creek near the lodges, flat, sheltered and good for pademelons at dusk.
Pencil Pine Falls
A short boardwalk to a small creek falls through ancient pencil pine rainforest, an easy wet weather filler by the ranger station.
Ronny Creek
The boardwalk where the Overland Track starts and wombats graze the buttongrass plain in the last hour of light.
Waldheim Alpine Spa
The lodge day spa with hot tub, sauna and plunge pool, the standard recovery after the summit track or a canyoning day.
Where to stay in Cradle Mountain
Cradle Mountain Village lodge strip
every visitor, it is the only real base
All lodges sit along Cradle Mountain Road outside the park boundary, minutes from the visitor centre and shuttle.
Waldheim, inside the park
walkers wanting the cheapest in-park sleep
Parks Tasmania cabins inside the boundary near Ronny Creek, basic facilities, no shop or restaurant.
Think twice about
- Sheffield
A useful logistics stop about 1 hour away for fuel and supermarkets, but the winding road back is dark and busy with wildlife at night, so do not base there for a walking trip.
Best restaurants in Cradle Mountain
Highland Restaurant
The one splurge dinner on the strip, seasonal Tasmanian produce by a log fire at Peppers Cradle Mountain Lodge.
Tavern Bar & Bistro
Hearty bistro meals, local beers and a big fire at Peppers, the default post walk dinner for half the valley.
Altitude Restaurant + Lounge Bar
The Cradle Mountain Hotel dining room and bar, a solid lodge dinner built on regional produce and Tasmanian wines.
Hellyers Restaurant
The quietest lodge dining room, at Discovery Resorts, with mountain views and a mostly Tasmanian wine list, bookings required.
Outdoor things to do in Cradle Mountain
Dove Lake Circuit
The signature 6 kilometre circuit around Dove Lake under the peaks, past the boatshed and Glacier Rock, in 2 to 3 hours.
Marions Lookout
The best view per hour in the park, a steep chain assisted climb to a lookout over Dove Lake, Crater Lake and the summit.
Cradle Mountain Summit Track
A Grade 5 summit day of 6 to 8 hours ending in a boulder scramble, only for experienced walkers in settled weather.
Wombat Pool
A still alpine tarn on the climb from Dove Lake to Crater Lake, one of the quietest pretty spots in the park.
Overland Track
A 65 kilometre, 6 day booked walk to Lake St Clair, not a day walk, though day visitors can taste the first stage from Ronny Creek.
Dove Canyon
A full committing day of abseils, jumps and slides in a 50 metre deep Dove River canyon, for swimmers aged 15 and up.
Lost World Canyon
The gentler 3 hour canyoning trip on the upper Dove River, aimed at families and first timers aged 8 and up.
Cradle Country Adventures
Trail rides from the Vale of Belvoir up to the Speeler Plain for wide views to Cradle Mountain, Barn Bluff and Mount Roland.
Best hotels in Cradle Mountain
Peppers Cradle Mountain Lodge
The flagship lodge on the park boundary, with fires, a spa, two restaurants and walks starting at the door.
Cradle Mountain Hotel
A full service hotel with balconies into alpine woodland, a restaurant and bar, and the Wilderness Gallery on site.
Discovery Resorts - Cradle Mountain
Self contained chalets in rainforest a short walk from the visitor centre, with kitchens and Hellyers Restaurant on site.
Cradle Mountain Highlanders Cottages
Rustic timber cabins opposite the visitor centre, each with a wood fire and full kitchen, the strong self catering choice.
Discovery Parks - Cradle Mountain
The budget base opposite the visitor centre, with camp sites, cabins, dorms and a big communal camp kitchen.
Waldheim Cabins
Basic Parks Tasmania cabins inside the park near the valley walks, with bunks, heating and wombats past the door.
Is Cradle Mountain expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | A$130 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | A$260 a person |
| Splurge | A$550 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Devils@Cradle: a few days ahead
- Waldheim Alpine Spa: a few days ahead
- Overland Track: months ahead
- Dove Canyon: a few days ahead
- Lost World Canyon: a few days ahead
- Cradle Country Adventures: a few days ahead
- Peppers Cradle Mountain Lodge: weeks ahead
- Cradle Mountain Hotel: a few days ahead
- Rooms, lodge dinners, Devils@Cradle feeding tours and canyoning book out for December to February and school holidays.
- The Overland Track Pass for the 1 October to 31 May booking season should be booked months ahead for summer dates.
Is Cradle Mountain safe?
- Carry full waterproof and warm layers on every walk, snow can fall in any month and hypothermia is the real danger.
- Phone coverage is absent on much of the plateau, so register walks, download maps and consider a locator beacon for the summit.
- Avoid driving Cradle Mountain Road after dark, wildlife feeds on the road edges and the nearest hospital is over an hour away.
Cradle Mountain travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Eating every meal in lodge restaurants at captive market prices is the fastest way to blow the budget, so self cater some meals.
- Do not postpone a clear morning at Dove Lake, because the mountain hides behind cloud more days than it clears.
- Lodge restaurants may prioritise their own guests, so a non guest dinner needs a phone booking, not an assumption.
Getting around Cradle Mountain: public transport and more
- You need your own car or a booked coach tour, about 2 hours from Launceston and 1 hour 15 minutes from Devonport.
- In shuttle hours the shuttle is the only way to Dove Lake, stopping at the Interpretation Centre, Snake Hill and Ronny Creek.
- Private cars are restricted on Dove Lake Road during shuttle hours, and campervans and caravans are never allowed on it.
Who Cradle Mountain suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Cradle Mountain your trip
Swearby drafts the days from places people swear by. Swap any stop, then invite the crew by text, even friends without the app. Vote on dates, track costs as you go, and everyone gets one number at the end.
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