Four of the best Cradle Mountain experiences

Here are some of the best bits of the national park to explore, all unaffected by the 2016 bushfires.

1 TRAVEL BACK IN TIME:

Evidence of the seasonal hunting trips that Aboriginal people made up and down the Cradle Valley survive in a number of rock shelters and open campsites throughout the national park. Mt Rufus was a popular quarry site, supplying stone for tool-making, and Aboriginal people also hunted kangaroos, wallabies and wombats here. You can find out some of the Larmairremener people’s history on a 1.5-hour cultural walk, and also see artworks at the visitors centre.

2 EXPLORE CYNTHIA BAY:

A private ferry ride between Cynthia Bay, on Lake St Clair’s southern shore, and Narcissus Bay, at its northern end, offers a different perspective on the park. The 28km round-trip aboard the Ida Clair takes about 90 minutes and showcases the dolerite peaks of Mt Hugel, Mt Olympus, Mt Byron and Mt Ida. The lake’s tranquil waters earned it the Aboriginal name Leeawuleena, meaning ‘sleeping water’. Walks near the lake reveal wildflowers including banksias, waratahs and orchids in spring.

3 LAKE DOVE CIRCUIT:

If the Overland Track is too challenging, opt for the 6km, two-hour Lake Dove Circuit in the shadow of Cradle Mountain. Marvel at the action of glaciers at Glacier Rock and Lake Wilks, just south of Dove Lake, and wander through rainforest, heath and buttongrass plains. At the lake’s southern end, the spectacular Ballroom Forest evokes scenes of a cathedral, its myrtle-beech trees draped in moss from their crowns to the rainforest floor. Most of the circuit is on boardwalks.

4 WILDLIFE SPOTTING:

Although most of Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair’s locals are nocturnal, wombats, pademelons and Bennett’s wallabies are common even during the day. More elusive spotted-tailed quolls live near Cynthia Bay, a pair of platypus call Dove Lake home, and Tasmanian devils and eastern quolls live in the park’s north. Wombats are regulars at ranger stations at Cradle Mountain and Lake St Clair, and on buttongrass at Ronny Creek and Pelion Plains. Guided spotlighting tours nightly.