Cradle Mountain - Tasmania

The start of the walk - boardwalks have been installed over parts of the area to protect the flora

Other Tasmanian Pages:
Salamanca Market
Mt Wellington

Email from Ben: "I plan to climb Cradle Mountain when we visit the area in a few weeks - better start training". So I reduced my alcohol consumption to one glass of wine a night (well, most nights) and did a bit of walking (on the flat) at weekends, so when we started our trek on a fine February day I was completely unprepared for what lay ahead.

Our walk started at the beginning of the Overland Track, a six to eight day walk from the Cradle Mountain end of one of Tasmania's best known National Parks to Lake St Clair at the Southern end of the park. Our intention was simply to walk/climb to the top of Cradle Mountain, and then return to the luxury of our spa bath in the chalet that same night.

With a reasonable level of fitness, you could be back enjoying your spa in about seven hours (without me as an anchor, Ben could have been enjoying the bubbles within six hours), but it was to be a nine hour walk on this day.

Walkers on the track at the beginning of their 6-8 day journey through this pristine area down to Lake St Clair, the deepest freshwater lake in Australia. During the week long journey walkers will stay in tents or in the huts that are dotted through the park.

The journey starts easy enough on a recently installed boardwalk. This is a special area and walkers are encouraged to stay on the marked trails so that the area is not damaged. The overland track winds through a variety of alpine areas from button grass plains to forest.

The first main feature on our walk is Crater Lake, nestled in a crater like depression but not of volcanic origin.

On to Crater Lake