Hobart and Surrounds
The East Coast
Launceston, Tamar and North
The North West Coast
The Western Wilderness
Cradle Mountain, the start of the 65-kilometre (40-mile) Overland Track, is the northern end of the 161,000-hectare (397,840-acre) Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park, part of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area.
Tasmania's highest mountain, 1,617-metre (5,305-foot) Mt Ossa, is in this park, just off the Overland Track, while another beautiful national park, the Walls of Jerusalem, abuts its eastern boundary.
The sheer magnificence of Cradle Mountain inspired Austrian-born Gustav Weindorfer to build a chalet of King Billy pine here in 1912 and work tirelessly for a decade to have the area declared a national park "for the people for all time". His dream was realised in 1922, and today a quarter of all visitors to the state travel here to share his vision.
Take one of the many short walks through the ever-changing vegetation of the shores and mountainside to gain a full appreciation of the magic of this area.
Perhaps the most distinctive flora of the area are the pandani and the fagus – the former for its paradoxical palm-like appearance, the latter for its status as Australia's only deciduous tree. Fagus, also know as deciduous beech (Nothofagus gunnii), is endemic to Tasmania and has a magnificent autumn display, ranging through gold to deep red from late April to May.
Stroll from cascading rivers to dense, old-growth rainforest in just 20 minutes on the Enchanted Walk, or take most of the day to tackle the summit.
The history of the Weindorfers' devotion to Cradle Mountain and their successful efforts to ensure its preservation as a national park is told in Weindorfer's Chalet, just off the road to Dove Lake.
If you have your heart set on the Overland Track, you don't have to do it all yourself. Guided walks are available, some staying in catered huts along the way. (See Cradle Huts).
If you are interested in the natural history of the park, you'll enjoy the displays and interpretation at the Visitor Centre, which you pass as you travel towards Dove Lake.
Dotted along the Overland Track are huts and camp sites. You must book if you plan to walk the Overland Track between 1 November and 30 April.
At Waldheim, which is situated beside lush rainforest, you can stay in simple cabins equipped with basic cooking utensils, a gas stove and heating. The amenities block has showers and flushing toilets.
Just outside the park you'll find more accommodation to suit most budgets, from luxurious highland chalets to powered and unpowered camp sites.
A range of tours are offered from Cradle Valley, just outside the park boundary, including horseback trail rides, and helicopter flights over the region's rugged mountains.
The northern end of Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park is approximately 60 kilometres (37 miles) south of Burnie, a 90-minute drive via the B18, the A10 and the C132.
The park is also 90 minutes from Devonport - take the B19 and the B14 south to Sheffield, then the C136 and the C132 to the park entrance.
The park is a 2.5-hour drive from Launceston via the Bass Highway (A1) and the signposted route along the B13 and the C156 through Sheffield.
A shuttle service operates from the information centre at the old airstrip most times of the year.
Lake St Clair's scenic beauty is characterised by pretty coves and beaches interspersed among moraines formed by glaciers as they forced debris aside in the process of scooping out the lake bed. In total, Cradle Mountain - Lake St Clair National Park covers 161,000 hectares (397,840 acres) of Tasmania's highlands.
The vegetation mix of the area is a legacy of thousands of years of burning by Aboriginal people. Wildlife is prolific, and you are likely to see wallabies and a wide variety of birds at Cynthia Bay. If you're lucky, you'll also catch sight of a platypus, echidna or wombat. In summer, rangers provide walks, talks and slide shows that are a great introduction to the ecology and cultural history of the region.
In addition to offering bushwalks and opportunities for wildlife-watching, Lake St Clair is a popular place to fish for trout. Make sure you have a fishing licence and only fish in-season (generally August to April).
Enjoy a tranquil cruise aboard the small ferry Idaclair, which travels 13 kilometres (eight miles) to Narcissus Bay to pick up weary trekkers emerging from the Overland Track. If you're feeling energetic, disembark at Narcissus Bay and walk the last section of the Overland Track yourself, back to Cynthia Bay. (During the Overland Track booking period of November to April you are only permitted to walk the track from north to south.)
The drama of the region's geological history is strikingly told in the Visitor Centre at Cynthia Bay, where you can also trace the interaction between humans and the local environment.
In addition to camp sites along the Overland Track, you can camp or stay in a hostel at Cynthia Bay. Powered sites and alpine-style huts are also available. Phone (03) 6289 1137 or email for details. More accommodation, including backpacker accommodation, is available at Derwent Bridge, just outside the park boundary.
Beyond the turnoff to Lake St Clair on the A10 from Hobart are a number of fine short walks - the Franklin River Nature Trail, Donaghys Lookout and the Nelson Falls Nature Trail.
There is no direct road between Cradle Mountain and Lake St Clair. From Hobart, travel west along the A10 (Lyell Highway) for approximately 2.5 hours before turning right at Derwent Bridge onto the 5.5-kilometre (3.5-mile) access road to the lake. From Queenstown, Lake St Clair is a 90-minute drive along a winding section of the A10, most of it through World Heritage Area.
