Cradle Mountain National Park – Georgie and Rod's Grand Adventure

After staying in a modern BnB (but with no wifi, so no blogging) in the pleasant seaside town of Wynyard, we took advantage of the clear sunny skies and made a hurried bee-line to the high country of Cradle Mountain again.

We were all rugged up to billy-o in case of snowstorms or other inclement weather, but it stayed a dry 12 degrees (ish) all day. You just can’t second-guess these things in that alpine environment.

The place sure had changed in the intervening 30-odd years since Rod had been there originally. Large tourist facilities had been installed, and multiple new tracks had been built, mostly with excellent raised boardwalks. These changes are an absolute necessity because of the huge numbers of visitors from all around the world that want to experience the wonders of that beautiful place.

We ambled around Dove Lake on a walk that is supposed to take 2 to 3 hours, but we spent 4 and a half hours stopping and appreciating all that gorgeousness that assailed our senses. It is such a wonderful environment. The clear tea-coloured lake, the high rugged peaks with patches of ice still on them, roaring waterfalls, unusual plants bursting with flowers, and ancient Huon Pines leaning precariously over the water all made for an unforgettable experience.

Then, on the bus ride back to the carpark we hopped off at Ronny Creek and spent time watching the myriad wombats that strolled freely around the valley. So gorgeous! Two mummies even had little joeys poking their cute little faces out of their pouches and chewing on the grass as their Mums grazed nonchalantly. Now THAT was special!

One young family said that they counted 38 wombats! That is amazing, because prior to his return to Tasmania Rod had only ever seen one wild wombat before!

‘Twas a day to never forget.