Cradle Mountain

Well, I didn’t have to go the wrong way for 150klms to have my own ‘Oh-oh’ moment, but despite assurances from my Free guide to Campsites 2024 edition, here I was. Tasmanian Hydro had installed some locked boom gates across the road that led to Lake Gairdner. That would have been OK except there was a blind LH turn that disappeared down towards the water, that I followed more in hope than confidence. Even that was very short lived. Around one bend and there was a small rocky beach and a track that dodged both trees and boulders. A barely boat ramp. I jumped out and ran back up to the road hoping to flag Ken down before my escape became really problematic. Luckily, he too was lost on another road nearby. Reassured(?), I dropped the jeep into low range 4WD and edged myself into a loop, that included the beach and eluded disaster once again.

Luckily, we had both agreed on a Plan B and wound up at O’Neils Campground next to the hamlet of Gowrie Park. We had tried to get as close to Cradle Mountain as we could but now faced almost an hours drive to get to the entrance. Still, this spot had all the pre-requsites and Ken was happy to drive ANYWHERE without towing the van.

I should at this point, put in a disclaimer about the weather in Tassie. Apparently any photos of blue sky, shimmering ocean or anything to do with a sunny day at the beach are NOT to be regarded as typical, and if you strike these phenomena on your adventure here, it is just ‘beginners luck’. Well, our beginner’s luck certainly ran out on our first attempt to explore Cradle Mountain National Park.

Cradle Mountain has it’s own weather system and the weather was grim. Low clouds hid the mountain peaks. Drizzle and a bitter wind swirled around us. We took the bus from the Visitor Centre to Dove Lake. Ten minutes in these conditions had us back on the next bus out of there deciding to try our luck again the next day,

So here we were, all dressed up and nowhere to go. Long story short, we found ourselves at the entrance to Marakoopa Cave, near the village of Moles Creek. Well, at least we would be dry. The tour lasted an hour. The cave was discovered by two boys back in 1918. They kept the discovery a secret for four years until they were old enough to purchase the land above it, and turn it into a tourist attraction. The government bought the cave back off them four years later for a substantial amount and they were guaranteed jobs for life there. We headed home feeling that the day had not been entirely wasted.

The next morning looked far more promising – Take 2. The weather was on the improve and there were early slashes of blue sky to give us a little hope. There are several ‘walks’ at the National Park with varying degrees of difficulty. Ken had ‘pre-loaded’ on Dove Lake, being both the prettiest, with the best photo ops of Cradle Mountain. I will admit, I was lulled into this fantasy of a leisurely stroll around the lake’s edge, not the up hill down dale it turned out to be.

Still, the longer we walked the bigger the blue sky. There were several little beaches and many vantage points along the way. By halfway, we had shed our rain jackets, sufficiently warmed by our efforts. The clouds took ages to clear the peaks, but considering the previous day, we were grateful for the photos we were able to get.

Three hours later, we were back on the bus, but decided to check out a couple of waterfalls along the way. Mmmm, it seems that any water, falling any distance, constitutes a tourist attraction in Tasmania. The bar is set pretty low I can tell you. Still, a ‘stocking filler’ for this edition.

We arrived back at O’Neils to a stunning blue sky and a warm afternoon. One more tick on the bucket list. Tomorrow, we’re going to loop through the historic town of Deloraine and head down the very centre of Tasmania to somewhere near The Great Lake called Little Pine Lagoon. A bit of a mystery box, but we’re up for the adventure.