Cradle Valley Tasmania: Exploring Cradle Mountain & The Greater Valley Area
Everyone knows Cradle Mountain…but have you explored the wider area of Cradle Valley Tasmania?
It’s one of those places that seems to arrive in Tassie before you do.
You’ve seen the photographs. Cradle Mountain rising behind Dove Lake. The old boatshed. The wombats. The snow. The walkers standing somewhere impossibly high looking very pleased with themselves.
And yes, Cradle Mountain deserves its reputation.
But here’s the thing.
Cradle Mountain is only part of the story.
Cradle Valley, the forests, the lakes, the wildlife and even the weather are all part of what makes this corner of Tasmania rather special.
Our advice?
Don’t arrive, take the obligatory photograph and immediately start wondering where you’re going next.
Give the place some time.
First things first… this is Tasmania. Bring a jacket.
We should probably get this one out of the way early.
The weather at Cradle Mountain does not necessarily care what the weather was doing when you left Glencoe.
Blue sky at breakfast? Lovely.
That doesn’t mean you won’t encounter rain, wind, mist, sunshine and possibly something resembling winter before lunch.
That’s part of being in Cradle Valley Tasmania…and you’re pretty close if you’re staying at Glencoe Country B&B.
The alpine weather can change remarkably quickly, even during summer, so take warm clothing and wet-weather gear and check the conditions before setting out.
There’s an upside to all this unpredictable weather.
Cradle Mountain never really looks the same twice.
We’ve seen it under brilliant blue skies, disappearing into cloud, dusted with snow and reflected in the water.
Sometimes the mountain comes out to meet you. Sometimes it makes you work for it. We rather like that.
Cradle Valley really deserves some attention too.
There’s a tendency to think of Cradle Valley as the bit you travel through to reach Cradle Mountain.
Don’t. Slow down and look around.
The landscape has already changed dramatically by the time you arrive. There’s buttongrass, ancient rainforest, streams, mountains and wildlife, and that wonderful feeling that you’ve travelled somewhere genuinely different.
You haven’t even reached Dove Lake yet and Cradle has already started doing its thing.
This is also where you might have your first encounter with one of the locals.
And by locals, we mean the furry variety.
The wombats aren’t employed by Tourism Tasmania.
Although sometimes we wonder.
Cradle Mountain is a wonderful place for seeing some of Tasmania’s native wildlife.
And the wombats in particular seem to understand photography rather well.
They’ll happily go about their business while twenty people stand nearby taking approximately 700 photographs of them eating grass.
Just remember they’re wild animals.
Give them space, don’t feed them and let them get on with being wombats.
They were there first.
You don’t have to climb a mountain.
This is something we think more visitors should know.
When people hear Cradle Mountain, they sometimes assume the experience involves hiking boots, enormous backpacks and climbing something.
It doesn’t have to.
If you’re a serious walker, Cradle Mountain can certainly keep you occupied. There are walks ranging from short and relatively easy tracks through to challenging alpine walks and, of course, the famous multi-day Overland Track.
But if your idea of a holiday doesn’t involve discovering muscles you didn’t know existed, you’re still very welcome.
There are beautiful shorter walks as well.
The Enchanted Walk, for example, is around 1.1 kilometres and takes roughly 20 minutes. It winds through beautiful forest beside Pencil Pine Creek and gives you a wonderful little taste of the Cradle Mountain environment.
Then, of course, there’s…
Dove Lake.
Yes.
That Dove Lake.
The one you’ve seen on postcards, websites, calendars and probably the side of a rental campervan.
And there’s a reason everyone photographs it.
On a clear day, standing beside Dove Lake with Cradle Mountain behind it is one of those moments when even we Tasmanians have to admit…
Yep. That’s not bad.
You don’t necessarily need to walk the entire lake to appreciate it.
But if you do, the Dove Lake Circuit is approximately 6 kilometres and takes you through a changing landscape beneath Cradle Mountain, from open vegetation into beautiful rainforest.
Allow time.
Not just walking time.
Looking time.
Photography time.
“Hang on, I just want to see what’s around this corner” time.
That’s the time nobody puts on an itinerary.
And then there’s the boatshed.
Built on the edge of Dove Lake in the 1940s, the little boatshed has somehow become one of Tasmania’s most recognisable scenes.
You’ll probably take a photograph.
Everybody does.
We’re not judging.
Actually, take two.
The shuttle bus is your friend.
This is one of those practical bits that’s worth knowing before you arrive.
Most visitors start their day at the Cradle Mountain Visitor Centre, where you can organise your park access and shuttle arrangements and check the latest conditions before heading into the park.
During shuttle operating hours, private vehicles aren’t permitted along Dove Lake Road, so leave the car at the Visitor Centre and let someone else do the driving.
Frankly, that’s not a bad thing.
The road into Dove Lake is narrow and winding, and you’ll probably spend half the trip looking out the window anyway.
The shuttle operates seven days a week and travels from the Visitor Centre to Dove Lake, stopping along the way at the Interpretation Centre and Ranger Station, Snake Hill and Ronny Creek. The journey through to Dove Lake takes around 20 minutes.
One important thing to remember: the Visitor Centre opening hours and shuttle operating times change throughout the year depending on the season. Weather and road conditions can also affect services.
Rather than us giving you a timetable that may have changed by the time you’re reading this, check the official Tasmania Parks & Wildlife Service Cradle Mountain information before you set off.
That way you’ll have the current opening hours, shuttle times, Parks Pass information and access arrangements for the day you’re planning to visit.
It’s much better to spend two minutes checking before you leave than arrive just in time to watch the last shuttle disappear up the road.
Don’t make Dove Lake the finish line.
This might be our biggest tip.
It’s very easy to arrive with one objective:
Get to Dove Lake. Take photo. Cradle Mountain achieved.
But some of the nicest moments happen when you stop treating the day as a checklist.
Take one of the shorter walks.
Stop at Ronny’s Creek.
Have a look through the Interpretation Centre.
Learn a little about the history behind the protection of the remarkable area of Cradle Valley Tasmania.
Sit somewhere for ten minutes without doing anything.
Watch the weather move across the mountains.
And if a wombat wanders past while you’re doing it, even better.
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