Cradle Mountain is a distinctive mountain in the Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park, Tasmania, Australia. Rising to 1,545 metres above sea level it is one of the principal tourist sites in Tasmania, owing to its natural beauty. The mountain is composed of dolerite columns, similar to many of the other mountains in the area.
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Access
The area around the mountain has a large number of day walks, as well as being one terminus of the Overland Track. The mountain is frequently climbed by tourists, virtually year round. It is a strenuous (recommended alotted time: 6.5 hours) return hike from the Dove Lake car park. The climb up the rocky part of the mountain involves scrambling over large boulders for several hundred metres. The entire climb is exposed to any bad weather that may arrive quickly and at any time. From the summit, (where there was a trig point tower) there are spectacular 360° views, encompassing Dove Lake, Barn Bluff and Mount Ossa. Features The mountain rises above the glacially formed Dove Lake (934m), Lake Wilks, and Crater Lake. The mountain has four named summits. In order of height they are Cradle Mountain (1,545 m (5,069 ft)[1]), Smithies Peak (1,545 m (5,069 ft)[2]), Weindorfers Tower (1,459 metres (4,787 ft)[2]) and Little Horn (1,355 m (4,446 ft)[2]) |
Flora
The area is covered in a wide variety of alpine and sub-alpine vegetation, most notably including the colourful deciduous Nothofagus gunnii (Deciduous Beech), itself an anomaly given that most Australian native flora is evergreen, and the Mesomelaena sphaerocephala (Button Grass) which dominates the alpine wet sedgelands. Some plants that grow on the mountain include the mountain buzzy, the heart berry, the alpine strawberry, the waratah, the King Billy pine and the pencil pine.
Access to the Park and region
There is a parking area at Ronny Creek, the outlet of Lake Dove, which is approximately 7km from the national park visitors centre. A shuttle bus runs between the two.
In addition to getting here by private transport or by hiking on the Overland Track, there are also public bus services from Launceston and Devonport to the Cradle Mountain Visitors Centre. Many tour companies also stop here. External links for public transport access Tassielink have buses to/from Devonport and Queenstown/Strahan. External links |
 Cradle Mountain seen from the south, from neighbouring mountain Barn Bluff. |
- Photojournal covering Cradle Mountain as part of The Overland Track
- Cradle Mountain Tourist Attraction
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