On this stop, I’ll be hiking around a few different national parks, some state reserves, and several random sites. And I’m not really based in a city, I’m staying in a camp/hostel similar to my place in Port Arthur, but the main attraction in these parts is definitely Cradle Mountain National Park and that’s how everyone refers to the whole area, Cradle Mountain. I figured I’d start there. There are several trails around that can be combined into however long or short a hike you want to do. I studied the map and concocted a giant loop hike that would cover just about everything.

Everything pretty much revolves around Dove Lake. There’s a boardwalk trail that goes around it and that seems to be what most people stick to. I’m headed up to Hansons Peak though. In the pic above it’s the only peak visible off center to the left. The famous Cradle Mountain is buried in the clouds to the right of it. I didn’t know it yet, but that beautiful rainbow was going to turn out to be a bad omen.

About two thirds of the way up to Hansons Peak I passed by Lake Hanson. There are so many little lakes all clustered around. It’s really beautiful!

Most of the hike had been fairly easy so far, but the final push up to the summit was straight up. Those chains were a big help. This is just a short section of the climb, it actually went up like that for quite a while.

The view at the top was incredible! I could see all of Dove Lake and got what was to be the clearest view of Cradle Mountain I would get all day. It’s on the left.

Coming down the other side of Hansons Peak was much more mild. I passed by Twisted Lakes and then took a short little detour around to the backside of Cradle Mountain just for the fun of it.

After that I turned around and got back on track. This is where the clouds moved in, the freezing wind turned up to full blast, and the rain started. Dove Lake was slowly disappearing. I had originally planned to climb to the summit of Cradle Mountain too, but watching those clouds all morning I suspected it might be a problem. As I was walking the Face Track across the ridge the trail took me about two thirds of the way there anyway. It was way too windy and those rocks were way too slippery though.

Coming down the other side of that ridge wasn’t very fun. It was kind of a death trap. Those rocks were really slippery, and really sharp too like in the Hansons Peak picture above. When I got a brief break in the clouds, the view was awesome though.

I had to descend from the ridge down to Lake Wilks, then I had to descend from there on a steep trail that was nothing but slippery rocks and tree roots. It was a really difficult climb down. It probably would have been fun if everything wasn’t so wet. Anyway, I finally made it down to the boardwalk track around Dove Lake and started making my way back. Along the way the trail took me into the Ballroom Forest.

By this point I was kind of over it, but the Ballroom Forest lifted my spirits a bit. Not only was it a really beautiful place, but the constant misting didn’t penetrate in here. It was nice to get a break from it. The water is tea colored like that because of the tannins in it. The water at my camp is like that too. That’s what I’ve been cooking and showering in. And that’s why I bring my water filter on every trip.

The next day I did some of the smaller hikes in Cradle Mountain National Park. My priority was the easy boardwalk hike through Ronny Creek. Supposedly this is wombat central and I’m hoping to see some wild wombats. The weather was just as bad as the day before, cold with constant drizzle.

Unfortunately, I didn’t see any wombats on the way. I know they’re around though because their poo is everywhere. Wombats are the only animal in the world that poo in cubes. Yes, really. Anyway, my turn around point for the hike was Cradle Falls. It was a small waterfall but really pretty. I don’t know if it was all the mist or what, but it’s definitely a ten on the gusher scale. Wombats or not, it was a worthwhile excursion.

Then, on the way back from Cradle Falls, there he was just walking on the boardwalk. He was really on a mission to get somewhere! He paid no attention to me or the other hikers he passed, just went on his way, crossed the bridge over the river, and then into the grass to start munching. It’s like a wombat highway.

I was so happy to see that wombat. It would’ve been really disappointing to come to wombat central and not see any at all. After taking lots of pictures and moving on, just a short distance down the trail there was another one. Eureka!

I got to see two wild wombats and I’m feeling really good about it, but there’s still some more sights to see so after more pictures I moved on once again. Then, almost back to the trailhead and BAM! Another wombat! I know they all look the same, but I promise these are three different wombats. Before each one I took a picture of my shoes so I would know where one ends and the next begins. That’s called big brain photography.

Cradle Mountain doesn’t allow cars. You have to park at the visitor center and then ride the shuttle to wherever you’re headed. Two stops up the road I got off and did the short Enchanted Walk. It’s basically a short little nature trail, but it had a really beautiful unnamed waterfall. I think this ten gusher deserves a name. What do you think?

Along the way I spotted this wallaby who didn’t seem to be enjoying the drizzle any more than I was. I didn’t see any wombats here, but there was a lot of wombat dens. The one seen below must be a duplex.

Right across the road from the Enchanted Walk is a short waterfall hike. First up was Pencil Pine Falls, another ten gusher.

It was an easy boardwalked hike, but wow was it pretty. And the drizzle didn’t come through here either so I got another little break. Finally, I reached Knyvet Falls, another ten gusher. I’m doing pretty good with the waterfalls today.

At the end of the hike I came out of the forest and right at the trailhead was another wombat! That makes four today! This IS wombat central! Maybe that’s normal, but it seems like a lot to me. Whatever, It’s hard to be mad at the weather when I’ve seen four amazing waterfalls and four wombats in one day. Awesome!

I’ve probably seen a hundred rainbows here in Tasmania, but I’m usually not able to stop for them. Not to mention I wouldn’t get very far if I did. I stopped for this one though just outside the national park.

After the wombat onslaught, I had a couple of hours before dark, so I decided to do another hike between the national park and camp. This three plus mile hike goes out to two more waterfalls, Champagne Falls and yet another Bridal Veil Falls. Most of the hike was on a fire road and not super interesting so I knocked it out pretty quick. Champagne Falls was really pretty, but only a three on the gusher scale. Bridal Veil Falls was just a trickle, I’ll give it a 0.5, but it’s not even worth posting a picture. Maybe if they gave it a better name. For example, there’s a tiny little rural town here named Nowhere Else. Now THAT’S how you name stuff!

I spent one of my days here just going around to random little hikes and viewpoints. There were a couple of waterfalls that turned out to be duds, but the one that wasn’t a dud was Westmoreland Falls. I gave this a four on the gusher scale. It was nice to just hang out and enjoy it by myself for a bit.

Not too far away was the Alum Cliffs. Supposedly there are a lot of Peregrine Falcons that nest in those cliffs. I didn’t see any today, but the view of the cliffs and the Mersey River was great.

Driving through the town of Mole Creek I spotted a wild Tasmanian Devil.

This next place took a while to get to. The Devils Gullet Lookout. It’s down a dirt and gravel road a long long way from everything, and then a short hike out to it. There was a really nice platform extending out over the cliffs, but there was about a twenty degree temperature difference from where I’m standing to take this picture and the end of the platform. It was like walking from a refrigerator into an industrial deep freeze. I would walk out for a minute, take a pic or two, then come back in to shake off the cold. I had to do that a few times. Brrrrr!

That view though! Wow! This might be the best view of this stop. I just wish I could’ve stayed out there longer to enjoy it.

My camp is right at the base of Mt Roland. Every night I get to stare up at that monster.

Right next to Cradle Mountain is the lesser known and less visited Walls of Jerusalem National Park. All of the hikes in here are multi day hikes, but I really wanted to see this place. So I hauled buns like a bread truck to get as far back as I could on my one day. The first few miles was really a steep climb and took a while. Eventually you come out onto this plateau and it’s relatively smooth sailing from there. The view really opens up too.

There were a lot of really tranquil lakes along the way and I spotted wombat poo here and there, but they were hiding today apparently.

This last lake I saw is called Solomons Jewels. My goal was to make it to the middle of the Walls where you stand in a valley surrounded by several giant peaks, but it turned out to be too far away. I really need to come back and do this hike properly.

After Solomons Jewels I found a viewpoint where I got a great view of the first peak, King David’s Peak, and decided that was where I needed to turn around. To go any further would have been foolish at this point.

The hike back was just as incredible and beautiful. This really is an amazing place. It’s been freezing cold all day, but at least the sun as been out and the rain stayed away. On the way down the mountain I did get a brief little snow storm though. That was unexpected. The weather here is just bonkers! I made it back to the car park exactly at sunset. I couldn’t have timed it better.

All of western Tasmania is unbelievably remote and rugged. Honestly, I could probably make a whole separate trip for a month or two out of just this part of the state. I did what I set out to do, but there’s a part of me that wants to come back, wander off into the woods and see more. I’ll add it to my very long list. But for now it’s time to move on. Before the next stop, there will be be a bit of a bonus post coming up tomorrow, so be ready…