Cradle Mountain – Tasmania

Travel - January 15, 2016

Cradle Mountain was the highlight of the trip! Albeit the intensely hot weather, the temperature was cooler up on the mountains. The day we drove to up towards Cradle Mountain from Launceston, the weather was a whooping 39-42 degree celcius. You could literally feel the back of your neck and your scalp slowly burning away. So anyway, the drive to Cradle Mountain from where we were staying took up about 2.5 hours.

When we reached the main carpark of Cradle Mountain, it was significantly cooler. Had slight regrets as I only packed a lightweight parka for the hike. #forevermakingbaddecisions. Bought tickets to enter the national reserve and took a bus up to the starting point of the hike.

Got off the shuttle bus and we were greeted with this view. Not kidding, I stood at this spot and waited for all the people / tourists to walk away and disappear behind the little hill to get this shot. The start of the path has already been paved to make it easier for us to walk without tripping over uneven terrain. Seriously, every 15 steps you take, you get a different whole new view, it’s amazing.

If you’re intending to do the Cradle Mountain / Dove Lake hike, remember to pack snacks and light food! It’s very important! I stashed away a pack of salted pretzels in my bag ?

During the hike, there were many stopping / viewing points. And we were so thankful for the lovely weather and gorgeous skies. As we decided to take on the Dove Lake Circuit, the hike brought us through rocky paths and view of mini lakes.

After about an hour, we got to the “starting point” of the circuit, where if you walk the entire round around the lake, it would take you about 3 hours or so to complete. We took a short rest, fueled up with our packed ham sandwiches, water and an apple.

The view was sick.

Of course we took way longer than estimated time because we had to take photos at almost every viewing point. ?

The last time we took the hike was when we were young, like 11/12 years old. Now that we get to revisit the place with a whole new perspective, it was amazing. Ever so thankful to my parents for making trips like these possible, and opportunities to travel around.