Advertisement
Published: December 25th 2018
Edit Blog Post
Our last day at Cradle Mountain National Park. We had high hopes for the day and really wanted to go to Hanson's Peak and Lake Rodway.However, when we took the shuttle bus down to Dove Lake the weather was really crappy, so we just decided to do the Dove Lake Circuit instead. Doing a longer hike, which was on a steep uphill slope in the rain did not appeal and we thought it could be a little dangerous. I think our bodies were still recovering from past exertions, too. A definite sign I am getting old. The weather was pretty miserable, but we hadn't come all this way to sit in the hostel, and we hadn't really spent much time at Dove Lake when we had been there a couple of days earlier.
We started by the iconic Boatshed, which still managed to look fog in the rain. The rain also deterred most of the tourists and it was really easy to get some people free shots, unlike when we had been there before. Also the mountains were shrouded in mist and I couldn't see Cradle Mountain at all. The boatshed was built in the 1940s by the area's first
ranger, Lionell Connell. It was constructed mainly using King Billy Pines (just like Waldheim) and used until the 1960s. There was some restoration work done on it in 1983, but it is mostly the original. The rain as really pelting down at this point and I even managed to catch some of the giant raindrops on my phone's camera. It's funny looking back at the picture as you could almost mistake it for hail or snow. We headed along the path by the lake getting soaked by the rain and whipped by the wind. We did look on the bright side though and took a few funny selfies of ourselves in the Tasmanian summer. Also the clouds over the mountains did move and we got a few glimpses of Cradle Mountain. We were really lucky to have had great weather so that we were able to head up there and attempt the climb. Once again, the colours were so vivid. The greens of the trees and the bushes and the whites of the flowers contrasting with the rocks that make up the path.
As we continued around the lake, the clouds started to lift even more and we could
see a bright blue sky and the countryside lit up. Walking around the lake was really nice. I enjoyed taking in the scenery. It reminded me a little of Loch Ness. Only it was a bit smaller and a lot quieter. We got to see some birds, too. They were happily chilling in the bushes. the rain continued on and off as we made our way around the lake. The dark, cloudy skies did make the place pretty atmospheric. I loved the contrast to when the sun was shining. Also, the water in the lake was crystal clear. It was so beautiful. By the time we had made our way pretty much back to the start the dark skies were gone and it was now brilliantly sunny. I love how changeable the weather is here. We headed back to the Boatshed to get some more photos of it now that the weather was better.
Back at the hostel, it was time to crack open the kangaroo kebabs. They had been marinated in a plum sauce and were pretty tasty. They were better than the Kanga Bangers, and I would definitely have them again. Cradle Mountain National Park has been
absolutely stunning. I got to experience the temperamental Tasmanian weather here, after it being so nice at Freycinet National Park. It totally reminded of a British summer, nice one minute and then feeling like winter the next. I would love to come back and do the Overland Track, however the camping and carrying your own tent and food does not appeal, so I best get saving to do the luxury option.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.088s; Tpl: 0.035s; cc: 11; qc: 32; dbt: 0.0293s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb