Tasmania to Tokyo – Cradle Mountain – Day 14 can be found here.
Today is our last full day in Tasmania. That could be a source of sadness, but at the moment we’re relieved that all of our many, many plans have come together. From the bustle of the Salamanca market to the penguins of Bicheno, and on to the river canyons of Cradle Mountain – this has been an incredible trip.
This also marks the end of our prepared activities. Today was kept as a blank file in case we needed to re-attempt any of our previous machinations. But everything has come together, so we can rest on our laurels – at least long enough for a mug of green tea and a cup of instant coffee.
Okay. That was long enough. Let’s get going.
We’re off for a proper hike on Cradle Mountain today. So after breakfast at our rental, we slather on some sunscreen, grab our packs and head to the Visitor’s Centre to grab a shuttle bus.
Excellent timing on our part – we manage to grab a shuttle just as it’s leaving. It’s standing room only, but that’s fine for us. We get off at Ronny Creek, along with a cohort of hikers who are attempting the Overland Trek from Ronny Creek to Narcissus – a 65 km route that takes six days to cover.
It sounds amazing. Maybe next time.
Instead, we’re taking the Ronny Creek to Dove Lake Circuit. While AllTrails estimated it at 10.9 km, it actually rings in at 9.4 km with 284 metres of elevation gain.
Ronny Creek is also an excellent place to spot wombats – though they are mostly active at night. The Visitor’s Centre mentioned an afternoon ‘Wombat Walk’ at 4 pm, though that varies from one day to the next. We spotted a wombat snoozing under the boardwalk, but left him alone.
The Ronny Creek trek is open and scenic – open plateaus, button grass and wildflowers:
The track started off as boardwalks, and then moved on to rough stone paths:
Some joker has been at the signs:
Every instance of ‘Wombat Pool’ has been re-written as ‘Wombat Poo’.
On the way, we pass by Lilla Lake:
And – roughly 40 minutes after we set out – Dove Lake comes into view:
I can’t get enough of these views:
Glacier Rock emerges to the left:
And to the right, the Dove Lake boathouse:
The sign suggests that the Dove Lake Circuit will take 2 to 3 hours, though we’ve found the estimates to be generous. We’re hopeful we can finish the circuit in closer to 2 hours.
Most of the paths are boardwalks, and the surroundings are lush and verdant:
We get a clear view of Cradle Mountain:
As clear as we’re going to get with that cloud cover, at least
And carry on through the Ballroom Forest:
Pausing at some of the beach lookouts as we go:
The water remains flat and clear throughout our hike:
It isn’t long before we’re past the halfway point, and start to close in on the Dove Lake Viewing Shelter.
And – we made it! We cover the entire distance in 2 1/2 hours. (Plus 20 seconds due to some oblivious tourists who flat-out refused to move to the side. Though most people were trail-aware and considerate.)
One last glimpse at that stunning view:
And we return to the Viewing Shelter just in time to catch the shuttle back down to the Visitor’s Centre.
My wife and I are immensely proud of how well both kids did on this hike. We kept a brisk pace, but they had no issues whatsoever with keeping up. I’m going to need to up my training if I plan to match their pace! (Particularly if I keep stopping to take photos.)
Though – if we’d known how generous the estimated times were we would’ve taken some of the side trails (such as Glacier Rock and the Wombat Pool) since we were aiming for a 3 to 3 1/2 hour hike. Oh, well – better that they overestimate the time required.
We return to Stay Puft, which we drive over to the Tavern at Cradle Mountain Lodge for lunch.
Photo Credit: Tavern Bar & Bistro, Cradle Mountain Lodge
My wife has the Caeser salad:
And I have the BBQ meatlover’s pizza:
The kids have a pepperoni pizza – not pictured as they dismembered it the moment the plate hit the table.
It was then time to head back to Cradle Mountain Wilderness Village. The kids got some ice cream bars, while I picked up one last bottle of wine and a couple of packets of instant coffee to see us through tomorrow. My wife and kids wandered back through the resort, while I drove back so I could check in for our flight to Melbourne tomorrow.
The afternoon vanished in a blur of homework and luggage-weighing. I cooked chicken fajitas and green beans for dinner, and we’ve double-checked our accommodations and excursions for our time in Melbourne.
And now – now that it’s all over, and this final post is written – now I am truly starting to miss Tasmania. We need to find a way to come back here much sooner than we initially planned, which was after the kids had gone off to university.
We are so very much looking forward to boarding the Moon in a few days time – to unpacking, to free laundry, to having that extra layer of assistance and support.
Soon. Meanwhile, there’s a fireplace to be sat by and time for one more glass of Tassie wine.