Cradle Mountain

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Cradle Mountain
Dove Lake and Cradle Mountain, Central Tasmanian Highlands
Elevation	1,545 m (5,069 ft)
Location	Tasmania
Coordinates	41°41′4.72″S, 145°57′4.59″E

Cradle Mountain is a distintive 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.

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 climbed very regularly by tourists, and can be climbed virtually year round. It is a strenuous 6.5 hour return climb from the Dove Lake car park. The climb up the rocky part of the mountain involves scrambling over large boulders for 2 hours. The entire climb is exposed to any bad weather which may arrive 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.

The mountain rises above the glacial formed Lake Dove (934m), Lake Wilks, and Crater Lake.

[edit] 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.

[edit] Getting There

There is a parking area at Ronny Creek, the outlet of Lake Dove, which is approximately 7km from the national park visitors centre. A free shuttle bus runs between the two.

Apart from private transport, or walking the Overland Track, there are public bus services to the Cradle Mountain Visitors Centre. Many tour companies stop here also.