Cradle Mountain and West Coast Hiking

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6 Days
  • 2012
  • Best time to travel: October - April
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  • 15 Apr to 20 Apr $2,595NZD
  • 29 Apr to 04 May $2,595NZD
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  • Availability Guide:
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Find beauty and peace in one of the world's largest cool-temperate wilderness areas, on Tasmania's rugged wild west coast.

See Tasmania's most beautiful mountain, Australia's deepest lake, and some of the world's oldest trees in this gorgeous hike in the pristine Cradle Mountain–Lake St Clair National Park.

The tour starts and ends in historic Launceston, with charming towns and beautiful rainforests, lakes and waterfalls in between. A tour highlight: a cruise down the pristine, tea-coloured Gordon River.

Launceston to Launceston

Launceston
  • Hiking
  • Grade
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Cradle Mountain and West Coast Hiking Fitness and Preparation

Your guides are knowledgeable and passionate about this wonderland. They'll encourage you through climbs and challenging sections. While you relax in your wilderness cabin after your walk, they'll cook dinner for you!

This is a special tour through a landscape that is radiantly beautiful in clear weather, and dramatic and brooding when the weather is rough.

Moderate Tours

Moderate tours have an expectation that you have an interest and regularly participate in the activities. Routes chosen will require a reasonable level of fitness and experience on different terrains. Moderate tours are suitable for increasing your activities and pushing yourself to new limits.

Fitness required

An average level of fitness is required, you will need to be doing some form of exercise three-four times a week leading up to this tour.

Full Itinerary

DAY 1

Launceston to Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park

Hiking: 3 hours

Welcome! We'll pick you up early for a predeparture briefing. Your guides will also check your gear, and provide the opportunity to hire/ borrow any equipment/clothing you may need. We'll leave Launceston at about 9.30 am for a 3-hour drive to the National Park. We'll stop for a break in Sheffield — Tassie’s town of murals. At the park we'll check into our cabins, have lunch, then have an afternoon walk at the beautiful corrie lake, Dove Lake. Your guides will tell you more about the area's history, pioneers, wildlife, and endemic alpine flora. Tonight they'll prepare a feast for you.

Meals: Lunch, Dinner

DAY 2

Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park

Hiking: up to 8 hours

Today can be as challenging or as leisurely as you wish. You could climb Cradle Mountain (1545 m a.s.l.), and be rewarded with 360 ° panoramic views. En route, you'll see the beautiful Crater Falls and Crater Lake before the steep trail up to Marion’s Lookout. If weather or other conditions prevent our climb, alternatives include the popular (and challenging) Face Track. Blue skies or rough weather — it'll be special either way. Your guides will provide lunch and plenty of snacks to keep your energy up. Afterwards, relax while your guides prepare another hearty evening meal.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 3

National Park to Strahan

Hiking: 3–4 hours

This morning, a selection of great walks including the King Billy Walk amongst some of the oldest trees in the world: 1500–2000 year old King Billy pines. After lunch we'll drive west through the towns of Tullah and Rosebery to the Montezuma Falls, amongst the highest in Tasmania (104 m). We'll take a relaxing walk to their base (3 hours return). In the event of insufficient daylight, we'll walk to the vast white Henty Dunes instead, a fascinating moving dune system. You'll stay in a cabin in the attractive coastal town of Strahan.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 4

Strahan to Lake St Clair

Hiking: 3 hours

This morning: a relaxing cruise on the pristine Gordon River from an environmentally friendly cruise ship. We'll feast on a buffet lunch while we relax and enjoy this uninhabited World Heritage Area. This afternoon we'll drive from Strahan to our accommodation at Derwent Bridge, a short drive from the shores of Lake St Clair, Australia’s deepest natural lake. We'll spend the next 2 evenings here in clean, comfortable multi-share cabins. If time and weather permit, we'll walk to Donaghy’s Hill, with spectacular views of the Franklin Gordon Wild Rivers National Park.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 5

Lake St Clair and Mt Rufus circuit

Hiking: 6–9 hours

Today: a full day’s walk on the Mt Rufus circuit in the Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park. This popular circuit provides incredible views of the Du Cane Range, Mt. Olympus, Lake St Clair and deep into the ranges of the Southwest National Park. It's graded moderately difficult, with an uphill on a clearly marked track. With plenty of rest breaks and encouragement from our guides, it's achievable for anyone with good general fitness. Tonight we'll return to our cabins for our last evening meal together.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 6

Departure Day: Lake St Clair to Launceston via Liffey Falls

Hiking: 3 hours

We'll leave Lake St Clair this morning, driving through the Central Plateau Conservation Area, passing the Great Lake before descending through the dolerite bluffs of the Western Tiers. We'll lunch beside the Liffey River, then make an easy walk through Man ferns and myrtle forests to the cascading Liffey Falls. A short drive will return us to Launceston by 5 pm.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Let's talk about your Australian adventure!

Nathalie_236x184

+64 3 982 9933

Email: reservations@globaladventureguide.com

Tour Inclusions and Exclusions:

Tour Includes:

  • 5 nights cabin accommodation
  • 5 breakfasts, 6 lunches and 5 dinners
  • Professional wilderness guide/s
  • Transport by private minibus
  • Gordon River cruise
  • National Park fees
  • Waterproof jacket, overpants and gaiters
  • Sleeping bag and inner sheet
  • Emergency communications and group first aid kit

Tour Excludes:

  • Travel to and from Launceston
  • Accommodation before or after the trip
  • Items of a personal nature – alcoholic beverages, car parking etc
  • Travel insurance