Cradle Mountain features heavily in promotions of Tasmania. It is, I think, the island’s most iconic natural landmark, and it certainly draws in the tourists. Other than at the Port Arthur convict site we have only encountered a few tourists at any given location. Cradle Mountain is on an altogether different scale, reflecting, I guess, its iconic status. Groups of tourists from the Chinese mainland are very much in evidence, but there are plenty of Aussies and a smattering of Europeans too.
As we begin to explore it becomes clear that the hype is justified. This is a great landscape to visit, though we are grateful that we visit at a time when the sky is mostly blue and the mountain tops rarely obscured by clouds:
The landscape below is just a few kilometres away, but totally different. It’s got a big population of wombats (don’t worry, the King of Cubes has a post all to himself, coming up next!) You can’t call it spectacular, but it has a certain beauty:
Cradle Mountain is a great place for serious hiking, but that’s not our thing. Luckily, this pretty cascade is very close to the road:
28 November
Platypus Pandemonium 