What is Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park?
Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park is an alpine park in central Tasmania, stretching from Cradle Mountain in the north to Lake St Clair in the south. It covers about 161,000 hectares.
The park protects glacial lakes, jagged dolerite peaks, button grass plains and ancient rainforest. It includes Mount Ossa, Tasmania's highest mountain at 1,617 metres, and Lake St Clair, Australia's deepest lake.
The famous Overland Track runs through the park for 65 kilometres, linking its two ends. Shorter walks around Dove Lake and Cynthia Bay make the scenery accessible to day visitors.
History of protection
Austrian-born Gustav Weindorfer and his wife Kate campaigned for the area's protection after climbing Cradle Mountain in 1910. A scenic reserve was declared in 1922, and the park is now part of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area.
Wildlife includes wombats, Bennett's wallabies, pademelons, echidnas, platypuses and Tasmanian devils.
Visitor centres at both ends of the park provide information, and shuttle buses reduce traffic at Cradle Mountain.
Did You Know?
Weindorfer is said to have declared that the area must be a national park for the people for all time.