After the cold temps overnight I got up in the morning and packed the tent up, prepared to sleep in the car for night two. I was warm in the tent with an alpine rated sleeping bag, but was aware of the cold the whole time (if my hand ventured out of the bag the cold would jolt me awake). So car camping it is tonight - lucky I have a system now and it’s comfy.
Today’s activities started with a trip on the shuttle bus out to Dove Lake where I had to decide which trail to do. The weather is so variable here that that involved packing for heat, rain and everything in between, so a slightly heavier pack than usual with plenty of water on board.
I opted to do the Dove Lake Circuit - a 2-3 hour, 6km lap of the lake. What a way to see a piece of everything that Cradle Mountain has to offer. The trail is made up of well maintained boardwalks, earthen tracks, stone and wood stairs and is grade 2 moderate. It takes you right down to the water’s edge and high up over the mountain ridge so you can stand and purvey how far you have come. Landscapes vary between open hilltops, covered rainforest areas and there are so many waterfalls and bubbling brooks that feed down into the lake.
As with the previous day the weather came in and out - it was lightly raining as we left so the hiking poncho got a workout and although it never came off, we had patches of sunlight, blustery winds and light misty rain throughout the walk.
Not a lot of animal life around, but plenty of birds. I played tagged with a French family who would stop for photos, then catch me, then stop for photos then catch me again. It became a little joke as we would pass each other - “see you soon”.
At the 4km mark stairs became the thing as we climbed over the ridge of the mountain. I have had a tight right Achilles for a couple of days now and the up and down of the stairs did nothing to relieve that and was quite painful, but happy to finish the walk in just a minute over 2 hours.
Was feeling like a rest was needed so back to the cafe at the visitor centre for some lunch, where I had a home made beef pie and my first coffee in Tasmania. Both delicious! A little shopping in the gift shop and back to camp to get ready for the night activity I’d booked.
I spent those couple of hours tidying up the car and my luggage, and made my way to the camp kitchen which is a huge circular structure with a beautiful toasty warm fireplace in the centre. Pulled up a chair and warmed my cold toes and caught up on the rest of the footy game I’d been watching (go Lions!) and then scrolling the net. A few more travellers arrived and started chatting - of course they were from Wellington Point (just down the road from home).
The night activity was so worth the money I paid. Devils@Cradle is a wildlife sanctuary that is actively breeding and managing an emergency population of Tasmanian Devils and Quolls. As I drove into the parking lot I even saw my first wombat in the wild, so had to walk back down the driveway to get some photos and videos of him too.
I booked the Sunset Experience and Sarah our guide absolutely made our day with her commentary about the quolls and devils. We got to pat one of the boys (Noah) and watch first hand how powerful those claws and teeth are. We had a feeding viewing and let me tell you those teeth can just chunk through bone in a way that would make an orthopaedic surgeon shudder! And we got to experience this drinking some delicious Tassie wines, eating Tassie sweet treats and sitting around a campfire toasting marshmallows.
It was such a beautiful experience and Sarah was so passionate about her work and her animals that I just had to buy some souvenirs in the gift shop. The best souvenir I bought was an adoption certificate for Noah, knowing that the money goes directly back into the sanctuary and protecting these two beautiful species.
Home now tucked up in my car - and ready for Strahan tomorrow - after a bit more walking at Cradle.
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