The story of this place
Rising 1,545 metres above sea level, Cradle Mountain is Tasmania's sixth-highest peak, formed when a dolerite sill was exposed by glacial erosion during the last Ice Age. The mountain's jagged profile has become the symbol of Tasmania's wilderness. Austrian naturalist Gustav Weindorfer fell in love with the area in 1910, declaring 'This must be a national park for the people for all time.' He built a chalet and campaigned for protection until the area was declared a scenic reserve in 1922.
Today, Cradle Mountain is the northern terminus of the Overland Track, an 80.8-kilometre trek to Lake St Clair that's considered one of the world's great walks. The mountain receives 47.9 snowy days annually—even in summer, snow can fall. Wombats, wallabies, and pademelons graze the alpine meadows, and lucky walkers might spot a Tasmanian devil. The mountain's reflection in Dove Lake creates one of Australia's most photographed landscapes.