Cradle Mountain – A place I will not forget.

I travelled to Cradle Mountain some years ago with close friends young and old.

There was so much I didn’t know about Tasmania. I wish I had done some research before venturing out. Whatever said and done I will not forget this place. Memories of a fantastic holiday are buried deep down in me.

I learnt that the mountain was declared a national park for the people of all time. It is truly Tasmania’s wilderness world heritage area with its unique landscape, fauna & flora. This is remarkable in many respects.

How could I have not known? Maybe I didn’t really think it was necessary at the time. Now I realize that it’s worth doing some research before travelling to any destination.

We did have some enchanting moments as we strolled along the cascading rivers to dense old growth forests. I attempted to make the journey to the summit but my friends’ overly protective concern for my wellbeing stopped me right away. I had suffered a heart attack a couple of years ago and that was their main worry.

There is an overland track, which you can use by yourself to reach the summit. I would have preferred the services of a guided tour had I learnt about it earlier. However I enjoyed the displays and natural history interpreted at the visitor Centre, which we passed as we travelled towards Dove lake.

I am remembering now as I write this article, nobody in my group ventured out on this challenging journey at least up to the chalet built by Austrian - born Gustav Weisdofer. It is written in Travel Journals that Gustav was supposedly inspired by the sheer magnificence of Cradle Mountain that he built this Chalet in 1912.

Gustav must be disappointed laying in his grave to note that we went all the way to cradle mountain and didn’t take the track leading to his world famous chalet. My apologies.

We did finish the enchanted walk though. We passed along the cascading river, button grasslands, spotted wombat burros while ambulating through the pristine cool and temperate rain forest. We experienced the silence in this cool and dark landscape, which appeared totally different to the tropical rain forests that we were used to.

Tasmanian forests contained some of the most ancient species of Australia’s flora dating back to 60 million years. A period when these continents were joined together as a landmass called Gondwana. I feel left out now. I should have done my research before getting there.

I have to return to this pristine place with my friends once more and spend a day or two exploring Cradle Mountain.  To those friends who might come across this article please send in your thoughts and memories of this beautiful trip down under.