Still in mid January 2013, and the weather in Tasmania can be quite fickle. We arrived at Cradle Mountain National Park to be greeted by heavy cloud cover and reports of snow the previous morning. Not to be daunted, and knowing we could spend the full day here, we enjoyed a leisurely walk along part of the Dove Lake circuit track.
After a lunch break back at the visitors centre, we boarded the shuttle bus to the lake to discover we now had a clear view of the stunning peaks and surrounding landscape. We were duly impressed!
The grey skies and cool conditions didn't seem very amenable to wildlife watching and the birds were few and far between. A lone currawong, a summer visitor to the highlands, was foraging beside the track and a very inactive wombat had no thoughts for food and was content to snooze his way through the afternoon.
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| Black Currawong |
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| Common Wombat |
While driving back to our caravan site at Waratah, we stopped along the Murchison Highway to view Cradle Mountain from a different perspective.
Waratah is a pretty little town with a very interesting tin-mining heritage and a reputation as one of the coldest and wettest locations in Tassie. A spectacular waterfall flows over the escarpment and was formerly used for the sluicing and processing of tin ore. We certainly enjoyed our stay here and would recommend it as a base for exploring the surrounding area.
Cheers & Happy Birding!
