Cradle Mountain, Tasmania [Review]
On the drive to Cradle Mountain, we had first rain, then hail,
and then snow. We saw a wombat waddle across the highway.
Our cottage was in a private, secluded location, which was what
we had hoped for.
We realized right away that possums were likely to visit because
we noticed a few enormous possum poos on the porch. The possums were
much larger and rounder than Queensland possums. The ones at the
cottage were not very timid. We saw several wombats wandering around
in nearby locations, and we met pademelons for the first time. The
pademelons also appeared quite accustomed to the presence of
humans.
While staying here, we visited Marakoopa Caves, Trowunna wildlife
park (here we were to pet a koala, wombat, baby pademelon and even a
Tasmanian Devil, and GK held/hugged a wombat), we went to the
wilderness photo gallery at Cradle Mountain Chateau ('Tasmania's
largest wildlife photographic collection' - something along those
lines, many beautiful images, and many come with amusing
commentaries), we went to the Grey Gum restaurant (fantastic) and
Brushtails bar (both also at Cradle Mountain Chateau - on the walk
there we saw a mother and baby wombat), we tasted honeys at The Honey
Farm, cheeses at Ashgrove Farm and wines at Barringwood Park Vineyard
(we bought some of each to bring back with us - the gourmet vineyard
platter at Barringwood Park Vineyard was gorgeous and
delicious), had pancakes at The Pancake Parlour (tasty, and
impressive presentation) at Tasmazia, and went on the Dove Lake
circuit walk. The 65 km Overland Track is nearby, and in addition
there is a wide range of short and medium- sized walks. There is a
lot of variety with regards to scenery, and weather changes in
themselves can add further to the sense of variety. When it is sunny,
the weather is quite comfortable, but at night it can feel pretty
cold if you are not sitting in front of a fire.
Weather conditions can be extreme and changeable, and can make
for dangerous driving on the winding roads.
GK's photos include: main exterior cabin photo, possum (Darth)
photo, pademelon photo, Tasmanian Devil photo, spotted quoll photo,
wombat photo, and the last two Dove Lake/Cradle Mountain photos.
Xesce's photos include the first one that shows the walking trail at
Dove Lake, the photo of Pademelon cottage porch, and the two interior
photos.
[Photos: right arrow]