Cradle Mtn. without OT

[dreamingof8a]

Hi there,
I am planning to visit Cradle Mountain soon and was wondering what my options are without doing the actual Overland Track:

- are two days enough? one day Cradle Mountain (overland track, Face track, Lake Rodway track); second day Dove Lake circuit, Crater Lake and maybe some more side trips?
- do you have any better suggestions to combine as many highlights as possible?
- What about that day trip to Artists Pool, Lake Rodway, is it worth it and could it be combined with any of the above?
- Camping is not allowed anywhere in that day use area, right? Is there any option to walk further in, camp (for a fee), and walk out again or is this only possible in combination with the actual OT?

Thanks heaps!

[stepbystep]

You can camp at Scott Kilvert Hut or Waterfall Valley.

In 2 days you could;

Day 1 - Ronny Creek - Crater Lake - Marions LO - Cradle Mountain - Waterfall Valley
Day 2 - Wataerfall Valley - Barn Bluff(side trip) - Lake Rodway and return to Dove Lake via either Twisted Lakes, Lake Wilkes or Hanson's Peak.

The only fee would be your National Parks Pass and there are many combinations to this trip depending on weather/motivation/fitness...

A magic area!

[tasadam]

What stepbystep suggests is a great option.
Or if climbing mountains is your thing, do a Cradle Mountain / face track circuit as a day walk, and Barn Bluff as another, allowing you for lighter walking, and side trips based on your fitness.

Wanting to camp in there, your choices are Waterfall Valley or Lake Rodway. There are huts at both locations but do not rely on them, take a tent, there are good camping options at both.
The camping at Lake Rodway won't take much to find, walk past the hut (down the side and past the water tank), then just over a little bridge that crosses some mud, turn right into several beautiful sheltered clearings. They're only a stone's throw from the hut (so you know if you've gone too far).
I took a tent here once but forgot the inner (oops), so slept fine under the fly with a groundsheet. No leeches up my orifices, thankfully.
Could have used the hut but usually prefer a tent.

[Tortoise]

- are two days enough?

I guess that all depends on how much time you have in Tassie and your priorities. After many, many visits to Cradle, I still did a great new walk last weekend - thanks to other people's local knowledge.

If you have time etc for less beaten tracks (after the main ones) - I like Houslow Heath either with the Maryland Track as a circuit, or continuing via Riggs Pass to Cradle Plateau, and back to Waldheim / Ronny Creek by the Horse Track (and Crater peak). I wouldn't suggest you do the latter in poor visibility.

Cheers

[Erica]

Personally I prefer Barn Bluff to Cradle Mountain as a climb, and there are fewer people. What SBS suggested is a great idea. Scott Kilvert/Lake Rodway is probably more quiet in summer than Waterfall Valley depending on what you prefer.

[dreamingof8a]

Thanks guys.
I will be in Tassie for two weeks. I rented a car and was going to do the full circle around the island, stopping at various spots (Fraycinet, Walls of Jerusalem, Cradle Mountain, Hobart, Tasman NP and whatever I can fit in/wherever the weather is okay).

I will get some better maps now that I arrived in Melbourne to check out your suggestions.

Also any other must-do/"secret" spots off the beaten track are much appreciated (private messages welcome)

[Mark F]

Can I suggest that two weeks is not enough to really do a wide range of walks and circumnavigate Tassie. Do something like the Cradle, Walls, then east to the coast, Bay of Fires, Freycinet, Maria, Tasmanian Peninsula - easliy two weeks in that. The circumnavigation will use up at least 4 days in driving where you will only have time for a short walk.

We are heading down for 5 weeks over Dec/Jan and we will do the full East Coast to Hobart and then back up the West Coast including the OT in that time. Remember it will still be there for next time.

[stepbystep]

Neither 2 weeks. 5 weeks or 10 years is enough to take in what Tasmania has to offer. I have planned several trips for visitors on that sort of time frame. This is a cut and paste from a 2 week trip we planned for some friends who thought this would be their 1 and only Tasmanian holiday. They liked it so much they came back 12 months later and did a variation at a slightly less frenetic pace.

Day 1 - Hobart to Tasman Peninsular(walk Cape Hauy/Port Arthur)
Day 2 - Walk Cape Raoul drive to Freycinet
Day 3 - Daywalk/tour Freycinet - Mt Amos or a circuit of Winegalss and Hazards/Cape Tourville
Day 4 - Drive to Binnalong Bay stopping along the way, maybe visit Douglas Apsley.
Day 5 - Binnalong to Sheffield climb Mt Roland
Day 6 - Sheffield to The Walls(walk to Dixons)
Day 7 - Climb various peaks in The Walls and walk out. Drive to Cradle and car camp.
Day 8 and 9 - As discussed walk out drive to Strahan.
Day 10 - Explore Strahan area drive to Lake St Clair doing walks like Nelson Falls/Donnehys LO
Day 11 - Walk Mt Rufus circuit
Day 12 - Lake St Clair to Mt Field(pick your walk according to time)
Day 13 - Drive into the heart of the SW, pick your daywalk(Mt Wedge/Sentinels/Mt Eliza/Mt Sprent/The Needles) drive back to Hobart
Day 14 - Visit MONA fly out.

It's fun to travel

[Tortoise]

Also any other must-do ...spots

Murchison (day walk) would be my standout suggestion if you can work around that. Like a good taste of the SW in a day.

[forest]

In March I only had a limited amount of time at Cradle Mt and my wife didn't want to come walking with me so she stayed at the lodge while I set of for a night.

I set of at about lunchtime on the day we arrived and was back at the visitors center around 11am the following day to meet my wife and continue on our holiday. I was moving pretty quick though and was called a local Tasmanian when boulder hopping my way back down Cradle Mt going around the slower people..... Not sure if that was a compliment or not I took it as one

Route I took was:

Dave lake to Cradle Mt summit via the face track. Cradle Mt to Barn Bluff summit via OLT. Barn Bluff to Waterfall Valley for the night via the OLTand I arrive at the hut/camp area about 6pm. I was near buggered as trust me to hit the area on a 30 °C day.....
The next morning I started in the dark and headed back on the OLT to watch the sunrise from the Cirque and headed down the Lake Rodway track to Scott Kilvert Hut for breakfast around 7:30am. Then just followed the track back to Dove Lake via Twisted lakes & Hansons Peak. Arrived at the shelter just as it started to rain.
Great little loop.

I would have been able to as suggested spent weeks and weeks just walking in Tassie. Sadly I just didn't have the time this trip.

[dreamingof8a]

Just to sum it up:
I arrived in the area after 7pm and camped next to lake Lea in the Vale of Belvoir Conservation area which was quite nice. The next mornign I took the park shuttle bus to Ronny creek around 845 and basically followed stepbystep's suggestion

Day 1 - Ronny Creek - Crater Lake - Marions LO - Cradle Mountain - Waterfall Valley
Day 2 - Waterfall Valley - Lake Rodway and return to Dove Lake via Hanson's Peak.

Was very lucky on the first day, cloudless blue sky until early afternoon. Climbed Cradle Mountain which was definitly more demanding than expected (not hard if you have some climbing experience, however much harder than any other walk as it not walking anymore but scrambling). Should have done Barn Bluff the same day as the next day the weather was awful until after noon. Anyway, went to Waterfall valley via OT, slept in the old hut by myself although it started pouring down and storming during the night. BTW it is now absolutely forbidden to camp/stay thereunless you are doing the overland so Scott Kilvert Hut is the only option, there are signs along the way and the ranger explained it to me, however he was nice enoUgh not to send me back as it was not too busy yet.
Second day was grey and wet, stupidly enough I decided to take the track down to Lake Rodway (steep, mudy and slippery when wet) only to find a locked Scott Kilvert hut, then next not-so-great decision was to return via Hanson's Peak as the descend is very steep (where the wire is), very slippery in the rain, and the wind almost blew me off the ridge afterwards. Given the non-existing visibilty I should have opted for the alternative way but I had followed the sign with the shorter walking time.
As soon as I arrived at the car park around lunch time, it cleared up and the afternoon was perfectl ysunny again. SPent the rest of the day walking around Dove lake and spotting Wombats near Ronny Creek.

Definitly a great area, especially when lucky with the weather which overall I really was.

Cradle Mountain from Marion's Lookout (first day)

IMG_6545.jpg (253.16 KiB) Viewed 16579 times

The boat shed at Dove lake (second day)

IMG_6743.jpg (310.19 KiB) Viewed 16579 times

[forest]

Anyway, went to Waterfall valley via OT, slept in the old hut

That's where I stayed. Seemed that the majority of people prefered to sleep 12 deep in the new hut..... No thanks. I was going to tent it but as there was no one in the old hut I figured why not when the option was there for my own little house.

BTW it is now absolutely forbidden to camp/stay thereunless you are doing the overland so Scott Kilvert Hut is the only option, there are signs along the way and the ranger explained it to me, however he was nice enoUgh not to send me back as it was not too busy yet.

Ah that's interesting. I can sort of see why but on the flip side isn't it better to have people camped there to use the toilets, tent platforms etc instead of just anywhere making a mess ??
This must be a bit of a new rule as when I was down there in March it wasn't an issue. I had a great ol chat to the ranger that afternoon.

only to find a locked Scott Kilvert hut,

Awesome, not only is it not permitted to camp at WFV if your not doing the whole track but the only alternate hut in the area is locked. Bright move that one........
Supports the reason to carry a tent I guess very strongly for the OT. I know many don't though.

[stepbystep]

only to find a locked Scott Kilvert hut,

Awesome, not only is it not permitted to camp at WFV if your not doing the whole track but the only alternate hut in the area is locked. Bright move that one........
Supports the reason to carry a tent I guess very strongly for the OT. I know many don't though.

This needs some explaining from PWS!

Scott-Kilvert is a memorial hut for 2 people that died in the area from exposure, to lock it is disrespectful to the people that put it there and counter intuitive.
Did you see if the rangers(emergency) hut near the Face/Rodway/Twisted Lakes track junction was locked also?

Also interesting news re. Waterfall Valley

Nice to see you got to see Cradle at her best though!

[Ent]

Hi

I was at Scott-Kilvert a few weeks back and it had no sign of being lockable. Is this a new thing? Or was the ranger accommodation mistaken for it?

As for the new "rules" it appears that Parks need to be explaining given that they have failed miserably on the consulting side.

Regards

[dreamingof8a]

Hi

I was at Scott-Kilvert a few weeks back and it had no sign of being lockable. Is this a new thing? Or was the ranger accommodation mistaken for it?

As for the new "rules" it appears that Parks need to be explaining given that they have failed miserably on the consulting side.

Regards

The hut I am talking about is reached first once you get out of the forest, coming down from the junction with the OT. It's fairly big, 2 storey I'd say, and has a very pronounced porch. That's also where I couldn't open the door. However I have to admit that it was raining badly, I was miserable, and did not spend much time figuring out whether maybe there is a second (correct) entrance or whether maybe the door has some trick to it. I gave up after a few tries and walked on. So yeah it could have been the ranger accomodation, however I didn't see any other hut at all.

I also walked straight past the emergency hut without even noticing it at all.

And yes it definitely seemed to be some new rule, the range was talking about an email that had been sent t all staff at the visitor centre. Adn I do actually remember that th efriendly lady there had told me not to stay ther ebut I had misunderstood it somehow, meaning that basically the the hut is for OT hikers and I should camp if it's too busy, or, if even the campsites are taken, then I need to move away. Probably cos that'a what I had been expected to hear ....

[Nuts]

('failed miserably' is a bit harsh?)

There may be some confusion?

Scott-Kilvert Hut- the storage closet (inside) will be locked. The hut looks like this:

Picture 1.png (302.19 KiB) Viewed 16509 times

Waterall Valley- the only thing usually locked is the toilet (on one side) it's the first building you walk past:

Picture 2.png (290.42 KiB) Viewed 16509 times

The hut warden accommodation (on the main hut verandah):

Picture 6.png (206.22 KiB) Viewed 16500 times

will be locked when nobody is around and the dome shaped structure out the back (hidden) is also normally locked if unattended.
The old hut has a padbolt but shouldn't be locked either:

Picture 8.png (327.67 KiB) Viewed 16500 times

Hut Wardens are volunteers, no uniform besides a badge. Your typical track ranger looks like this ( ):

Picture 5.png (178.58 KiB) Viewed 16509 times

Any structure may be locked from time to time if work is underway.

Of course, with modern gear it's easy enough to carry everything you need without factoring in a hut (even on a day walk)

The new rules re WFV hut use are in the sticky at the top of the Overland Track Sub-Section of the forum. At the bottom of that post is the number of the contact person from parks (who I am sure will be happy to answer any questions).

[Ent]

Sorry but failed miserably is even probably too kind. Parks is happy to flog two year park pass and then change access rules and extend fee paying season with not even a process of community consultation. Such approach is sadly typical of the way it operates. Some bureaucrat dreams up a rule or new restriction and everyone, including it appears on ground staff, are forced to play catchup.

Lets make it clear, I am not critical of the boots on the ground but of the bureaucratic rather than community based mindset of Parks ' management. Frankly I am forming the opinion that Parks has yet again forgotten that its primary role is to be a service to the Tasmanian community as well a guardian of the environment. I accept that there will be natural conflict between those two roles but what I am seeing is a bureaucratic arrogance that does a disservice to the grunts on the ground that are expected to do the impossible with limited resources.

Maybe the well paid chief bureaucrat needs to humble themself to explain what they are doing, why they are doing it, and more importantly what they are planning. Sorry but it is OUR National Park not a play thing of a bureaucrats and some star chamber committee of faceless people.

Regards

[Nuts]

Perhaps......
I simply suspect there has been some confusion here. If so (or not) the credit should fall where it is due.

[dreamingof8a]

('failed miserably' is a bit harsh?)

There may be some confusion? ...

Both the new and old huts at Waterfall Valley were open; some hikers stayed in the new hut whereas I was by myself in the old hut.

The hut which was locked was Scott Kilvert Memorial hut.

The guy who told me about the new rules regarding staying at any of the OT sites identified himself as a ranger.

Any structure may be locked from time to time if work is underway.

Of course, with modern gear it's easy enough to carry everything you need without factoring in a hut (even on a day walk)

No ongoing work was visible, everything looked tidy and no-one was around. Also the ranger had told me that I could stay there so he obviously expected the hut to be open. No big deal for me, as I didn't want to stay anyway, I was just surprised, and maybe I would have stopped for lunch inside the hut rather than to keep walking through the lousey weather.

[Nuts]

Ok, sounds like someone has it wrong. Park staff or Phil's sticky? (given that its ok to go to WFV) if the suggestion is that this must be accomplished as a day walk enforcement would leave the track ranger themselves responsible for sending people back up onto the plateau..as a rule, in any weather, at any time Similar problem with the vague reference to 'short day walk' on the sign at pv turnoff.. No mention of a night in the hut (not allowed?) what is a short day walk? Just pondering these rules it seems that the wording has stopped at the point of 'influencing' most and the leftovers to track ranger discretion. Maybe they can't do better? Stop signs less ambiguous, less freindly, more contentious? never simple these things. Iirc 6-700 people used wfv each year without completing the OLT.. either way I do think it would be a shame not to accommodate them.

You would have been sure with the SK hut (dof8) The door is not lockable, would have been obvious if someone had added a lock/bolt..? If not, maybe it was stuck..

[corvus]

SK hut door latch does need to be depressed firmly to raise the " lever key" on the inside and I agree with Nuts unless there is evidence of a new lock on the outside the door cannot be locked.
corvus

[dreamingof8a]

SK hut door latch does need to be depressed firmly to raise the " lever key" on the inside and I agree with Nuts unless there is evidence of a new lock on the outside the door cannot be locked.
corvus

Could easily have been my mistake, as I said I was not so much trying to get inside as rather having a quick look while while running through the rain. There was no lock on the outside.

[Nuts]

Nah, these things need discussion, I'm sure many locals would be very interested if SK hut was indeed locked. My earlier post may have appeared patronizing but some obscure observations can become fact. Wouldn't be the first time for confusion (whats what/whos who) at WFV

[greyim]

Funny how the pics with snow about make the hut look warm and cosy... and v.v .