Moody Cradle Mountain

Articles on this site contain affiliate links, meaning I may be compensated if you buy a product or service after clicking them. The full privacy & disclosure policy is here.

The weather forecast didn’t look great.

While the sun was shining brightly in Launceston as we walked to the car, I knew that things would be different 200km to the west.  The area around Tasmania’s Cradle Mountain is renowned for having highly changeable weather, and even though it was the middle of summer, and I’d had great weather on my last visit, expectations weren’t high.

Those expectations were right.

The looming clouds on the horizon grew darker as we drove, occasional patches of blue sky quickly replaced by a low grey haze.  Not far from our destination the occasional spits of rain on the windscreen became heavier, first a light drizzle and then, quickly, a downpour.

Perfect hiking weather, right?

Cowering in the car while we ate a makeshift breakfast, the idea of walking for a couple of hours was rapidly becoming less appealing.  Eventually, though, the deluge relented, leaving only a freezing wind behind.  Clouds scudded across the sky, more rain on the way, but for now it was dry.  It was time to move.

Moody Cradle Mountain path

The one benefit of the cold weather was that other, more sensible people were doing other, more sensible things, leaving the track relatively empty.  The walk around Dove Lake is probably the most popular in the Cradle Mountain area – it’s only two hours at most, easily accessible and relatively sheltered.  On a day like this one, I had absolutely no desire to be up above the tree line.

Cradle Mountain crow

Even this crow looked cold, standing forlornly on a bare tree branch waiting for the weather to improve.

Cradle Mountain tree

It was slightly warmer and dryer at ground level, although not by much.

Cradle Mountain wooden bridge

The rain had just come back with a vengeance a few minutes before taking this photo.  We huddled under the inadequate shelter of a large tree until the worst of it had passed, alternately taking photos and having large drops of water splash on our heads.

Dove Lake track

The weather improved slightly as we passed the half way point – and just in time.  The section of track below Cradle Mountain is much more open and exposed than the rest of it, and we would have been drenched in seconds if the rain had kept up.  We still couldn’t see the top of the mountain, but at least there was no need for flippers and snorkels quite yet.

Raised path, Dove Lake

Getting back under the trees, weak sunlight filtered through the branches as we walked.  Birds chirped up in the canopy, and it got warm enough to even take my jacket off.  Sadly the idyllic scene didn’t last.

Moody Cradle Mountain

The rain clouds soon rolled back in, and within minutes it felt like winter once more.

Old hut, Dove Lake

We raced through the drizzle for the last part of the walk, the weather finally deciding to stay consistent for more than two minutes at once.  This old hut made for some dramatic photos, but the water dripping off my nose onto the camera did spoil the ambience slightly.

There were plenty of other trails leading up from the carpark that, on a nicer day, we would almost certainly have taken.  On this day, however, the only path we were taking was the one back to the car – there’s only so much cold and wet I can take before the fun stops.

Back in Launceston, of course, the sun was still shining.

Now there’s a surprise.

How useful was this post?

Click on a star to rate it!

I'd love to hear your thoughts!

What did you like and dislike? How could I improve this post?

5 Responses to “Moody Cradle Mountain

  • Oh wow despite the moodiness it looks like such a gorgeous place to hike!

  • Looks great, despite the weather… glad you pushed through!! Anywhere in Tassie is great to Hike 🙂 I did a 5 day hike through Cradle Mountain (a looooong time ago!) in in the middle of winter (yes crazy!) and even though it was pretty cold, it didn’t rain once 😉 sorry Dave hehe! But I thought Melbourne would have gotten you use to the sudden changes in weather 🙂 love your posts!

    • Hah, yeah you’re right about Melbourne … and even more so in New Zealand before that! 🙂

  • Dave, we did the same walk as you, but lucked into a beautiful sunny day. Unfortunately, though, that emboldened us to actually climb Cradle Mountain, which is a little too much to ask of an old bastard like me. The wind picked up considerably, though, as we descended, which made the fear almost constant that we’d be blown off to our death, or at least a few broken bones. We made it however, and so will forever trade in my abject fear for a supercilious sense of accomplishment.

  • great pics! I specially love the last one!

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.