Cradle Mountain

11th - 14th Feb, 10.
We left Strahan and we drove to our new "free" campground near Cradle Mountain - Lake Gairdner.

We went to Mole Creek Caves and again checked out the lovely decorations and the glow worms - which actually aren't worms at all but insects and it is their poo which glows in the dark!?!?! So we went and checked out their poo!

That evening we went to "Devils @ Cradle" - a privately owned business which informs small groups about the threat to Tasmanian Devils which has contributed to a 70% decline in their numbers in the past 12 years and their 'endangered' status - this is Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD), which is a contagious fatal mutation. We managed to pat a devil, watch them interact with each other, watch them react to a live wallaby nearby (potentially dinner) and being fed.

The biggest highlight about Tassie has always been that ellusive "Cradle Mountain Summit Hike" and finally the day arrived.... and it was raining... so off to the rangers office we went. The ranger brought up the local weather forecast on the internet and told us the weather was going to clear and all would be fine!
So off on the hike we went...

We walked through a rainforest and beside "Crater Falls"..


We continued down the track to Crater Lake...

This shows how miserable the weather was, but we continued.

We climber higher...


And higher...


Then the summit was near...


The climb to the top was very difficult...


We got to a stage where the boulders were larger than us so the kids and I decided that we had gone as far as we could, but Rod continued on... he stood at the top and admired the 20metres of thick cloud. It's not the destination - (as they say on Biggest Loser)it's the journey!

Oh well - we have to go back and do it again on a fine day - anyone want to join us?