Cradle Mountain Visitor Centre

Wonderful and scenic attraction. Was raining a fair bit when we arrived. However, only a slight drizzle so managed to complete the 6km Dove Lake circuit which was full of grand and breathtaking views. Nice easy walk and family had a great time. Fantastic spot! Loved it!

For first time i visited Cradle mountain today. This was my best ever experience in Tasmania. We did Marions lookout which took us about 3 hours. Worth visiting.

For nature 5 stars. For fancy restrooms and the possibility to camp overnight on the huge parking 5 stars. 5 stars also for the opportunity to access the park outside of the shuttle bus operation times through the closed gate which miraculously OPENS if drive with your car close up to it. I pity all people who thought it's closed and write bad comments here. CAREFUL: there are maybe 10 spots at the lakes parking. The TWO stars are for the lacking ability of the National Park Service to have a consistent naming and marking of the hiking trails. It's a nightmare. The names in the map doesn't match the names on the signs, they mix and change names of walking tracks from on sign to the next. Only with your logic and asking others you get an idea if that's the track you're thinking. They even miss often to give you times where it would be helpful. Telling that a clerk in the visitor center he told me I am supposed to come here for information. That's a silly excuse as I hiked in the park after 5pm and at 7am next morning.

Friendly helpful staff. Bus service is great. We came in late May so the crowds were well down. Driving up uneventful as we arrived at noon.

This is the gateway into Cradle Mountain National Park. There is a very large carpark with space for all size vehicles. The Visitor Centre is open from 8.30am to 4pm daily. This is where you purchase your park entry fee (or free entry with Park Pass) and shuttle bus ticket which is good for 72 hours. The shuttle depart every 10 minutes or so and make several stops in route to Dove Lake. From there they return to the Visitor Centre. Ticket allows hop-on, hop-off at any of the stops. The Visitor Centre includes a nice gift ship, simple cafe and several toilet facilities. The staff are very helpful with information on the various walks throughout the national park and other pertinent information helpful for those visiting on the day.

The ticket staff were really helpful and recommended a route and walks which suited our available time and ability perfectly. The shuttle buses were very well organised and quite frequent. The scenery is amazing and we were able to see wild wombats up close!

Great experience at cradle mountain. Make sure to head to Ronny Creek Station late afternoon to see a heap of wombats. We were there around 3:30pm and saw 10+ close to the board walks. In the morning we did Dove Lake circuit, then went up to Marion’s Lookout via Wombat Pools and then from Marion’s walked back to Ronny Creek. 5.5 hrs total so make sure to start early if you plan on having a big day. Would highly recommend this hiking circuit as you see more of cradle mountain except for the high altitude off track trails. A few steep sections near the last bit of Marion’s lookout but worth it when you get to the top.

Fantastic place, $15 for bus ticket up to the top for entrance to dove lake. Great walk with lots to see including cradle mountain. Suggest you take own food& water as the cafe is very expensive. Opportunities to get off bus at different spots to do other walks..