Cradle Mountain Huts Overland Walk

Tasmania’s Cradle Mountain-Lake Claire National Park and the surrounding Tasmanian Wilderness is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and it’s not difficult to see why. Endless lakes, rivers, hills and mountains are home to a rich biodiversity of animal, plant and fungi life, including unique creatures like the Tasmanian devil.

The huts you’ll stay in as you progress along the walk are everything you could wish for after a long and rewarding day adventuring in the wilderness, with hot water, delicious food and a good supply of Tasmanian wine. The huts are the only ones of their kind along the Overland Walk, and are committed to sustainability and the protection of the environment. Rain water is channelled from the roofs into tanks, toilets are composting and water-free, and the bathrooms are stacked with phosphorous-free soap.

Every night, your hard-working guides will channel their energies into cooking up a sumptuous three-course dinner, washed down with delicious Tasmanian wines. Examples of dishes on offer include hearty minestrone soup, forest mushroom and pea risotto, and freshly baked pies. In the mornings, you’ll wake up to the aroma of freshly-brewed coffee and freshly-baked bread, before helping yourself to an extensive buffet from which you’re also encouraged to pack yourself a lunch for the walk. Your guides will also carry snacks to keep you going on the walk, including trail mix, shortbread and chocolate.

Your guides will do everything within their considerable powers to make sure your walk is as comfortable, enjoyable and enriching as possible. They will impart their expert knowledge about the flora, fauna and local history that you pass on the way, and are fully trained in accident prevention and first aid in the unlikely event that anything should go wrong – they are also, of course, carry appropriate communications equipment to make sure help can be called as swiftly as possible if necessary.

The walks depart from Quamby Estate early in the morning, passing through ancient temperate rainforest and the glacial Crater Lake, before taking in spectacular views from Marion’s Lookout over Cradle Mountain and Dove Lake. In the Pelion Plains area, you’ll make side trips to abandoned copper mines and peaceful swimming holes, and enjoy incredible views from the rocky Pelion Gap. In Du Cane, you’ll rest at a deserted trapper’s hut, walk beneath 2,000-year-old pine trees and pass tumbling waterfalls, and you’ll experience Lake St Clair on a spectacular cruise to Cynthia Bay. Itineraries and stop-off points will vary, depending on whether you choose to embark on the 4- or 6-day walk.