CRADLE MOUNTAIN

Cradle Mountain Visitor Centre is a 140-kilometre drive west of Launceston, and a 300-kilometre drive north-west of Hobart. The Visitor Centre is just outside the park’s northern edge and contains a cafe, gift shop and tour operator offices. National park shuttle buses run between the visitor centre and Dove Lake from 8am to 6pm between October and March, and from 9am to 5pm from April to September, with private vehicles not permitted on the road during these times. Shuttle bus tickets are $15 return for adults, and free for children.

Lake St Clair, at the southern end of the National Park, is a 180-kilometre drive north-west of Hobart, and a 170km drive south-west of Launceston. The Lake St Clair Visitor Centre is on the shores of Cynthia Bay, at the southern end of the lake. The attached Lake St Clair Lodge has a restaurant and makes bookings for the lake ferry.

Trained dog guides assisting people with vision and hearing impairments are permitted in national parks. However, you will need to obtain a permit for them and carry identification with you. To obtain this permit or for enquiries relating to other assistance animals, please phone the Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service or email parkfees@parks.tas.gov.au ahead of your visit.

The Dove Lake Circuit includes some steps, so the track is not wheelchair accessible. TrailRider all-terrain wheelchairs are available at Cradle Mountain, to enable greater exploration by visitors with limited mobility.

Two of the pencil pine cabins at Cradle Mountain Lodge are wheelchair-accessible and accessible parking is available. 

There are campgrounds at Cradle Mountain and Lake St Clair. A cluster of accommodation is located at the park’s edge at Cradle Mountain. On the shores of Lake St Clair, there’s accommodation at Lake St Clair Lodge, and at Pumphouse Point, and in the nearby township of Derwent Bridge.