Cradle Mountain
24.06.2017 - 25.06.2017
With our bags packed we headed off on the 4.5hr drive from Hobart to Cradle Mountain after work on Friday, fingers crossed that the snow which was forecast would come overnight. We aimed to get to the campsite at Gowrie Park to stay the night, but as we arrived just before 9pm we decided to drive a bit further. As we got closer to Cradle Mountain it started to rain, a few minutes later the rain turned into heavy snow and we started to get very excited for what we might wake up to.
The next morning we woke to a winter wonderland with our van and surroundings covered in snow. We met our friends, Brodie and Madeleine at the Cradle Mountain visitor centre just before 9am and were lucky to get on the first shuttle up to Dove Lake as the roads were closed to 4WD only. Driving through the snow covered landscape we excitedly discussed the walks we wanted to do that day.
Arriving at Dove Lake we spotted a wombat in the snow, the sun was out and we were excited about the walks we had planned. After taking some photos around the lake we decided to try and walk up to Marions Lookout, however the weather quickly changed and it was snowing heavily again. As the weather constantly changed throughout the day, so did our plans, but we ended up making our way up to Crater Lake and then back down to Ronny Creek past the Waldheim Cabins to get the bus back to our cars. I was constantly mesmerised by how beautiful and different the landscape was covered in snow, there is something so magical about the way snow changes everything it touches.
Back at the campsite we had a late lunch by the fire, still excited about the day we had just had and about the prospect of more snow the next day. After raining most of the night a lot of the snow had melted by the next day, but we decided to go up to Dove Lake one last time. With heavy rain forecast for most of the day we headed home, taking our time to stop at a few places along the way. As always the journey is all part of the adventure.
Photography Lauren and Jack Sutton
