7-Day Cradle Mountain Overland Track Walking Expedition from Launceston

The Cradle Mountain Overland Track is one of the most popular wilderness hikes in Australia. See the beauty of this remarkable region and experience the pure solitude of this Tasmanian wilderness. Explore lakes, forests, moorlands and mountains on this seventy kilometer hike. The memories of this wilderness experience will last a lifetime!

The Overland Track from Waldheim near Cradle Mountain to Lake St. Clair is, for very good reasons, the most popular extended walk in Australia. Walkers, from all over the country and overseas, are attracted to this magnificent area to experience the grandeur of its mountain ranges, the beauty of its unique vegetation and the pure solitude of wilderness. This seventy kilometer (forty four mile) walk can normally be completed in five days, but we'll seven so as to best appreciate the points of special interest along the way.

Your schedule will permit time to visit the summit of some of the highest mountains in the State, possibly even Mount Ossa, the highest of all.

Groups are restricted to a maximum of ten people, a real sense of group identity develops, making this wilderness experience one that you know will be truly memorable.

The Cradle Mountain 7-Day hike includes camping, cooking and eating equipment, high quality tents, backpack, sleeping mat, sleeping bag and sleeping sheet, emergency communication equipment, first aid supplies, all meals and transfers, food drops along track to lighten pack weight and National Park fees.

No special skills are necessary to walk the Cradle Mountain Overland Track although a good level of general fitness is required.

Schedule details

Cradle Mountain National Park

Departure Dates:

Select a month to view a calendar of availability and departure details.

Departure Point:

Mountain Designs Equipment Shop, 120 Charles Street, Launceston.

Departure Time:

•  12:45pm

Return Details:

The expedition concludes at approximately 5:00pm in Launceston on Day 7

Pricing information

Click the link below to check pricing & availability on your preferred travel date. Our pricing is constantly updated to ensure you always receive the lowest price possible.

Additional information

Cradle Mountain National Park

Inclusions:

• Experienced guides
• Group camping equipment including tents, sleeping mats, stoves, eating utensils and first aid kit
• 70L Backpack and gaiters
• Overland track permit
• Wet weather Gore-Tex jacket and over pants
• Thermarests and emergency communication
• 6 nights camping
• All meals (B = breakfast, L = lunch, D = dinner)
• Transfers to and from Launceston
• National Park Fees
• Australia's Goods and Services Tax (GST)

Exclusions:

• Clothing and equipment, as listed under additional information (some equipment is available for hire at the start of the hike)

Additional Information:

• Confirmation for this tour will be received within 48 hours of booking, subject to availability
• The maximum group size is 10 passengers on this hike, with 1 guide for every 5 passengers.
• Trip Grading: Moderate Moderate Walking - carrying a backpack 13-15kg (29-33 pounds), on some uphill terrain. Suitable for fit first timers.
• Weather: The above itinerary should be seen as a guide only. The area is subject to bad weather, even at the height of summer and as such, weather conditions and unforeseen circumstances may cause the content of the trip to be altered or delayed. Your safety and enjoyment are paramount at all times.
• Trip Prerequisites: The Overland Track itself is not particularly arduous: it crosses relatively open, undulating country while providing access to the harder mountain routes as optional side trips. You cover an average of 12 kilometers (7 miles) per day, over varying terrain, so although no special skills are necessary, a good level of general fitness is required. Two food caches are provided along the track so that at most you will be carrying provisions for only three days. The maximum load you will carry will be approximately 13-15kg. This will of course reduce rapidly as food is consumed.
• Please note: You must be able to carry the backpack on your own as assistance can not be provided.
• The Cradle Mountain - Lake St. Clair National Park is a World Heritage area and sensitive to environmental damage. Tasmanian Expeditions expert guides have a special interest in conservation and closely follow the principles of minimal impact bushwalking.
• Health and Fitness Requirements As with most activities, the fitter you are prior to departure, the more you will enjoy the trip.
• Gear List - What to Bring Your trip includes all group camping and cooking equipment, including tents, stoves and of course the food. The following lists set out all extra equipment and the clothing required for the trip. The equipment list must be carefully followed and will provide the basis for the preliminary gear check. Several of the following items are available for hire in Tasmania. Please contact the supplier for the details of what equipment is for hire and the cost. Most outdoor shops will be able to provide extra advice in selecting any new clothing and equipment for this list.
• Please Note: The need to bring woolen or equivalent thermal clothing (chlorofibre, polypropylene or fibrepile) rather than cottons (e.g. jeans, wind cheaters) is emphasized because of their ability to better retain warmth, even when damp. Excess luggage can be stored in Launceston.

Clothing

• 2 Woollen /Polarfleece Jumpers. Must be wool or synthetic fiber.
• 2 Long sleeve thermal tops (polypropylene, Wool, Polyester Powerdry, Daymart)
• 1 Long thermal pants (polypropylene, Wool, Polyester powerdry, Daymart)
• 2 T-shirts/Long sleeve shirts
• Warm trousers. Must be wool or synthetic fibre.
• Walking trousers
• Walking shorts
• 3 Pairs Wool or Thermal walking socks
• Warm gloves or mittens
• Sunhat
• Balaclava or warm beanie hat
• Underwear
• 1 Pair of knee length gaiters essential for keeping mud from boots and leg protection

Footwear

• Boots must be lace up, ankle high, leather or leather/fabric construction with a sturdy rubber sole. They must be well worn in but not worn out - the Overland Track can be particularly demanding on boots!
• Lightweight sandals, thongs or shoes for around camp

Other Equipment

• Lightweight torch with spare batteries and globe. A head torch is ideal to allow hands free light to eat by!
• Sunglasses
• A whistle (for use in poor visibility)
• Water bottles or water bladder minimum 1 litre
• 2 Heavy weight garbage bags for waterproof storage
• Small pack towel

Personal Toiletries and First Aid

• Personal toiletries (please do not bring soaps or shampoos)
• Insect repellent cream (please do not bring spray repellent)
• Sunscreen and lip balm
• Personal First Aid kit. You should have some tape for treating and preventing blisters as well as any personal medication you expect to require. All this should be carried in a waterproof knock proof container.

Optional Equipment

• Sunglasses
• Camera and film
• Maps of the area
• A good book
• Small musical instrument
• Adult pricing applies to all travelers

IMPORTANT: If any of the following points apply, please mention in the 'Special Requirements' box when making your booking request.

• Please advise if you have any medical conditions
• Please advise if you have any special dietary requirements
• Children aged 13 years and under are not permitted on this trip
• Adult pricing applies to all travelers

Itinerary:

The proposed itinerary shown below is flexible enough to allow for extra stopovers in periods of bad weather and so should be considered a guide only. All overnight accommodation is camping.

Day 1: Launceston / Lake Rodway (L, D)

Today you begin your journey to Cradle Mountain. Your guides will pick you up from your overnight accommodation between 12.30pm and 1.00pm and transfer you up to our cabins at Cradle Mountain. The drive to Cradle Mt Lake St Clair National Park takes about 3 hours including a mid journey leg stretch in Sheffield - Tassie's town of murals. This afternoon you have some time to relax and explore the area around our cabins. Your guides will prepare a feast for you tonight - your last dinner before hitting the track! Tonight you sleep in the comforts of a warm and cosy cabin, well fed and rested and ready for the start of our trek tomorrow.

Day 2: Lake Rodway / Waterfall Valley (B, L, D) Walking time 5-hours

Today the group heads for Waterfall Valley. Climbing up from Lake Rodway, pass between the crumbling Talus of Mt Emmett and the end peak of Cradle Mountain, Benson Peak. You will start to see the full grandeur of the Overland Track peaks, in the central area of the Park, with Pelion West and Mount Ossa standing out and showing the way that the group will head, over the next 3 days. To the south, the rugged quartzite tipped Frenchman's Cap in the Wild Rivers National Park. The trail curves around the Cradle Circ where ancient glaciers shaped the landscape 20,000 years ago.

Weather permitting, you will have the chance to climb Barn Bluff which dominates the western horizon. The view from here is fantastic with sweeping valleys filled with many lakes and Tarns, the most notable is Lake Will, a lake you will visit on Day 3.

After returning to your pack, it's just a short descent down to the Waterfall Valley Campsite where you can relax with the wallaby's, wombats and mischievous Tasmania Spotted Quoll, whilst your guides prepare a hearty and well deserved meal.

Day 3: Waterfall Valley / Lake Windermere (B, L, D) Walking Time 3-hours

Today, continue south from Waterfall Valley to Lake Windermere. A leisurely day that offers time to explore the waterfalls and a side trip past the diggings of Joseph Will, a coal prospector in the 1800's, to Innes Falls. Enjoy a relaxing lunch by the sandy shores and twisted pencil pines of Lake Will. After lunch, you can stroll to the southern end of the lake to take in Innes Falls.

Returning to your pack, back at the turn off to Lake Holmes, head back across the rolling button grass plains towards the campsite at Lake Windermere. Camping amongst the Richea Pandanifloia, Eucalypts and many beautiful flowering endemic plants. Spend the afternoon relaxing, taking in the fabulous views and maybe a swim in the lake. Lake Windermere is also a great place to meet some of Tasmania's native animals.

Day 4: Lake Windermere / Pelion Plains (B, L, D) Walking time 7-hours

A wild day of moorlands and mountain views. In the morning, you will come across Pine Forest Moore, offering stark landscape and views east across the Forth River Valley to the heights of Mount Oakleigh and to todays destination, Pelion Plains, at its base. From undulating buttongrass vistas into the forested slopes of Mount Pelion West, the group will descend around the mountain to a popular lunch spot at Frog Flats. Surrounded on all sides by towering dolerite peaks, this is the head waters of the Forth River which spills off the plateau into the Lemonthyme Valley. In the afternoon, travel up onto Pelion Plains for marvelous views of fluted Mount Oakleigh and some of the biggest wombats the guides have seen in the park!!! The group will make camp near Douglas Creek.

Day 5: Pelion Plains / Kia Ora (B, L, D) Walking time 5-hours

Waking to the calls of several of Tasmania's native birds, most notably the Karrowong and Yellow Throated Wattle Bird - A spectacular day in the mountains!

Climb off Pelion Plains through beautiful green forests of Sassafras and Myrtles covered in rich mosses and lichens, as the group climbs up, you will start to come into Eucalypt forest, then before your eyes, the view opens up to revel Cathedral Mountain. To your left, Pelion East comes into view, followed by Mount Ossa on the right. There is time for a rest at the saddle (1113m) between Mount Pelion East and Mount Ossa (1617m). Mount Ossa, Tasmania's highest peak, is without a doubt the highlight of the Overland Track. In fine weather, there may be time to climb one of these peaks and perhaps even eat lunch at the top. With magnificent views in all directions, continue south into beautiful Pinestone Valley. Depending upon the day's activities, camp will be set up somewhere between here and Du Cane Hut, once the bush home of trapper Paddy Hartnett and his wife.

Day 6: Kia Ora / Windy Ridge (B, L, D) Walking time 4-hours

Wake up in your warm tent, nestled beneath the crags of the Cathedral Mountain and Mount Massif. After breakfast, the group will head off for a day surrounded by towering rainforests of Leatherwood and Sassafras trees, heading towards three of Tasmania's largest and most spectacular waterfalls. The first visited is Ferguson Falls, named after a former ranger at Lake St. Clair, followed by Dalton Falls. The third fall visited is Hartnett Falls, once again named after the eccentric bushman with the bowler hat, Paddy Hartnett. Hartnett Falls makes a great place to have lunch and relax in the afternoon sun, before returning to your pack and heading for Du Cane Gap and down into the rich Myrtle forests. The group will set up camp around Windy Ridge. This Valley is a great example of a U-shaped Glacier, coming down into this valley, you will notice large boulders just sitting there, these were moved slowly down the Valley by the last great ice age.


Day 7. Travel from Windy Ridge/ Lake St. Clair/ Launceston. Today we pack our backpacks for the final day on the track, which takes us through dry sclerophyll forest toward the shores of Lake St Clair. As we near the lake we can gaze up to the peaks of the Labyrinth and look forward to majestic Mount Olympus. We then catch a 30 minute ferry across Lake St Clair, the deepest natural lake in the southern hemisphere, providing a spectacular conclusion to our Overland Track Trek as we look back upon the mountains we've travelled through. After some time to inspect the visitor centre and indulge in a picnic lunch we board the bus for our return drive across Tasmania's Central Plateau to Launceston. You will be dropped off at your accommodation in Launceston at approximately 5pm.

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