Penguin Cradle Trail

A Walk with Variety

Tasmania has become the bushwalking Mecca of Australia. Most walkers intent on an extended walk head for the Overland Track through the Cradle Mountain/Lake St Clair National Park. This has led to the problems of overcrowding and overuse.

For those seeking a quieter time and a more challenging bushwalk with different but still beautiful Tasmanian scenery, the North West Walking Club has developed the Penguin Cradle Trail. The complete walk is over a distance of 76km, and it is recommended that a party allow five to seven days for the trip. Crossroads provide access at a few points, allowing shorter sections to be explored. The Trail starts at the coast, and takes you though some rural areas and much seemingly untouched open woodland and rainforest. Combine these with rugged mountain ranges, a canyon with a wild river running through it and some idyllic lakes with vistas of snow capped peaks. Add waterfalls, ancient conifers, wildflowers and clean water with your lungs ventilated by Tasmania’s standard air quality, the purest in Australia, and you have a bushwalk featuring some of the best experiences available in Tasmania. Quiet campsites ensure that “million miles from care” feeling.

THE DIAL RANGE

The Trail starts just outside the coastal town of Penguin and mostly follows creeks and the Leven River through the Dial Range. There are occasional crests to provide views. Vegetation alternates between open woodland and rainforest. Along this section of the Leven River, the water is deep, slow-moving and peaceful. After a night of rain, the River may rise a metre or so, making it a truly wild river. Side trips (listed separately) make for spectacular deviations and provide vistas of coast and rolling farmland beyond the Range. A variety of wildflowers such as pink or white epacris can be found along the track on wooded slopes and manferns and batwing ferns line rainforest gullies.

FROM GUNNS PLAINS to LEVEN CANYON

Gunns Plains is a verdant dairy and hopgrowing area set in a small enclosed valley. The Plains feature an extensive limestone cave system, part of which is developed for public inspection. South of Gunns Plains, the Leven River takes on a wild character. The Trail narrows as it enters rainforest in the steep Leven valley. The walk follows the course of the River, sometimes along its banks, sometimes rising to provide views of the Leven. Along the way, there are many tempting waterholes, and a side trip to a waterfall. The major rise in the Trail is to pass around the Leven Canyon; it provides excellent views of Black Bluff and the timbered ridge of the Loongana Range. A short side trip off the Penguin Cradle Trail allows you to look down into the Leven Canyon itself. This is one of the spectacles of the walk, a deep chasm carved by the Leven River through the Loongana Range.

BLACK BLUFF AND THE BLACK BLUFF RANGE

South of the Canyon, the Trail continues to follow the Leven River, but now it goes past patches of farmland until it reaches the climb up Black Bluff. The ascent of the Bluff heralds a complete change of scenery. Paddys Lake is set picturesquely under the summit block of the mountain and is edged by Tasmanian conifers. After the Lake, the predominant subalpine heathland is open, allowing for easy walking through seasonal wildflowers such as boronia and richea. Progressing along the Range, panoramic views of the North West Coast slowly disappear as the mountains of the Overland Track come closer. The viewfield takes in the rugged West Coast ranges and the Vale of Belvoir.

MOUNT BEECROFT TO CRADLE MOUNTAIN

The final destination has been in view for some time along the Black Bluff Range, but you lose sight of it as the Trail descends from Mt Beecroft. The Penguin Cradle Trail once more enters a world of valleys, waterfalls and interesting vegetation. Groves of pandani are passed, and the way is made through rainforest of myrtle and King Billy pine. The last section of the Trail is along a well-used track to the Cradle Mountain Lodge.

Wonderful recreation, delights for the eye, peace to sooth a furrowed brow and nourishment for the soul. What more could anyone desire! Come along and see for yourself.