Weeks ago, one of my Melbourne hostel mates raved about hiking Cradle Mountain in Tasmania. When he showed me photos on his iPad, I knew it was something I had to make time for while in Tassie. This view wooed me:

(Taken on my iPhone / from my Instagram feed — username: AsHerWorldTurns)

So immediately after leaving my beloved host family in Cygnet, I hop on a bus to Hobart and then another bus several hours north to Launceston (affectionately dubbed “Lonnie” by the locals). I’m all set for a day trip to Cradle Mountain when I get bad news: another couple scheduled for my tour has to cancel because their flight is delayed. Since I’m the only other person signed up, the company has to call it off. But they are very helpful in their efforts to find me another tour option.

I place several calls that night and a few more bright and early the next morning. I eventually contact Mike’s Eco Tours, which is owned and operated by Mike himself. He happens to be free that day and an hour later he picks me up at the hostel. Another girl asks if she can join too, which drops the per person cost. Crisis averted: I am going to Cradle Mountain after all!

Our first stop is in Sheffield, the Town of Murals. I was expecting more but it’s just a quiet main street where we pick up a picnic lunch to eat during our hike later.

We wind our way to the trailhead for Cradle Mountain. A long stretch of the road is only wide enough for one car, but there are bays to pull in and let oncoming vehicles pass. Drivers dial into a specific radio frequency to report their location and keep an ear out for others headed towards them.

Here’s our rag-tag group — myself, Mike, and the other girl from the hostel (shoot, now I can’t remember her name!).

It’s a wombat! I love these creatures unabashedly.

The first leg of the hike is fairly straightforward.

We got a late start this morning and most groups are already passing us on their way back downhill to the car park. But I’m glad to witness the golden afternoon light striking the hillside as we climb.

This is picturesque Dove Lake.

Dove Lake is about 3,000 feet above sea level and it’s the early stage of winter, so portions of the trail are marked by ice and even a little snow. These tiny leaves are covered in frost:

We are headed to Marion’s Lookout, which is a little over 4,000 feet in elevation. The very top of Cradle Mountain rises to 5,000 feet.

Up we go…

My unnamed hostel mate poses with Dove Lake in the background.

What a view…! And we still have a ways to go.

Our first glimpse of the peaks of Cradle Mountain…

Here’s Mike of Mike’s Eco Tours. I wish I could find a link to his site, but a Google search yields no results. Since he’s such a small company with a ubiquitous name I’m not sure how to find him. But if you are in Launceston just ask at a hostel or hotel and they should have a flier or contact info.

This… this is the reason I am here. Stunning!

That’s Lake St. Claire below. We’ll head down there around sunset before going back to Launceston.

The panoramic view:

We eat our lunch perched at this vantage point.

I’m showing off my Scottevest jacket in the photo above — I wear it constantly. It has pockets for everything and is lightweight but warm when paired with a fleece. It’s the Molly Jacket and I love it.

Shortly thereafter we begin our descent back to the car park. If it’s possible, the waning sunlight is even prettier.

Colorful berries dot the trailside.

There’s some of the snow I mentioned earlier:

We drive a few minutes to Lake St. Claire as the sun sets behind mountains in the distance.

The lake looks like liquid gold in the setting sunlight.

Mike points out the area we covered today.

It happens to be the night of the supermoon. Super indeed!

In retrospect, I wish I’d planned to do the entire Cradle Mountain loop, which takes about 6.5 hours and is fairly strenuous. Going to Marion’s Point was a tease — it made me want to reach the summit. Next time…

Mike pointed out that in winter this area can look like a magical wonderland. Here’s a photo:

[image via]

So those conditions might be rough to climb in, but from a photography stand point it’d be pretty spectacular.