National Parks of
Tasmania
Talk to anyone who has been
and they'll say one of Tasmania's
highlights is the untouched wilderness
of its extraordinary national parks.
Between them, the differences that
set them apart is the perfect reason
why you must visit them all! Here's
a taste of what you'll encounter.
Cradle Mountain National
Park
In the north west of Tasmania and home
to Cradle Mountain, Dove Lake and Lake
St Clair, Cradle Mountain National Park
has a rich Aboriginal heritage dating
back to the last ice age (approximately
10,000 years ago). It is also home to early
European heritage including hunting,
mining and logging.
This region features the jagged contours
of Cradle Mountain reflecting the feel of
a wild landscape, while ancient rainforest
and alpine heathlands, buttongrass and
colourful deciduous beech trees provide
a range of environments to explore.
Icy streams cascade out of rugged
mountains, while stands of ancient pines
are mirrored in the still waters of glacial
lakes.
Rich in flora and fauna, the vegetation
varies from rainforest to grassland
providing habitats for endemic Tasmanian
mammals, birds and invertebrates.
The area is home to the world's largest
carnivorous marsupials including the
Tasmanian devil, the spotted-tailed quoll
and the eastern quoll. Two of the world's
only three surviving monotremes – the
most primitive group of mammals in the
world – are also found in the area, the
platypus and the echidna.
Seek joy and
inspiration amidst
the grandeur of
nature, and refuge
from an increasingly
artificial world.
Explorer Magazine | 2
