In order to avoid ‘rush hour’ we elected to leave the city before
07:30hrs. To our great joy, the unseasonably warm and sunny weather of the past
four days was still holding. However, as the morning wore on, ominous dark
clouds rolled in from the west. Nonetheless, the scenery on route was stunning,
and we were treated to a chance encounter with an echidna – all caught on
video. On reaching the hotel at Cradle Mountain National Park, we
found ourselves being battered by a cold rain and a bitterly cold wind – which was
not entirely unexpected given the park is drenched in rain for 280+ days in the
year. Undeterred, we changed into warm hiking gear and proceeded directly to
Dove Lake, arriving just before noon.
Given the late hour and inclement weather we elected to go for a
short walk only to Wombat Pool. However, on arrival at the pool, the weather
seemed to clear a little so we elected to continue higher instead to Crater
Lake, with the intention of returning to the car park via the famous Overland
Track. However, on arrival at the lake, we could see patches of blue sky, and
the wind appeared to wane. We thus elected to hike up to Marions Lookout, with a
revised plan to then return to the car park via Marions Lookout Link Trial; a
steep but quick descent off the mountain. Lo and behold, on arrival at the
lookout, we now found ourselves blasted by a cold westerly wind, and pelted by
hail. This soon abated however, and so following a quick snack, we opted for a
forced march across the high plateau to Kitchen Hut, with the intention of
returning to the car park via the Face Track, which traverses Cradle Mountain
below the summit tower. That was the intention anyway….
Suffice to say, on arrival at Kitchen Hut, despite freezing
conditions, horizontal rain, and very slick conditions underfoot, I found
myself being ‘beckoned’ by the mountain now looming overhead. It was just
after 14:00hrs and so the dash for the summit had to be a fast one if we were
to get off the mountain before the last bus left the car park at 18:00hrs. I
thus left Astrid in the warm and safe confines of the Kitchen Hut and rushed
for the summit. After a short steep hike the route veers right across a large
boulder field to beneath the last tower. The route then points straight up over
a col. By then I was completely shrouded in cloud, which made route finding
very difficult. Thankfully, I chanced across another climber, and we quickly
agreed to complete the ascent together. 
On reaching the summit we took obligatory photos of the head stone and
each other before then beating a hasty retreat off the mountain – there was no
point hanging around given the zero visibility. However, as is often the case,
the descent was trickier than the ascent, but we nonetheless managed to make it
back to Kitchen Hut unscathed. Astrid and I then beat a retreat to the car
park, arriving at 16:45hrs, with arrival delayed a few minutes by a chance
encounter with a large wombat – our first in the wild!
After returning to the hotel, we showered and changed for the
evening meal, before then embarking on a group tour to visit the ‘Devils At
Cradle’ sanctuary to watch more Tasmanian Devils feasting on a fresh carcases – somewhat macabre, but entirely natural, and a
great delight! Seeing these guys playing tug-o-war with the carcass, all the
while growling and hissing through clenched teeth and attempting to bite each
other on the rump, was amazing. It was also incredible to see them devour the
entire carcass – including hide, bone and teeth! We then embarked on a night
time safari, catching sight of numerous wombats, wallabies, possums, and a very
rare encounter with a wild Devil! We returned to the Hotel at 23:15hrs
WHAT A DAY!!!!
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