Cradle Mountain National Park and the Overland Track

Cradle Mountain is the central feature to the Lake St Clair National Park, part of Tasmania’s World Heritage Listed Area.

Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park was listed as a World Heritage National Park in 1982 due to its unsurpassed natural beauty, its cultural significance and its unsurpassed pristine wilderness. The park features a vast array of natural and cultural features found to be of global significance.

Cradle Mountain National Park is home to Mt Ossa, Tasmania’s highest mountain. Made up of jagged Jurassic Dolerite peaks, it was named after the famous Mt Ossa in Greece, significant to Greek mythology.

Cradle Mountain rises to 1545m above sea level and is composed of Jurassic dolerite columns similar to other mountains in the area.

Cradle Mountain was named after its resemblance to a gold mining cradle. PHOTO

There are four named summits of Cradle Mountain –its highest being Cradle Mountain at 1545m, Smithies Peak 1527m, Weindorfers Tower 1459m and Little Horn 1355m above sea level.

Cradle Mountain – Lake St Clair National Park is home to Australia’s only deciduous tree – Nothofagus gunni, a Beech that is endemic to Tasmania and features a stunning Autumnal display from April to May. Most native Australian flora is evergreen!

The Cradle Mountain area shows geological evidence of three glacial stages over the last 2 million years. Lake St Clair, among other natural features such as the labyrinth of caves beneath the earth’s surface was formed partly by glacial processes.

A variety of rock types, landscapes and soils and a rich biodiversity of plants and animals found here are remnants belonging to the ancient supercontinents of Pangaea and Gondwana.

Lake St Clair is Australia’s deepest natural freshwater lake (167m) carved out by glacial periods over the last 2 million years.

http://cradlemountaintours.com.au/information/cradle-mountain-facts/