Commencing from the car park at Dove Lake, follow the boardwalk past fields of button grass, Lake Lilla and Wombat Lake, before heading up the side of the crater wall. The climb is reasonably easy, on a well-graded gravel track, with only a few steep sections.

Waterfalls
Lookouts
Bird Watching
Toilets
Rainforest
Swamp or Wetland

Getting there

Use the free shuttle bus to get to the Ronny Creek carpark.

Maps

TasMaps produces a topographic map of the area or use the free tourist map from the visitor centre.

Route/Trail notes

Follow the boardwalk beside Ronny Creek to the bridge. Cross the bridge and take the track straight ahead towards Crater Lake. As you start to climb ignore the turnoff to the Horse Track.

About halfway to Crater Lake the terrain changes completely, and you enter a section of dense, wet rainforest growing along Crater Creek. Following raised boardwalks above the forest floor, the track climbs up the side of the creek, taking you within a few metres of moss-covered waterfalls and rockpools at Crater Falls.

Leaving the rainforest you complete the last section of the climb to Crater Lake, with its dark waters and steep walls carved by glacial ice. There is an old boathouse at the north end of the lake, a good place to shelter in bad weather.

Follow the path alongside the lake while you climb to the saddle between Marions Lookout and Wombat Peak. At the intersection turn left down the Wombat track which will take you past Wombat Pool and Lake Lilla. When you reach the Lake Lilla Track you can either turn right to return to the Dove Lake carpark or left back to Ronny Creek.

Permits/Costs

A National Park Pass is required for all walks at Cradle Mountain and provides free travel on the shuttle bus. The visitor centre sells the passes and will advise on the best pass for your trip.

Other References

https://parks.tas.gov.au/explore-our-parks/cradle-mountain/crater-lake

GPS Tracks

  • No GPS available for this walk yet.

Comments

Very enjoyable walk, windy at top.

Pi on 16 Oct, 2021

A beautiful setting, great walking track, saw a tiger snake along the way :-)

Tina on 14 Apr, 2019

A picturesque walk with amazing landscapes and a few challenges on the way round.

Annie on Feb, 2019

Explored this on way back from Marions Lookout. Walked to the boatshed on edge where you then can view Ronney Carpark. tracked back to Dove Lake carpark

J on 9 Aug, 2016

Well work the walk! Amazing from the air as well.

Laura on 10 Apr, 2016

Where

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