Although it’s a mere 90 miles (145 kilometers) from busy Launceston, Cradle Mountain is a different world. A mix of easy accessibility and natural wilderness is what makes Cradle Mountain and the rest of the Cradle Mountain/Lake St Clair National Park so well-liked with the thousands of visitors who come here each year. As isolated as it feels, this amazing World Heritage wilderness offers visitors their selection of Cradle Mountain accommodation, from a quiet but comfortable cabin to a sumptuously appointed lodge.

One of the main drawcards of Cradle Mountain is the challenging Overland Track. This winding, sometimes tough journey of 40 miles (65km) takes you over and around soaring dolomite cliffs, across ice cold glacial streams and through well-preserved wilderness teeming with Tasmania’s unique flora and fauna. The trip begins at Cradle Mountain itself and finishes on the magnificent Lake St Clair. Over the years, word about the Overland Track has spread by word of mouth until today; it is one of the world’s most well-known treks. In order to protect the environment and ensure that the region is preserved for generations to come, the Australian Parks and Wildlife Service, along with its Tasmanian counterpart has taken measures to minimize the potential threat hikers cause on the sensitive environment surrounding the Overland Track.

The dolerite cliff faces around Cradle Mountain act like a magnet, attracting rock climbing fans from across the world. Mt. Ossa, which stands almost a mile above sea level, offers difficult climbs to even expert rock climbers. Many of these climbers, having traveled a huge number of miles to take on the challenges offered by Tasmania’s highest mountain peak, then move on towards the Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park and tackle the even more difficult climbs of Frenchman’s Gap.

While Mt. Ossa is Tasmania’s highest mountain, Lake St. Clair is Australia’s deepest lake. It is estimated that the movement of glaciers over a period of two million years is the reason for carving out this 623 foot (190 meters) deep lake – the source of the Derwent River. Lake St. Clair is the reward for hikers to the Overland Track. Once they finally reach their destination, they can make a choice from living in the lap of luxury in one of the lodges round the lake or camping out in among the well-appointed campgrounds. Many tourists to Lake St. Clair arrive by car and spend their days fishing for the trout that populate its pristine waters. As they are doing with the Overland Track, park authorities control use of the lake, in order to reduce human impact and protect stocks of fish.

If you don’t want to fish, but wish to take advantage of the spectacular scenery from the water, you might take the popular ferry trip across the 11 mile (18km) length of the lake. Many visitors to the area are so mesmerized by its beauty they do very little at all apart from absorb the view from as many perspectives as possible, from land or from the placid waters of Lake St Clair.

There is a motto that Tasmania’s tourist bureau uses in its ad campaign: “Tasmania: A world apart, not a world away.” This really is true of all Tasmania, but it is very true of Cradle Mountain, Tasmania. Even though it’s so near a significant metropolitan area, the moment you arrive there, you feel like you’re in “a world apart.” Time stands still as you gaze upon the same undamaged vistas the aboriginals enjoyed thousands of years ago. After you have experienced it in person, you will always remember it. Cradle Mountain, Tasmania could even change your life.