Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park is located in the
Central Highlands area of
Tasmania
)
, nickname =
, image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdi ...
(
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
), northwest of
Hobart
Hobart ( ; Nuennonne/Palawa kani: ''nipaluna'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Home to almost half of all Tasmanians, it is the least-populated Australian state capital city, and second-small ...
. The park contains many walking trails, and is where hikes along the well-known
Overland Track
The Overland Track is an Australian bushwalking track, traversing Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park, within the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. It's walked by more than nine thousand people each year, with numbers limited i ...
usually begin. Major features are
Cradle Mountain
Cradle Mountain is a locality and mountain in the Central Highlands region of the Australian state of Tasmania. The mountain is situated in the Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park.
At above sea level, it is the sixth-highest mountai ...
and Barn Bluff in the northern end,
Mount Pelion East
Mount Pelion East is a mountain located in the Central Highlands region of Tasmania, Australia. The mountain is situated within the Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park.
With an elevation of above sea level, the mountain is the 25 h ...
,
Mount Pelion West
Mount Pelion West is a mountain located in the Central Highlands region of Tasmania, Australia. The mountain is part of the Pelion Range and is situated within the Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park at the easternmost boundary of th ...
,
Mount Oakleigh
Mount Oakleigh is mountain in Tasmania.
Ascending
Mount Oakleigh is generally ascended from New Pelion Hut, which can be accessed from the Arm River Track or the Overland Track
The Overland Track is an Australian bushwalking track, trav ...
and
Mount Ossa in the middle and
Lake St Clair
Lake St. Clair (french: Lac Sainte-Claire) is a freshwater lake that lies between the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of Michigan. It was named in 1679 by French Catholic explorers after Saint Clare of Assisi, on whose feast da ...
in the southern end of the park. The park is part of the
Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area
The Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area, abbreviated to TWWHA, is a World Heritage Site in Tasmania, Australia. It is one of the largest conservation areas in Australia, covering , or almost 25% of Tasmania. It is also one of the last ex ...
.
History
Use by Aboriginal Nations
Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park lies on the boundary between the Big River and Northern
Tasmanian Aboriginal
The Aboriginal Tasmanians (Palawa kani: ''Palawa'' or ''Pakana'') are the Aboriginal people of the Australian island of Tasmania, located south of the mainland. For much of the 20th century, the Tasmanian Aboriginal people were widely, and ...
nations. Aboriginal use of the Cradle Mountain dates back to the last ice age (10,000 years ago) and is believed to have been non-permanent, consisting mostly of seasonal hunting excursions during the summer months. Several artifacts and campsites containing various stone types and tools have been discovered a
Pelion Plainsand
Lake St Clair
Lake St. Clair (french: Lac Sainte-Claire) is a freshwater lake that lies between the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of Michigan. It was named in 1679 by French Catholic explorers after Saint Clare of Assisi, on whose feast da ...
, and early surveyors reported huts in the area. Aboriginal Tasmanians were persecuted by the European settlers upon their arrival, and the last free Aboriginals in the area were seen between Barn Bluff and Lake Windemere in 1836.
Early European Development
Europeans first explored Cradle Mountain in 1827 and 1828 with
Joseph Fossey and
Henry Hellyer
Henry Hellyer (1790 – September 1832) was an English surveyor and architect who was one of the first explorers to visit the rugged interior of the north west of Tasmania, Australia and made the most comprehensive maps of the area up to that time ...
surveying for the
Van Diemen's Land Company
The Van Diemen's Land Company (also known as Van Dieman Land Company) is a farming corporation in the Australian state of Tasmania. It was founded in 1825 and received a royal charter the same year, and was granted 250,000 acres (1,000 km2) ...
. Lake St Clair was sighted by surveyor William Sharland in 1832, with
George Frankland
George Frankland (1800 – 30 December 1838) was an English surveyor and Surveyor-General of Van Diemen's Land (now Tasmania).
In 1823, Frankland was appointed surveyor-general at Poona, India, where he became acquainted with Edward Dum ...
leading an expedition to it three years later.
[
During the late 19th century there was an effort to build a railway to the west coast of Tasmania, which at the time was only accessible by boat. Railway engineer Allan Stewart began surveying a route which led up the ]Mersey Valley
The River Mersey () is in North West England. Its name derives from Old English and means "boundary river", possibly referring to its having been a border between the ancient kingdoms of Mercia and Northumbria. For centuries it has formed par ...
, but ran out of money before it could be completed. Parts of his trail were used by the Innes track (est. 1897), which led to the mining town of Rosebery.[
These tracks encouraged prospecting, and several mines were set up including coal near Barn Bluff, copper in Pelion Plains, Lake Windemere and Commonwealth Creek, tin in Mount Inglis, and tungsten in the Forth Valley. Lake Windemere and Old Pelion huts were established during this mining effort.][
Trappers worked in the area from the 1860s until the collapse of the ]fur trade
The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of a world fur market in the early modern period, furs of boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals have been the mos ...
in the 1950s, although hunting in the park was declared illegal after 1927. They established huts, including Du Cane and Pine Valley, and burned the land to encourage fresh growth and game.[
During the same timeframe Pelion Plains was used by sheep and cattle for grazing in the summer, and wild cattle lived in the area until 1948. The cattle were reportedly quite aggressive, and known to attack early bushwalkers.][
]
Environmental Protection and Tourism
Both Lake St Clair and Cradle Mountain were regarded by European settlers as attractive destinations, with tourist lodges at each location.[
In the 1910s ]Gustav
Gustav, Gustaf or Gustave may refer to:
*Gustav (name), a male given name of Old Swedish origin
Art, entertainment, and media
* ''Primeval'' (film), a 2007 American horror film
* ''Gustav'' (film series), a Hungarian series of animated short cart ...
and Kate Cowle
Kate Julia Cowle (19 July 1863 – 29 April 1916) was the Australian first recorded female to trek to the top of Cradle Mountain, Tasmania, in 1910. A pioneering naturalist and conservationist, she summited the mountain along with her fellow clim ...
began campaigning for the area from Cradle Mountain to Lake St Clair to be a national park. It was declared a scenic reserve in 1922, a wildlife reserve in 1927 and its current designation of national park from 1947. During this transition, former trappers began building huts and guiding bushwalkers, including Paddy Hartnett, Weindorfer and Bob Quaile.
In the 1970s management of the park passed to the newly formed Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service
Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service is the government body responsible for protected areas of Tasmania on public land, such as national parks, historic sites and regional reserves. Historically it has also had responsibility for managing wildli ...
after the controversial flooding of Lake Pedder
Lake Pedder, once a glacial outwash lake, is a man-made impoundment and diversion lake located in the southwest of Tasmania, Australia. In addition to its natural catchment from the Frankland Range, the lake is formed by the 1972 damming of the ...
.[
]
Access
Access from the south (Lake St. Clair) is usually from Derwent Bridge
Derwent Bridge is a rural locality in the local government area (LGA) of Central Highlands in the Central LGA region of Tasmania. The locality is about north-west of the town of Hamilton. The 2016 census has a population of 23 for the stat ...
on the Lyell Highway
The Lyell Highway (Route A10) is a highway in Tasmania, running from Hobart to Queenstown.
It is the one of two transport routes that passes through the West Coast Range, the other being the Anthony Road.
Name
The name is derived from ...
. Northern access (Cradle Valley) is usually via Sheffield
Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is Historic counties o ...
, Wilmot Wilmot may refer to:
Places Australia
*Division of Wilmot, an abolished Australian Electoral Division in Tasmania
* Wilmot, Tasmania, a locality in the North-West Region
Canada
*Wilmot, Nova Scotia, an unincorporated rural community and former t ...
or Mole Creek. A less frequently used entrance is via the Arm River Track, from the east.
Usage fee
In 2005, the Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife Service introduced a booking system and fee for use of the Overland Track over peak periods. Initially the fee was $100, but this was raised to $150 in 2007, and as at August 2011 is $180. The money that is collected is used to finance the park ranger organisation, track maintenance, building of new facilities and rental of helicopter transport to remove waste from the toilets at the huts in the park.
Development
The Tasmanian Government
The Tasmanian Government is the democratic administrative authority of the state of Tasmania, Australia. The leader of the party or coalition with the confidence of the House of Assembly, the lower house of the Parliament of Tasmania, is invite ...
has moved to allow development in national parks and conservations areas. An 'In principle' permit has been granted for the establishment of an 'eco-friendly' resort at Pumphouse Point at Lake St Clair.
Climate
Biodiversity
The Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park is a significant location of Tasmania's endemic species — 40–55% of the park's documented alpine flora Alpine flora may refer to:
* Alpine tundra, a community of plants that live at high altitude
* Alpine plant
Alpine plants are plants that grow in an alpine climate, which occurs at high elevation and above the tree line. There are many different pl ...
is endemic. Furthermore, 68% of the higher rainforest species recorded in alpine areas in Tasmania are present in the Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park. The park's alpine vegetation is very diverse and has largely escaped forest fires that have caused neighbouring regions to suffer.
Animals present in the park include: Tasmanian pademelon
The Tasmanian pademelon (''Thylogale billardierii''), also known as the rufous-bellied pademelon or red-bellied pademelon, is the sole species of pademelon found in Tasmania, and was formerly found throughout southeastern Australia. This pademelo ...
s, Bennett's wallabies, quoll
Quolls (; genus ''Dasyurus'') are carnivorous marsupials native to Australia and New Guinea. They are primarily nocturnal and spend most of the day in a den. Of the six species of quoll, four are found in Australia and two in New Guinea. Anoth ...
s, Tasmanian devil
The Tasmanian devil (''Sarcophilus harrisii'') (palawa kani: purinina) is a carnivorous marsupial of the family Dasyuridae. Until recently, it was only found on the island state of Tasmania, but it has been reintroduced to New South Wales in ...
s, short-beaked echidna
The short-beaked echidna (''Tachyglossus aculeatus''), also called the short-nosed echidna, is one of four living species of echidna and the only member of the genus ''Tachyglossus''. It is covered in fur and spines and has a distinctive snou ...
s, platypus
The platypus (''Ornithorhynchus anatinus''), sometimes referred to as the duck-billed platypus, is a semiaquatic, egg-laying mammal Endemic (ecology), endemic to Eastern states of Australia, eastern Australia, including Tasmania. The platypu ...
es, common wombat
The common wombat (''Vombatus ursinus''), also known as the coarse-haired wombat or bare-nosed wombat, is a marsupial, one of three extant species of wombats and the only one in the genus ''Vombatus''. The common wombat grows to an average of lo ...
s, possums, forest raven
The forest raven (''Corvus tasmanicus''), also commonly known as the Tasmanian raven, is a passerine bird in the family Corvidae native to Tasmania and parts of southern Victoria, such as Wilsons Promontory and Portland. Populations are also fo ...
s and currawong
Currawongs are three species of medium-sized passerine birds belonging to the genus ''Strepera'' in the family Artamidae native to Australia. These are the grey currawong (''Strepera versicolor''), pied currawong (''S. graculina''), and black ...
s.
Birds
The park has been identified as an Important Bird Area
An Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) is an area identified using an internationally agreed set of criteria as being globally important for the conservation of bird populations.
IBA was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife Int ...
(IBA) because it provides habitat for 11 of Tasmania's endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...
bird species, as well as for the flame
A flame (from Latin ''flamma'') is the visible, gaseous part of a fire. It is caused by a highly exothermic chemical reaction taking place in a thin zone. When flames are hot enough to have ionized gaseous components of sufficient density they ...
and pink robin
The pink robin (''Petroica rodinogaster'') is a small passerine bird native to southeastern Australia. Its natural habitats are cool temperate forests of far southeastern Australia. Like many brightly coloured robins of the family Petroicidae, it ...
s and the striated fieldwren
The striated fieldwren (''Calamanthus fuliginosus'') is a species of bird in the family Acanthizidae, endemic to Australia.
Description
The striated fieldwren is a small bird, 140mm in size. It is light brown and olive-colored, with a white st ...
. The IBA is important as a representative protected area in north-central Tasmania for those species.
Fungi
Fungi are also a part of the Park's biodiversity. While th
Management Plan for Cradle Mountain–Lake St Clair National Park
only mentions fungi in the context of their destructive effects (''Phytophthora cinnamomi'' and ''Chalara australis''), the Park has a great variety of fungi that perform beneficial ecological roles. In fact, most fungi perform positive rather than negative roles. Even parasitic fungi – often regarded only negatively – are a vital part of healthy ecosystems, regulating ecosystem functions.
As primary recyclers of organic matter, saprobic fungi break down fallen branches and leaf litter, making vital nutrients available to other organisms. Other fungi form symbiotic relationships with other organisms. Although rarely acknowledged, the great majority of plants in Cradle Mountain–Lake St Clair National Park (indeed in the world) form mutually beneficial mycorrhiza
A mycorrhiza (from Greek μύκης ', "fungus", and ῥίζα ', "root"; pl. mycorrhizae, mycorrhiza or mycorrhizas) is a symbiotic association between a fungus and a plant. The term mycorrhiza refers to the role of the fungus in the plant ...
l relationships with fungi.
Given the great diversity of plants, specialist habitats and micro-climates in the park, a great diversity of fungi, including lichens, is also expected to occur there. Several hundred species have already been recorded by field naturalists and interested individuals and can be found in th
Atlas of Living Australia.
Despite their essential roles in underpinning terrestrial ecosystems, fungi are barely recognised as a vital part of Australia's biodiversity. Although Australia has national and state level biodiversity conservation strategies and has ratified international conventions, most overlook fungi, includin
Tasmania's Natural Heritage Strategy
which only makes one generic reference to fungi.
One of the more a conspicuous species found in the wetter parts of the park is the strawberry bracket fungus ('' Tyromyces pulcherrimus''). It grows on myrtle beech (''Nothofagus cunninghammii'') and snow gums. The Australian citizen-science organisation
Fungimap
is documenting and mapping the distribution of fungi including those that occur in National Parks. '' Cortinarius metallicus'' is a mycorrhizal species also found in the park.
In film
This area was used to film scenes for the prehistoric life documentaries ''Walking with Dinosaurs
''Walking with Dinosaurs'' is a 1999 six-part nature documentary television miniseries created by Tim Haines and produced by the BBC Science Unit the Discovery Channel and BBC Worldwide, in association with TV Asahi, ProSieben and France 3. Envi ...
'' and '' When Dinosaurs Roamed America''.
See also
* Gustav Weindorfer
Gustav Weindorfer (23 February 1874 – 5 May 1932) was an Austrian-born Australian amateur botanist, lodge-keeper and promoter of the Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park, Cradle Mountains National Park.
Early years
Weindorfer was born i ...
* Protected areas of Tasmania
Protected areas of Tasmania consist of protected areas located within Tasmania and its immediate onshore waters, including Macquarie Island. It includes areas of crown land (withheld land) managed by Tasmanian Government agencies as well as priv ...
References
Further reading
* Chapman, John, Monica Chapman and John Siseman (2006) ''Cradle Mountain, Lake St Clair and Walls of Jerusalem National Parks'' 5th ed. Laburnum, Vic. : J. Chapman.
External links
Tasmania's Parks and Wildlife Service page about Lake St. Clair
Tasmania's Parks and Wildlife Service page about Cradle Mountain
UNESCO's World Heritage List web page for the Tasmanian Wilderness
An article touching on the park's flora
{{Authority control
Central Highlands (Tasmania)
National parks of Tasmania
Protected areas established in 1922
Wilderness areas of Tasmania
1922 establishments in Australia
Important Bird Areas of Tasmania
Meander Valley Council