Discover 11 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area (Australia). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Sarah Island, Dove Lake, and Mount Ossa. Also, be sure to include New Pelion Hut in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area (Tasmania).
Table of Contents
Sarah Island
Historical landmark in Southwest, Australia. The Macquarie Harbour Penal Station, a former British colonial penal settlement, established on Sarah Island, Macquarie Harbour, in the former colony of Van Diemen's Land, now Tasmania, operated between 1822 and 1833. The settlement housed male convicts, with a small number of women housed on a nearby island. During its 11 years of operation, the penal colony achieved a reputation as one of the harshest penal settlements in the Australian colonies. The formal penal station is located on the eight-hectare Sarah Island that now operates as an historic site under the direction of the Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service.[1]
Dove Lake
Lake in Australia. Dove Lake is a corrie lake near Cradle Mountain in the central highlands region of Tasmania, Australia. It lies in the Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park. The lake is a very popular visitor attraction and is encircled by well maintained walking paths which also lead up onto Cradle Mountain. It was named by prominent local Gustav Weindorfer after an official of the Van Diemen's Land Company.
Like several other lakes in the region, Lake Dove was formed by glaciation. The habitat is unique and includes the Tasmanian deciduous beech (Nothofagus gunnii), tussock grasses, snow gums and pencil pines. Among animals wandering the shores of the lake are numerous wombats, echidnas, pademelons and tiger snakes.[2]
Mount Ossa
Mountain in Australia. Mount Ossa is the highest mountain in Tasmania, with a summit elevation of 1,617 metres above sea level. It makes up part of the Pelion Range within Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park in the Central Highlands region of Tasmania, Australia.
It was first surveyed by Europeans in the 1860s, and confirmed to be the state's high point in 1954.
Like most peaks in the area it is capped with Jurassic dolerite.[3]
New Pelion Hut
Alpine hut in Cradle Mountain, Australia. New Pelion Hut is the largest alpine hut in the Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park in the Central Highlands of Tasmania, Australia[4]
Waterfall Valley Hut
Camp in Cradle Mountain, Australia. Waterfall Valley Hut is located in the Cradle Mountain National Park, Tasmania, Australia. It is the most northerly of six overnight huts located along the Overland Track. The current rendition of the hut was opened in 2020. It sleeps up to 34 people across three different rooms. There is also a fourth room which houses tables and bench seats for cooking and eating, and a wet area for leaving gear. It is heated by a small gas heater.[5]
Narcissus Hut
Alpine hut in Lake Saint Clair, Australia. Narcissus Hut is an alpine hut located in the Central Highlands of Tasmania. It was first built in 1935 and rebuilt in 1963 after being burnt down. The hut was renovated in 2015, when a new sheltered deck was constructed on the eastern side, along with paintwork.
Narcissus Hut is located at the northern end of Lake St Clair, on the Overland Track, right beside the Narcissus River.[6]
Lake St Clair
Lake in Australia. Lake St Clair or leeawulenna is a natural freshwater lake located in the Central Highlands area of Tasmania, Australia. The lake forms the southern end of the Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park. It has an area of approximately 45 square kilometres, and a maximum depth of 215 metres, making it Australia's deepest lake.
The lake is fed by Narcissus River, Cuvier River, and Hamilton Creek and marks the start of the River Derwent.
The locality of Lake St Clair is in the local government areas of Central Highlands (24%), Meander Valley (12%), and West Coast (64%), in Tasmania. The southern end of the lake is about 106 kilometres (66 mi) north-west of the town of Hamilton.[7]
Gordon Dam
Dam in Southwest, Australia. The Gordon Dam, also known as the Gordon River Dam, is a major gated double curvature concrete arch dam with a controlled spillway across the Gordon River, located in South West Tasmania, Australia. The impounded reservoir is called Lake Gordon.
The dam was constructed in 1974 by the Hydro Electric Corporation (TAS) for the purpose of generating hydro-electric power via the conventional Gordon Power Station located below the dam wall.[8]
Address: Gordon River Road, 7001 Strathgordon
Cradle Mountain
Mountain in Australia. 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 1,545 metres (5,069 ft) above sea level, it is the sixth-highest mountain in Tasmania.
The locality of Cradle Mountain is a rural locality in the local government areas of Meander Valley, Kentish and West Coast in the Launceston and North-west and west local government regions of Tasmania. The locality is about 109 kilometres (68 mi) west of the town of Westbury. The 2016 census has a population of 66 for the state suburb of Cradle Mountain. Cradle Mountain was gazetted as a locality in 1966. Cradle Mountain (the mountain) occupies a small area in the north-west of the locality, which occupies the northern half of Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park. Route C132 (Cradle Mountain Road / Dove Lake Road) enters from the north and runs south to Dove Lake, where it ends.[9]
Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park
Park in Australia. Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park is located in the Central Highlands area of Tasmania, 165 kilometres northwest of Hobart. The park contains many walking trails, and is where hikes along the well-known Overland Track usually begin. Major features are Cradle Mountain and Barn Bluff in the northern end, Mount Pelion East, Mount Pelion West, Mount Oakleigh and Mount Ossa in the middle and Lake St Clair in the southern end of the park. The park is part of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area.[10]
Barn Bluff
Mountain in Australia. Barn Bluff is a mountain located in the Central Highlands region of Tasmania, Australia. The mountain is situated in the Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park at the junction of the easternmost points of the Murchison and Mackintosh river catchments.
At 1,559 metres (5,115 ft) above sea level it is the fourth highest mountain in Tasmania, exceeding the height of the more famous Cradle Mountain by 14 metres (46 ft).
The Barn Bluff is frequently snow-covered, sometimes even in summer. This mountain is perhaps the most prominent peak of the Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park and is visible from most areas and stands on its own, well away from other peaks. It is a popular venue for bushwalkers and mountain climbers, accessible via a side trip from the Overland Track. The path is moderate to difficult and has very steep sections, with boulder scrambling toward summit. The route is marked by cairns.
The mountain was formed by glacial action and erosion and is characterised, for the most part, by the dolerite slabs and boulders typical of the alpine regions of the state. Many of the summits in Tasmania are rather obscure tors perched only slightly higher than the alpine plateau on which they sit. Barn Bluff, like Cradle Mountain, presents a classic summit. The mountain's nearest neighbours are quite distant and, therefore, the 360-degree panorama from the summit is uninterrupted and spectacular.[11]