Lake St Clair, Cradle Mountain & Walls of Jerusalem Walk

• 1-night at Hotel Grand Chancellor Launceston
• 3-nights in the Wilderness guess rooms at Lake St Clair Lodge
• 3-nights in Pencil Pine cabins at Peppers Cradle Mountain Lodge  
• 3 x two-course a lá Carte dinners at the Highland Restaurant including local wines at Peppers Cradle Mountain Lodge 
• 3 x two-course a lá Carte dinners served with local wines at Organic Restaurant, Lake St Clair Lodge 
• 7 x buffet breakfasts  
• 7 x Walkers lunches with fresh fruit and trail mix  
• Helicopter flight over Dove Lake and Cradle Mountain
• Tea and coffee served on the trail each day 
• Ferry from Cynthia Bay to beginning of your walk on day four. 
• Transfers to and from Launceston 
• Transfers to the trails 
• 2 x friendly and experienced guides. 
• Option for an Airport drop off 
• National Park Pass which includes shuttle bus transport for the Cradle Mountain hikes 

DEPARTURE TIME: 7:30am 

TRANSFERS: Morning: 3-hour transfer from Launceston to Lake St Clair.

WALK GRADE: 5.4kms / EASY GRADE / 1.5hrs of walking 

ITINERARY: At 7:30am you’ll meet your guides and the rest of the group in the hotel lobby at the Grand Chancellor Launceston for a beautiful scenic drive west to your accommodation for the next three nights at Lake St Clair Lodge. On arriving at Lake St Clair we’ll enjoy a peaceful walk along the Aboriginal Cultural track where you will learn about the indigenous that once occupied the area. The track then merges onto the Watersmeet track and then onto the Platypus loop where hopefully you’ll spot some active Platypus swimming in the rivers and lake. A lovely figure eight loop walk. Once back at the Lodge after checking in we’ll meet for dinner at the Organic Restaurant for a two course a lá carte meal served with local Tasmanian wines. 

TRANSFERS: 15-25 minute ferry ride depending on your choice of walk 

WALK GRADE: Narcissus Hut – Cynthia Bay / 17kms / MEDIUM-HARD GRADE / 6-7hours walkingwith breaks. Good level of fitness required.Echo Point Hut – Cynthia Bay / 11kms / MEDIUM GRADE / 3-4 hours walkingwith breaks. Medium to good level of fitness required  

ITINERARY: Enjoy buffet breakfast at the Restaurant before meeting at the jetty for our morning transfer across the Lake. The scenic ferry ride gives great views of tall dolerite cliffs and the five surrounding Mountains that look down onto the deep blue lake. You have the option today to walk either route, both enjoying the dense forest that skirts the edge of Lake St Clair. This section of trail is the final stage of the Overland Track and passes through lush lichen and moss covered forest of Sassafras and Beech Myrtle. If you’ve started your walk from Narcissus Hut, we’ll enjoy lunch at the Echo Point Hut where views out over the lake and Mt Ida can be enjoyed. If you choose the shorter option from Echo Point, your guide will find a lovely opening with tree seating to enjoy your picnic lunch before crossing over the Watersmeet Bridge and back to the Lodge. An afternoon of rest can be enjoyed before meeting for our final dinner at Organic Restaurant. Another delightful meal served with local Tasmanian wines. 

TRANSFERS: Morning: 15–minute transfer from accommodation to trail head. Afternoon: 15-minute transfer from end of walk to accommodation. 

FLEXABLE WALKING: Main walk: 10.2km / MEDIUM-HARD GRADE / 6-7 hours walkingwith breaks. A good level of fitness required, some scrambling involved madeeasy with the assistance of chains. Optional Cradle Summit: Total kilometres including summit 12.2km / HARDGRADE / excellent level of fitness required. The summit involves rockclimbing, boulder hopping and scrambling. 

ITINERARY: Enjoy a buffet breakfast at your accommodation before setting out on today’s hike. Starting off on the famous Overland Track we’ll climb up through pockets of thick, damp myrtle forest past the attractive Crater Falls to Crater Lake. The track skirts the edge of the picturesque lake before opening out onto a ridge crest giving you commanding views of Crater Lake surrounded by steep forbidding cliffs. From here some fixed chains will assist you to climb up the rocky outcrop to Marions Lookout. The lookout provides impressive views of Cradle Mountain and the many peaks beyond. Past Marions Lookout we’ll walk the steady mix of boardwalk and rocky alpine trail towards Kitchen Hut along the exposed Cradle Plateau, a rocky region sparsely covered with stunted vegetation. Reaching Kitchen Hut we’ll enjoy lunch sitting at the base of the iconic Cradle Mountain and from here guests will have the option to summit Cradle while the rest of the group will make their way down the Horse track. This hidden gem, traverse’s alpine moors and follows a pristine shallow rocky creek then climbs gently to enjoy uninterrupted views from Crater Peak before descending back to Ronnie Creek. A short 15-minute transfer will take us back to our accommodation. Dinner again will be enjoyed at The Highland Restaurant for another two-course a lá carte meal served with Tassie wines. 

CRADLE MOUNTAIN SUMMIT OPTION: Weather permitting, if you are up for the challenge, one of our guides will lead the hike to the summit. Adding an extra 2-3hours onto today’s walk, the summit track involves scrambling, rock hopping and climbing. We’ll take it easy and spend some time at the top enjoying the magnificent views of the Cradle Mountain National Park and beyond. On a clear day you can even see the ocean! Following the summit you will enjoy the Horse Track taking us back down to Ronnie Creek for a transfer back to the accommodation.  

TRANSFER TIMES: Morning: 1.5 hour transfer from our accommodation to the start of the trail. Afternoon: 1 hour and 45 minute transfer from end of trail to the Grand Chancellor Launceston.

WALK GRADE: 14kms. Hard Grade. Excellent level of fitness required. 6-8 hours of walking.

TERRAIN: This walk begins with a long, steep climb on a natural track which is uneven and rocky. Further on there are sections of boardwalk but the track can also be muddy and rocky at times. This is an out and back walk on the same track. Total climb; 600m in elevation.

WALK ITINERARY: This morning we enjoy an early breakfast before we depart the lodge and head east. Today will be a challenging but rewarding experience as we spend the day exploring the highlights for an hour of the magnificent Walls of Jerusalem National Park which is part of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. This National Park is so remote it is only accessible by foot. With incredible mountain scenery and pristine wilderness, the Central Plateau of Tasmania contains more than a thousand lakes, as well as valleys of pockets of pencil pines surrounded by walls of cliffs and peaks towering above. On today’s walk, we hike towards Herod’s Gate on Lake Salome passing a 1900 Possum Trappers Hut. We’ll discover a landscape of snow gums, pencil pines, alpine ferns and a stunning mountain tarn known as the Solomons Jewels. From here we walk to Herod’s Gate overlooking Lake Salome to see dramatic views of King David’s Peak. Afterwards, relax and enjoy the return journey to Launceston. The end of a wonderful journey.

ARRIVAL TIME: We arrive in to Launceston at approximately 7.30pm depending on the pace of the group. We suggest overnighting in Launceston.