Cradle Mountain

Monday Dec 9

Off to Cradle Mountain today - the weather forecast was pretty dismal for the 4 days of our stay and it lived up to expectations. We arrived around 1pm and were able to check-in early which we had pre-arranged for $30. After unpacking we checked out the nearby visitor center and bought one senior annual park pass which covered Dieter and up to 6 additional family members - much cheaper than the regular daily pass.

It was cold and drizzly, as forecast, but we did a few short walks. We had dinner at the lodge and it was fine.

Tuesday Dec 10

Another cold and drizzly day - we still did the Dove Lake walk which is mostly boardwalk with the final part gravelly and a bit rough - but still classed as easy. We finished off with lunch at Pepper's Bistro - a shared burger. We tried out the 4-5pm happy hour at the lodge and had dinner there again.

Wednesday Dec 11

Same again weather-wise - we did the long walk from the ranger station to Dove Lake - 3 hours then the bus back. We finished off with lunch again at Pepper's.

Thursday Dec 12

Worst day for weather so we did a shorter walk to ... then headed back to the lodge for a banana for lunch, happy hour and finally dinner.

Friday Dec 13

We left the mountain fairly early for the drive to Stanley arriving at Horizon Deluxe Apartments around 1:30pm as we had to stop along the way to stock up on groceries and grog. We had a late lunch at the pub - a shared grilled chicken sandwich which was excellent - a pleasant surprise. We walked around the very scenic town visiting a few shops and the local museum. We had dinner at home - pasta and salad, one of holiday apartment standbys.