
The Tasmanian Wilderness WHS is huge, covering nearly a quarter of the island of Tasmania. Within the WHS are included seven national parks and multiple other conservation areas. The below reviews concentrate mainly on Cradle Mountain-Lake St Claire National Park, which is deservedly a highlight, but I want to share some more ideas for exploring this WHS, based on my three visits to Tasmania over the years.
Mount Field National Park: The easiest part of this WHS to visit from Hobart is actually Mount Field National Park, less than a 2 hour drive from the centre of Hobart. Compared to the other parks it's not that wild, but we still managed to hear quolls when I camped here as a child and took a wildlife walk after dark. The highlight of the park is Russell Falls, easily accessible on a 25 minute flat walk, and still impressive when I revisited in 2020. There's also the longer 6km Three Falls Circuit walk or drive up to the alpine area.
Southwest National Park: This huge national park is 6183 km² in size, over twice the size of Luxembourg! And of course it's entirely roadless. The main way to access the park is on the remote South Coast Track. But for a small taste, you can drive 2 hours south of Hobart to Cockle Creek, where there are camping facilities. It's also the starting point of the 16km return walk to South Cape Bay, which I hiked as a kid with my family.
Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park: A huge turning point in the environmental movement in Australia were the protests against building a dam on the Franklin-Gordon River, which luckily never went ahead. The best way to explore this spectacular river is on a river cruise from Strahan, on the west coast of Tasmania. Unfortunately, my memories from the cruise as a child are rather hazy, and I didn't revisit this area on my most recent trip to Tasmania in 2020. (On the cruises, you'll likely also see the remains of the penal colony in Macquarie Harbour, which were not included as one of the Australia Convict Sites.)
Mole Creek Karst National Park: On the northern side of the park is Mole Creek, home to a riverside campground where I've camped with my family twice. I've visited the two main caves in the park as a kid, but if you're over visiting the various caves on the World Heritage list like I am (except for the really special ones), give these ones a miss and concentrate on the rest of the park.
Cradle Mountain-Lake St Claire National Park: This national park, specifically the northern end, was the main place I visited in this WHS in 2020 with my husband, who was visiting Tasmania for the first time. It shouldn't be missed! Depending on the time of year/time of day, you may need to take a shuttle bus to Dove Lake. We drove down in a campervan during the evening, for photos of Dove Lake, but returned on the shuttle bus the next day for hiking.
We hiked the Cradle Mountain walk, which is definitely a tough all-day hike, especially the clambering over boulders towards the summit. For an easier experience, the circuit around Dove Lake is a lot less challenging but still offers great views. (We completed part of the circuit at the end of our hike.) If you're wanting a tougher experience, there's the multi-day Overland Track, between Dove Lake and Lake St Claire.
While staying at Cradle Mountain, I recommend visiting the Devils @ Cradle Wildlife Park. We did an after-dark experience and the Tassie Devils are fascinating! I've also visited the Lake St Claire end of the national park before, but didn't find it quite as spectacular.
If driving south from Cradle Mountain, if you take route A5 past the Great Lake, it's a short detour to Liffey Falls State Reserve (gravel road so maybe not if you have a hire car), plus you'll pass along the edge of the Great Western Tiers Conservation Area and Central Plateau Conservation Area (also included in the WHS). I haven't yet had a chance to visit Walls of Jerusalem National Park and Hartz Mountains National Park, which are home to some great hiking trails (Tasmania's speciality!)
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