Cradle Mountain is a Tasmanian tourist icon, that is visited by tens of thousands of visitors a year from Tasmania, Australia and overseas. A large percentage of people visiting Tassie visit Cradle Mountain for a range of reasons including visiting the iconic Dover Lake, to walk the overland track, to walk any number of the other short, medium and longer distance walks in the park and to play in the snow. Instagram is awash with images of cute wombats photographed at Reedy Creek and other locations through Cradle Mountain. Increasing visitor numbers are placing extreme pressure on the park’s infrastructure, necessitating restrictions on access to certain parts of the park. Visitors are often disappointed to find that there is no free camping at Cradle Mountain or in the near vicinity to the park. The only ‘camping’ allowed in the park are at allocated cabins where people stay when walking the Overland Track. Other camping options at the park include staying at the Discovery Holiday Park, where you will find self-contained cabins, powered and non-powered campsites and economy, shared dorms for backpackers. Please note that to visit Cradle Mountain you will need to purchase a National Parks Pass. Dogs are strictly prohibited at Cradle Mountain.
There are 2 possible options to camp at no cost within the proximity of Cradle Mountain. The first is at Hellyer Gorge, where you will find a relatively small area suitable for an overnight stay in a small to medium campervan, caravan or motorhome or in a tent. There is a shelter, picnic table and toilets but no other facilities. All camping is unpowered. The second option is Lake Gairdner, which is located in the small settlement of Moina, some 20 kilometres from Cradle Mountain. This campsite is only small, but is spectacularly located next to the popular trout fishing water Lake Gairdner. All campers will need to be fully self-sufficient there are no facilities at this location. Lake Gairdner is not suitable to big rigs, as the narrow gravel road that connects the C132 to the camping area is not suitable to large vehicles – neither is that small camping area itself.
