Lake Rodway Circuit Track Walk.

Day Walk - 14km - 8.5 hrs

Wednesday 20 February 2013

The Cradle Mountain area of Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair NP has been a favourite of ours since our first visit in 2006. Paul and I have returned a number of times to walk, animal spot, enjoy the sensational scenery and just soak up the beauty and tranquillity.

For this visit we chose to stay for 3 nights in the cabins at Waldheim. This was our third stay in the cabins and they'd had an upgrade since our visit in 2010, with a coat of paint and the welcome addition of a couple of power points and a new stove. The weather was fantastic and it was lovely to breathe the clean, clear air.

Our first afternoon was spent wombat spotting along the track at Ronny Creek. Look how lucky we were!

We also walked part of the Cradle Valley Boardwalk, making use of the free (with National Park pass) bus shuttle service.

Our first full day was spent doing a walk that I'd heard about, then researched. In 2006, we met a British guy who told us that the area 'behind' Cradle Mountain was the most beautiful of the whole park. We have since heard others say the same, so we were determined to check it out for ourselves. Originally planning to do this as an overnight walk, we realised that it could be done as a long day walk.

We drove to Dove Lake, before heading off on our walk at 7:45am. The track notes said 14km, 8 hours, so we were prepared for a longish day. The air was chilly (5 Degrees C) and the lake was steaming. But the uphill walk across the face of Mount Campbell soon had us shedding our outer layers.

The first challenge for the day was the breath-taking rocky scramble up Hanson's Peak. The still conditions ensured that the surface of Dove Lake perfectly reflected the cloud above... STUNNING!

In places this climb was near vertical and we both made use of the chain to haul ourselves up to the top.

We had panoramic views, in the morning light, down to Dove Lake (still looking amazing with reflected sky and clouds), across to Marion's Lookout and Cradle Mountain and down to Lake Hanson on the other side.

Our walk continued past Twisted Lakes and, with Little Horn looming, we had a short break at the emergency hut near the Face Track Junction. The next part of the walk undulated through varied vegetation, with sensational rear views of Cradle Mountain, a view not usually seen by most.

Paul and I marvelled at the overwhelming towering rocky pinnacles and rough crags and enjoyed the stillness at the small tarns.

Artist's Pool was especially peaceful, the surrounding ancient pencil pines reflected perfectly on the still surface.

The track took us down to the shores of Lake Rodway and we stopped to admire the expansive views.

After walking for about 3 hours, we stopped at the delightful Scott Kilvert Memorial Hut, where we had our morning tea. The hut had a welcoming feel about it and we both felt right at home. It was built in 1966, in memory of a student-teacher and young pupil who died of exposure in the area. There is a wealth of reading material in a folder in the hut and I took some time to have a read.

The next hour of our walk was the most physically challenging of the day, with a very steep and rough ascent, requiring some scrambling, through thick scrub, to Cradle Cirque. We had numerous stops to stretch aching legs and backs and also to catch our breath. The views, when the bush opened up, were wonderful: back to Lake Rodway and beyond, with the ever present rocky rear wall of Cradle.

We were both overjoyed to finally reach the top and after a short walk we arrived at the Overland Track Junction. I have long admired the amazing shape of Barn Bluff and we had a grandstand view of it. Our lunch stop was shop-lived as the march flies, when they found us, arrived in force.

The delightful section of the walk across to Kitchen Hut and on to Marion's Lookout, was where we started meeting Overland Track walkers. During the 'season', only those with paid passes can walk the track, with the majority seeming to make a start well after lunch time. Most seemed to be quite well organised, but some looked to be most unprepared. One young foreign woman looked to have all her worldly possessions on her back in a hard-shell backpack/suitcase (wheels included). Her load looked heavy and she was suffering greatly, I feared her Overland Track experience would not hold too many happy memories

At Kitchen Hut we had a long chat with a woman (from NSW) who was doing a solo walk out to Scott Kilvert Hut, where she planned to stay for two nights, climbing Barn Bluff on the day between. She was a true inspiration, as she'd only just got off the ferry that morning; sped straight across to Cradle and was already out on the track, trying to fit in as many walks as her month's visit allowed. She also encouraged us in our quest to walk the South Coast Track next month, as she'd done it twice...SOLO...and loved it. Some people are amazing!

After a sort stop at Marion's Lookout, Paul and I began the final leg of our walk. We were both feeling a bit weary and the steep, rough track leading from the lookout down to Dove Lake made for tough-going, especially on our quads. Paul caught a glimpse of a big tiger snake as it slithered off the track and into the bush.

The car park was a most welcome sight and after 8.5 hours we were happy to stop. The track notes, though accurate, did not relate the difficulty of the walk. Both of us were very tired but absolutely loved the experience of once again being out in a not often visited area of great beauty - we had walked for about 6.5 hours before we encountered another person.

We'll be back!