While walking tracks cover much of Tasmania, there was always a gap between the major national parks and the northern coast. To fill this gap the North West Walking Club, marked a walking track from the seaside town of Penguin to the Cradle Mountain Lake St Clair National Park. This is known as the Penguin Cradle Trail.
This runs for 76 km and primarily follows the valley of the Leven River to near its source then follows the crest of the Black Bluff Range to the Cradle Mountain area. It can be combined with the Overland Track into an excellent 2 week walk.
The track is not well known with visitors. The most spectacular section of it, is where it passes through the Leven Canyon - this has scenery as good as anywhere else in the state. In the north, parts of the track are often obscured by bracken and fallen trees. Experienced walkers will have little trouble following it but do not expect the well marked track and regular signposts that are seen on the Overland Track.
The northern end starts at Penguin. This is a small seaside town about half way between Devonport and Burnie on the northern coast of Tasmania. It is easily accessed several times daily by bus services that run from Devonport to Burnie.
The southern end of the track is at the Cradle Mountain Lodge which is located beside the northern border of the Cradle Mountain Lake St Clair National Park. This is accessed by regular daily bus services from Devonport and Queenstown on most days of the year.
The North West Walking Club publishes a brief 11 page guide
to the track and it can be downloaded free from the web. Full track
notes
along with 1:50,000 colour topographic maps are in the new edition of
our Cradle Mountain Lake St Clair
guide.
The best maps are the TASMAP 1:25,000 Ulverstone, Kindred, Riana, Loyatea, Lea, Pencil Pine. The track is shown only on the most recent editions of some of these maps. Alternatively the TASMAP 1:100,000 Forth, Hellyer and Sophia cover the track but they lack detail and are not recommended.
| 1 | Bus to Penguin,
walk to Hardstaff
Creek, 10km, 3.5 hours |
| 2 | To Wings Farm
Park or Hobbs Bridge,
10km, 5 hours |
| 3 | Across Gunns
Plains to Blackwood
Camp, 17.5km, 6.5 hours |
| 4 | Through Leven
Canyon to Loongana,
7km, 7 hours |
| 5 | Climb to Paddys
Lake, 9km, 4.5 hours |
| 6 | To Bare Mountain Camp, 9km, 4.5 hours |
| 7 | To
Fourways Camp, 11km, 4 hours |
| 8 |
To Cradle Mountain Lodge, 8km, 3.5
hours |
None are needed for walking the trail. The trail passes through state forests and ends at the boundary of the World heritage Area.
