Tasmania Self-drive Day 3, Monday.

To one who is neither a zoologist nor an Australian, it may not be entirely obvious how to distinguish between a kangaroo, a wallaby and a pademelon. (We learnt in this trip that among the distinguishing features are the size, shape of the hind-legs and tails. Apparently, wallaby is a generic name, with pademelons being a type of forest-dwelling wallaby.)

Our first encounter with a Tasmanian pademelon was provided by an early morning visitor to our chalet.


Tasmanian pademelon at Cradle Mountain Wilderness Village.

Hiking was the main theme for this day. The overcast sky, with rain heavy at times, might not be ideal for hiking, but we had come prepared with waterproof jackets, expecting the unpredictable weather in the mountain. We started with the popular Dove Lake Circuit, a fairly easy 2 hour walk according to the official National Park website. It took us about 3 hours to complete the trail. The rain might partly account for our longer-than-average time, as we needed to watch our steps apart from the scenery. But more likely it was that we spent more time taking photos than the average walker. With this reasoning, we would have taken even longer to complete the circuit had it been a sunny day.



The proliferation of lichens bears witness to the absence of air pollutants.

The famous shed at Dove Lake, with Cradle Mountain behind the cloud. This was the most we could see of the mountain today.

Cold and wet, we took the shuttle to outside the Cradle Mountain Lodge where we had a late and refreshing lunch.

Considering we didn't have enough time for another challenging trek, we opted for the half-an-hour Enchanted Walk circuit, which was right beside Cradle Mountain Lodge. With lichens lining the trail, and a gentle stream running through it, the Enchanted Walk truly lives up to its name.



More lichens on the Enchanted Walk.



A stream running along the Enchanted Walk.