Really wanted to go to Gather Round this year but the queue for tickets was ridiculous so we chose to visit Tassie for eight days, first stop being the World Heritage area of The Cradle Mountain National Park.

Got the bus from Ballarat to the airport at 5am, landed in Launceston at 9.30am and picked up the hire car. To get to Cradle Mountain you bi-pass Launy and head towards Devonport for approximately half an hour before heading south to the quirky little town of Sheffield.

Renown for its murals, it’s a spotless village and despite having a plethora of murals on most walls as well as a gallery space, it didn’t seem convoluted at all. Bumped into a gentleman who has lived in Sheffield for seventy years who walks the streets with an alpaca, that has had a haircut not dissimilar to a Toorak poodle. Had lunch and drove to Peppers Cradle Mountain Resort, arriving approximately 1pm.

We went for a walk into the surrounding bush which was like an enchanted forest. Blistering sunshine suddenly disappears as you enter. You can see the most beautiful King Billy Pine trees with their spiral bark pattern reaching forty metres skyward and ancient dead logs everywhere covered in moss.

The food and service at the lodge central is very good and reasonably priced. The staff are from all over the country and overseas. They work a thirty eight hour week and pay $200 a week for board, food etc as well as free entry to the park.

Buses run every fifteen minutes in and out of the park and a pass is $30 for 24 hours.

If you do go to the park, watch out for the middle aged bus driver with a long white beard. He has honed his comedic observations to a tee, delivering his jokes with a John Clarke-like drollness and perfect timing.

Our first look at the park was Saturday morning (yesterday) on a picture perfect day, albeit the slightest bit of cloud on the summit of Barn Bluff.

The walk around Dove Lake is relatively easy and mostly on boardwalks which are covered in chicken wire to prevent potential slippage. All the tracks in the park are either boardwalks or as you ascend in places, rocks and gravel fashioned into steps. In some places it’s just jagged rock which provides a good foothold but you absolutely must have decent hiking boots.

I couldn’t believe how under-equipped some people were. Walking shoes and runners won’t cut it in a place like this. You’ll end up with a broken ankle or on your back flailing like a dung beetle.

A good example of this was a little detour we saw on the map. Just off the Dove Lake track was a half hour walk to Lake Wilks. It quickly proved to reach a hard level whereby you needed three, sometimes four points of contact to move forward. Ultimately worth it with stunning views at its completion.

All up, Saturday was approximately three hours of hiking so back on a bus and home to our nice little chalet for a much need spa followed by a meal at the lodge. The footy was on in the tavern where most people gather and it’s the only place that has WIFI. Fortunately we were able to hotspot Lynda’s phone to watch the evening game on my laptop in front of the Conara.

Today (Sunday) we set out to reach the Kitchen Hut via Marion’s Lookout. This was a steep but uncomplicated climb to Crater Lake but the wind was gale force. After Crater Lake there is chains to hang onto as you ascend the next ridge but at the top there was no respite and we were utterly exposed to the elements.

Completely devoid of protection, the wind nearly toppled my 102kg frame over which probably says more about my core strength and blew my glasses off my noggin. We thought discretion was the better part of valour and decided to pull the pin and gently head back down which was a shame as the Kitchen Hut sits right at the base of Cradle Mountain.

It then started to rain so we made the right decision in the end and walked to Ronny Creek which is one of two stops for the buses. This was another spectacular walk taking in forest then an enormous wetland and a visit from an equally enormous wombat on the way.

Incidentally the Peppers Resort is surrounded with wildlife including the cutest of them all, the wombat and the platypus. A short distance away is a Tassie Devil sanctuary where those Devils that have been raised safely in places like Maria Island, are returned to their environment.

A dreadful disease affecting the Devil’s jaws about twenty years ago nearly wiped out the entire population of these gorgeous creatures who can respond to a gentle pat on the head by tearing your hand off.

Anyway, the spa bath was required again after another three hours hiking mostly upwards and we settled down in the tavern to watch The Saints lose. GWS will be premiers this year and how could you begrudge them? The Saints are still without the quality to match teams of that class unfortunately, but the effort most importantly couldn’t be denied.

I can’t believe I lived in Hobart for four years and rarely went off the beaten track. I drove more kilometres than most Tasmanians but sadly it was all business combined with a spiralling addiction to alcohol that would take another few years to overcome.

There’s something so grounding about places like Cradle Mountain. They can make you feel fairly insignificant in the scheme of things.

Yes there are parks around the world that are on a bigger scale but there is something authentically Australian about the robust flora and fauna, and of course there’s Tassie’s famous clean air, huge sky with often strange cloud formations and the light, free of pollution and a photographer’s paradise.

We will be back, hopefully when it snows next time but for now it’s off to Strahan and my long awaited date with Sarah Island, the home of my favourite convict and cannibal, Alexander Pearce.