Date
—
Cradle in the morning, then west along the Bass Strait coast to Stanley. Arrive in time for The Nut at sunset and penguins after dark.
Ferry cafeteria, or Drift at Mersey Bluff / Laneway in town
Tavern Bar & Bistro at Cradle Mountain Hotel
Find itBurnie waterfront cafes by the Makers' Workshop
Find itHursey Seafoods for rock lobster, giant crab and scallops off the boat; Stanley Hotel for something simpler
Find itWednesday. Arrival day, so everything hangs on your sailing time.
Weather needs signal. Everything else works offline.
The classic Cradle view, and the right length on a day that ends in Stanley.
Trailhead in MapsBetter view, but only if an overnight sailing put you on the road by 7:30.
Trailhead in Maps450 m path at a brutal gradient, or the chairlift until about 4:15pm. 45 min loop on top with 360-degree views, seals below and shearwaters from October.
Trailhead in MapsDevils and quolls at their most active. Evening tours only, so this one only works if you stay at Cradle - listed for the option where you do.
Open in MapsDove Canyon abseiling and swimming with a guide. Needs a full morning - the 10-day version's territory.
Open in MapsDaily from 9:30, last rides about 4:15-5pm by season. Five minutes each way. Walk up and ride down if you want the best of both.
Open in MapsFree platform on Harrison Terrace, after dark. No booking, no guide, genuinely memorable. Bring a red-filtered torch, not white light.
Open in MapsPaper-making studio and working artisans on the waterfront. Open daytime - fits if you leave Cradle early.
Open in MapsDusk viewing with volunteer guides, Oct-Mar. An alternative to Godfreys if you are running late.
Open in MapsChocolate factory, museum and cafe right on the B14 out of Devonport.
Open in MapsOver 100 painted murals, with Mt Roland filling the sky behind town.
Open in MapsWeindorfer's hut, the origin of the national park. On the shuttle route.
Open in MapsSerious wilderness photography. The wet-weather fallback.
Open in MapsWhere Australia's oldest marsupial fossil was found, in a wave-cut sandstone bluff. Low tide is better.
Open in MapsA 143 m volcanic plug rising straight out of Bass Strait, with the town wrapped around its foot. Chairlift or a brutally steep path.
Open in MapsOne on each side of the Nut. Godfreys for the penguins and surf, Tatlows for a long flat morning walk.
Open in MapsDrift is at the Bluff with an ocean view.
Open in MapsBelgian-style chocolate, breakfast and cakes, on the route.
Open in MapsAt Cradle Mountain Hotel. The reliable option inside the park boundary.
Open in MapsAround the Makers' Workshop. The last real town before Stanley.
Open in MapsRock lobster, giant crab and scallops straight off the boat, with live tanks downstairs. Eat in or take it to the wharf.
Open in MapsCorner pub on Church St, straightforward and dependable.
Open in MapsTasmanian wine and spirits in a converted bank.
Open in MapsNothing here is scheduled. This is what else is on today's road, roughly in the order you pass it - for when a walk gets cut short or the weather turns.
Small, multi-award-winning. You are driving, so buy a bottle for Stanley.
Open in MapsScallop pie territory, and the murals are outside the door.
Open in MapsSingle malt tastings on the way through. Note the restaurant has closed, so do not plan lunch here.
Open in MapsFor breakfast supplies, since Thursday starts before much opens.
Open in MapsWoodchopping heritage, and more interesting than it sounds. Latrobe is 10 min out of Devonport.
Open in MapsA genuinely strange emporium of curiosities and toys. Either delightful or exhausting.
Open in MapsFlat riverside park where the platypus tours run. Good place to stretch after the ferry.
Open in MapsSixty-odd clipped topiary figures through the streets of a small town. Free, and completely daft.
Open in MapsRoadside view of the 1,231 m dolerite wall. Best in morning light, which is when you pass.
Open in MapsShort pull-off on the C132 above the reservoir, on one of the better stretches of the morning.
Open in Maps20 min loop from the Cradle Mountain Lodge through mossy rainforest along Pencil Pine Creek. Wombats about at dusk. The best short walk in the park.
Open in MapsTwo easy falls within minutes of the visitor centre. Fits if the shuttle queue is long.
Open in MapsWeindorfer's hut, the reason the park exists. On the shuttle route.
Open in MapsDevil and quoll sanctuary. Day keeper talks; the feeding tours are after dark, which you cannot do.
Open in Maps11 hectares in a valley, and early November is close to peak flowering.
Open in MapsPaper-making studio and working artisans on the waterfront. WORTH CHECKING - recent reviews suggest Burnie has lost several attractions, so confirm it is still open.
Open in MapsThe Ransley Veteran Car Collection - 14-plus locally restored veteran Fords including a 1903 Model A, the equal-oldest Ford in the world. Australia's largest collection of its kind, and the obvious replacement for the Launceston motor museum you are no longer visiting.
Open in MapsWave-cut sandstone bluff where Australia's oldest marsupial fossil was found. Better at low tide.
Open in MapsRiverside gardens by the Inglis River wharf. Ten minutes and a coffee.
Open in MapsThe sheltered side of the Nut. Long, flat and empty - the walk to do if the wind is up.
Open in MapsAll sealed. Cradle's shuttle covers the last bit.
300 km · 4.5 hrs driving · Stanley Village Waterfront