Cradle Mountain Visitor Centre
Cradle Mountain Visitor Centre
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
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4.0
364 reviews
Excellent
150
Very good
114
Average
56
Poor
23
Terrible
21
Vivian C
1 contribution
Feb 2023
My first visit to Cradle Mountain, we got their early'ish ( 9.30am) plenty of parks available. We stopped at The Cradle Mountain Hotel for a buffet breakfast for $27.00, it's open from 7.00am,quite good value and no booking required. The visitor centre at Cradle Mountain was open and operating. The Visitor Centre cafe doesn't open till 10.00am.The staff were very friendly and helpful. We caught the shuttle bus to the Dove Lake walk starting point and began the walk clockwise as suggested, (from the left). It was the best direction as you constantly have the mountain in view, it was magical, as we had the most perfect weather. Concluding that walk back at the starting point, we decided to do the Crater Lake walk, which passes other small lakes on the way up, concluding at Ronny Creek , where you can pick up the shuttle bus also. The heat of the day was descending upon us and by the time we got to the point where the extension to Marion's Lookout was, we had runout of puff. Apparently you get 360 degree views, which are amazing. In retrospect, we should have done that walk first in the cool of the morning , as their is not as much shade as the Dove Lake walk, and the Dove Lake walk is generally flatter and less taxing. We would have been able to ascend Marion's Lookout also. If you do this you get off the shuttle bus at Ronny Creek to start he Crater Lake walk. Overall it was a spectacular day.
Written 23 February 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
TravellingTex
Melbourne, Australia488 contributions
Mar 2023
We had no wait time at the visitor centre when we showed our parks pass and obtained our shuttle bus tickets enabling us to take the 20-minute bus ride to Dove Lake. Personal vehicle access is quite limited and the shuttle bus is the way to go. The young lady who gave us our bus tickets was friendly and informative, showing us on a map which section of the walk around Dove Lake was closed for maintenance. After our walk in the park we stopped at the visitor centre cafe for some takeaway food. I was a little confused about what we had ordered when it was time to pay and the young guy with a moustache handing out the food and taking payment got a sarcastic grin on his face and shook his head as if to indicate he thought he was dealing with a total idiot. He continued this the entire time I was there paying, though never looking me in the eye. It’s too bad this one cafe staff person can make such a lovely day end on a sour note.
Written 5 March 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
John C Knott
Adelaide, Australia26 contributions
Aug 2023 • Couples
I would have given this visitor centre a 1 out of 5 the only thing that stopped me was the very friendly lady at the ticket /information desk .
Lady in the gifts section was just so unfriendly and didn’t know how to smile .
The cafe I’m sorry to say was a
disgustingly bad experience from the bad quality and high prices of the coffee and food on offer to the total lack of performance and personality front the staff especially the young man whom when I asked do you have any more
Pies available I got “what you see of what we got “
I’d give this place a huge miss and head out straight into the park .
Lady in the gifts section was just so unfriendly and didn’t know how to smile .
The cafe I’m sorry to say was a
disgustingly bad experience from the bad quality and high prices of the coffee and food on offer to the total lack of performance and personality front the staff especially the young man whom when I asked do you have any more
Pies available I got “what you see of what we got “
I’d give this place a huge miss and head out straight into the park .
Written 6 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
SMOAI76
Tasmania, Australia1,807 contributions
May 2022
Just had my first visit to Cradle Mountain Nat Park since the new visitor centre has been built. Had my concerns when I heard a new one was to be built as over development in this part of the world worries me ....... please may they NEVER build a cable car there !!!!!
BUT totally surprised, overwhelmed and thoroughly impressed with the new centre building and in fact the redevelopment of the whole site.
The parking area has been resurfaced and is better marked out with clear areas for buses and campervans etc. Safe pathways through the parking take you up to the main building through ruggedly landscaped grounds.
Info centre building is grey and angular and appropriate for the area once inside it is hugely spacious with many customer service desks and there is a rope barrier system to guide you along during busy times... a bit like when you check in at an airport.
Most information I would say comes from direct interaction with the staff but there is some signage and videos playing for further info. I did notice one video advising (with international subtitles) about how the weather can change rapidly in the area.
There is also a very good shop for souvenirs and clothing in the main info centre it's massive compared to what was in the old original centre.
I did speak to a fantastically helpful member of staff and purchased a parks pass and there were also good Covid 19 practices in place too.
There is also a cafe on site in it's own separate building, the bus stop for shuttles into the park is big, easy to find and undercover, there's a large separate toilet block and to top it all there are some excellent self service machines on the approach to the info centre where you can buy shuttle bus tickets and passes from so if you don't need to join the queues inside the clever inclusion of these machines is a great help.
Overall very impressed but I'll say it again, over development there still bothers me, please don't build a cable car at Cradle Mountain Nat Park !! OK !! Got it !!
BUT totally surprised, overwhelmed and thoroughly impressed with the new centre building and in fact the redevelopment of the whole site.
The parking area has been resurfaced and is better marked out with clear areas for buses and campervans etc. Safe pathways through the parking take you up to the main building through ruggedly landscaped grounds.
Info centre building is grey and angular and appropriate for the area once inside it is hugely spacious with many customer service desks and there is a rope barrier system to guide you along during busy times... a bit like when you check in at an airport.
Most information I would say comes from direct interaction with the staff but there is some signage and videos playing for further info. I did notice one video advising (with international subtitles) about how the weather can change rapidly in the area.
There is also a very good shop for souvenirs and clothing in the main info centre it's massive compared to what was in the old original centre.
I did speak to a fantastically helpful member of staff and purchased a parks pass and there were also good Covid 19 practices in place too.
There is also a cafe on site in it's own separate building, the bus stop for shuttles into the park is big, easy to find and undercover, there's a large separate toilet block and to top it all there are some excellent self service machines on the approach to the info centre where you can buy shuttle bus tickets and passes from so if you don't need to join the queues inside the clever inclusion of these machines is a great help.
Overall very impressed but I'll say it again, over development there still bothers me, please don't build a cable car at Cradle Mountain Nat Park !! OK !! Got it !!
Written 31 July 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
LesleynD
Perth, Australia540 contributions
Dec 2022 • Couples
Visited the centre to get our Cradle Mountain shuttle pass. The staff were very helpful. There is even a bottle filling station with ambient temp, chilled or sparkling options! Staff at the gift shop were all so friendly too! Apparently 29 December 2022 was their busiest day but every single staff was professional and handled the influx proficiently and everything ran like clockwork. The busses were clean, cool and comfortable. If you are lucky you get the really funny bus driver that offers comedic commentary along the way. What an amazing 4 days visit! Thank you!
Written 29 December 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
seeknfind
Brsibane,Australia458 contributions
Nov 2021
Very disappointing visit to Cradle Mountain National Park. After nearly 2 years of delaying our group trip to Tasmania due to Covid restrictions we finally made it. Including a couple of nights booked close enough to visit Cradle Mountain for walking, a first for some of our group. After a very early morning start we arrived at the Visitor Info to be told that no buses were running to Ronnie Creek or Dove Lake due to road work and we would have to walk there along the boardwalk (aprox 2 hour walk). And then wait for a bus pick up at around 1 midday. The customer service lady was not particularly clear on the information nor apologetic, just did not seem to care. Apparently the information was posted on their web a week in advance however we had been travelling and had not anticipated this road closure. So we walked and walked. One of our group had only been out of hospital only for one day as he had surgery to repair a collarbone injury. His knee was also strapped. But he walked. No choice, it was that or sit and wait hours for the rest of the group to return. So in the end those who wanted to go to Marion’s Lookout did the extra walk and those of us who wanted to see Dove Lake waited there. Then we all had to wait in the rain and cold for the bus. The shelter hut was packed full of walkers waiting for the bus. So much for 1.5m spacing in that hut, what a joke. The buses arrived on time and walkers streamed into them. Funny thing though there was no work on the road at all…nothing to stop the buses from running. No reason why they could not have dropped our group at Ronnie Creek at least. The only construction was on a new building they are putting up at Dove Lake. So much bureaucratic nonsense in stopping the running of the buses. Needless to say we cancelled our booking to stay at accommodation at Cradle Mountain a few days later as the buses still would not have been running to Dove Lake. Just as well that we cancelled as it snowed and then the parks board did not run any buses at all. Where is the creativity, put chains on the wheels and take snow viewing tours..
When the buses run to schedule, this is a spectacular walking place to visit, or for photography.
When the buses run to schedule, this is a spectacular walking place to visit, or for photography.
Written 18 November 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Christine S
4 contributions
Sept 2023 • Family
If this isn't the epitome of Tassie I don't know what is. This is nature at her finest.
Once you arrive head to the visitor centre to buy your passes and grab a map. There were heaps of car spots available. The staff are very helpful. We had a quick coffee at the cafe before waiting for the shuttle bus.
The shuttle busses leave very regularly and stop at all stops on the way up.
We headed straight to the last stop - Dove Lake. The amenities here are very well built and truly impressive. Here you sign in to register your walk, have the opportunity to use the toilets and review some facts of the area before you exit out onto the boardwalks. As we travelled with an 8 month old we didn't venture too far from the shuttle stop. We headed up to the boat shed and glacier rock. The weather can change very quickly, and was on and off windy when we visited so made it challenging to stay outside with a young one.
This is definitely somewhere I hope to visit again and complete a more challenging hike like Crater Lake. If this is something you're interested in definitely review the national park website regarding what gear to bring. Even though it was late September when we visited it was still incredibly chilly at the info centre car park - let alone on a peak! Next time, I would aim to stay somewhere closer to maximise time spent walking. We travelled from Strahan that morning and had a lot less time to explore.
Once you arrive head to the visitor centre to buy your passes and grab a map. There were heaps of car spots available. The staff are very helpful. We had a quick coffee at the cafe before waiting for the shuttle bus.
The shuttle busses leave very regularly and stop at all stops on the way up.
We headed straight to the last stop - Dove Lake. The amenities here are very well built and truly impressive. Here you sign in to register your walk, have the opportunity to use the toilets and review some facts of the area before you exit out onto the boardwalks. As we travelled with an 8 month old we didn't venture too far from the shuttle stop. We headed up to the boat shed and glacier rock. The weather can change very quickly, and was on and off windy when we visited so made it challenging to stay outside with a young one.
This is definitely somewhere I hope to visit again and complete a more challenging hike like Crater Lake. If this is something you're interested in definitely review the national park website regarding what gear to bring. Even though it was late September when we visited it was still incredibly chilly at the info centre car park - let alone on a peak! Next time, I would aim to stay somewhere closer to maximise time spent walking. We travelled from Strahan that morning and had a lot less time to explore.
Written 4 October 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sally H
104 contributions
Oct 2020 • Family
The visitor information centre is huge and has a booking ticket section and then a gift shop section. The lady at the booking office was very friendly and helpful with all the different walks you could do at cradle mountain, you do have to book to get on the bus which takes you to dove lake at cradle mountain, if you have a parks pass it's free. Our bus driver TW on the way up was very informative and funny telling stories and making the bus laugh espicially his joke regarding the black bands on the white reflector poles that it was a sign of respect as one got knocked over last week 🤣🤣🤣🤣 my 10 year old son is still laughing about it.
Written 16 October 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
westoz
Perth, Australia111 contributions
Mar 2023
We went to the visitor center around 2.10pm on 9th March. There were 4 staff behind the counter. One lady in her 50's with glasses and greyish hair was unfortunately found to be abrupt, curt, dismissive and did not have the friendly helpful cheerful demeanor one would expect at this type of venue. The reputation of such venues is important to the Tasmanian tourist industry and customer service levels here should be beyond first class. For first time visitors to Tasmania and Cradle Mountain this encounter will remain in our minds as memorably negative. Yes we do expect basic courtesy and we do notice its absence. In contrast the drivers running the shuttle buses to dove lake did a very good job. As an aside a couple of chairs inside the visitor center would be welcome, there are none.
Written 14 March 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
dorisd239
Liston, Australia19 contributions
Feb 2022
Cradle Mountain is a MUST-see whilst in Tasmania. We had a tour arranged on a shuttle bus which was quite a long drive from our hotel, with commentary regarding the history of the place. There are multiple walks on raised walkways that are made for easy walking, however, there are some sections where you need to climb rock-based steps in order to get to the elevated area to view from the platforms over Dove Lake. It can be tiring for some, so you would need to be prepared for this if you have difficulty walking. The views are spectacular over the lake and the mountain range itself. You can walk as little or as much as you are willing to take on.
Written 27 February 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Is there a shuttle bus that takes you directly to the peppers lodge?
Written 19 January 2021
The lodge is opposite the Rangers station so you could stop off there and walk across the street. This is when you catch the shuttles within cradle (starting visitor centre, going to dove lake, snake track, Rangers station and Ronny creek carpark).
Written 20 January 2021
The last bus was as told to us, about 5.00pm daily in Summer, not sure about winter timetable?
Written 10 December 2019
ps w
Hong Kong, China
Did anyone know will this operaate on Christmas day (Dec 25) and any shuttle bus for visitors?
Written 2 November 2018
I believe the park does operate all year round, and can or does cater to Christmas functions, just check for confirmation?
Written 10 December 2019
Where to stay in cradle mountain
Written 22 October 2016
We stayed at Cradle Mountain Highlanders. Highly recommend.
Written 13 January 2017
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