Live From Australia - Cradle Mountain

SUNDAY 22 MAY 2011
After a wonderful breakfast at the Henry Jones Art Hotel the group split up and 6 of us began our 5 hour journey down the Heritage Highway to Cradle Mountain with stops along the way in Oatlands, Ross, Sheffied, and Campbell Town.

Oatlands is a quaint colonial town that has the largest collection of sandstone buildings in Australia, and many of its old cottages are now cafes, antique stores or restaurants. One of the highlights is the Callington Mill, a operational mills that still grounds flour for local consumption and the Casaveen Knitwear showroom and café where you can enjoy a glass of Tasmanian wine and discover the Midland's history and how Casaveen's developed from wool-growing to the manufacturing of knitwear exported worldwide. I did not purchase any Casaveen wool, but many others found this a favorite shopping site.

A walk along Campbell Street will take you past the Court House and the Old Gaol. The Court House is the oldest building in the town, built by convicts in 1829. All that remains of the jail are the entrance gates, also built by convict labour during the year 1830.
Ross sits on the banks of the Macquarie River, and is one of Australia's most appealing convict-built stone villages and is home to Australia’s third oldest bridge. The Ross Bridge, designed by John Lee Archer, is considered the most beautiful of its kind left in the world. So much so that the detail of its 186 carvings created by convict stonemasons was deemed of such high quality that it won the men a free pardon.

Like other parts of Tasmania's Midlands, the Ross area is famous for its superfine merino wool.
Another attraction not to miss is the Ross Bakery, with its original semi-scotch brick '3 bag' wood-fired oven. The bakery, which has the capacity to bake more than 300 loaves of bread, has been operating on the site for more than a century.

Our next stop was Cataract George in Launceston. Here you'll find walking and hiking trails, the world's longest single span chairlift, swimming pool, restaurant, kiosk, peacocks and wildlife, gardens, suspension bridge, Interpretation Centre and lookouts with spectacular views.

Further up the River, at Duck Reach, a turbine-driven power station was constructed and Launceston had the distinction of being the first City south of the Equator to be lit by electricity, generated by water power. There is an extremely interesting variety of 70 species of natural flora and fauna and as many different species of birds including nine species endemic to Tasmania.

After a very long drive, we finally arrive at Cradle Mountain Lodge. And for the first time it begins to rain and I am talking large drops of rain. Good thing I brought my rain parka, gloves and hat.

Cradle Mountain Lodge, located on the edge of the World Heritage listed Cradle Mountain-Lake St. Clair National Park, is considered one of Australia’s iconic wilderness experiences and one of Tasmania’s premier wilderness regions.

The Lodge offers 4 different styles of accommodation, from the contemporary Pencil Pine Cabins to the luxurious King Billy Suites. I was assigned cabin 24, a Pencil Pine Cabin accommodation. Some of the others found it a big rustic and felt they should have been assigned suite category accommodations, but I found it quite nice. The room was large with a gas burning fireplace and I had a private balcony that overlooked a small lake and the main lodge. However, please note that the rooms do not have televisions and the amenities are sparsh – only shampoo and conditioners. I was surprised that lotion was not provided. The Lodge offers 4 different styles of accommodation, from the contemporary Pencil Pine Cabins to the luxurious King Billy Suites. I was assigned cabin 24, a Pencil Pine Cabin accommodation. Some may find it a big rustic and prefer the King Billy suite but I found it quite nice. The room was large with a gas burning fireplace and I had a my own private balcony that overlooked a pond and the main lodge. But remember there is no tv so be prepared to just relax and sleep at night.

We had a great dinner in the Main dining room but like on the JetStar flight I ordered a apple juice before asking if there was a separate costs and got charged $4.50. Too much for apple juice since I was able to purchase a bottle in the local market for $2.50. So ask before you order.