This is a relatively low cost ($25/night) park which is a bit like a farm stay but with modern amenities. A relatively small park but with decent size sites. We managed to be able to do a drive thru and got set up. The amenity block was relatively modern and a good size for such a small park. They were relatively clean so 3.5 Stars. Telstra coverage is spotty at the park but my Wi-Fi antennae gave us coverage in the caravan.
Sandra started the laundry while I did a bit of computer work. The day was clearing up quite nicely but still cool. Sandra managed to get most of the washing done and dry which was a challenge. The caravan park does provide a washer and dryer which is included in the nightly fee which is quite generous. They do however request that you use the dryer sparingly and only one load of washing per day. We mostly used our own washing machine but did use the dryer once to finish off some towels.
Sunday morning Sandra did another load of washing before we headed South on The Great Lakes drive. We decided to drive into Liffey Falls as we drove by. A fairly rough and narrow 6km of unsealed track into the falls with only light vehicle access. We did come across one tree which threatened our progress but we made it safely through to the parking lot.
From here the walk was about 45 minutes each way into the falls. There are a series of 4 cascades prior to the final falls themselves. The walk was good with a bit of climbing and numerous view points. We did have to detour through one section where a large tree had come down across the walkway destroying some handrail and fencing. The effort was worth it however as both the cascades and falls were beautiful. We had the place to ourselves until our return journey where we met 4 other small groups of people.
Back in the car we made our return trip to the highway before heading South again. The road was relatively good although some winding portions and a gravel section. There were a number of areas to pull over and enjoy the view of the valleys below and the Great Lake itself. The top of the hill is the beginning of the Central Highlands and the temperature cooled off somewhat although it was sunny.
We passed through Miena and carried on towards Derwent Bridge where we enjoyed our picnic lunch. We toured "The Wall" again to enjoy this incredible art work. We spent quite a bit of time enjoying the wonderful sculptures and made two laps around the exhibit. Once again we would say this is our top attraction of our Tassie adventure. Make sure you take it in if you visit this part of Tasmania. Allow plenty of time as well to enjoy as it is quite an experience. A bus tour came through as we were arriving and was in and out in about 20 minutes while Sandra and I spent 90 minutes!
We retraced our route back through Miena stopping at Pine Lake to do a short walk on our return journey. Quite a lovely short walk which is completely on boardwalk leads you to this Alpine Lake. The vegetation is quite different and reminds me somewhat of the Arctic in Canada.
We returned to the campground in the late afternoon where the weather was still good but a bit hazy.
Monday we decided to head West and explore the Eastern entrance to Cradle Mountain. We travelled through Chudleigh and Mole Creek before heading into the Mersey State forest. The road became quite narrow with lots of twist, turns, and hills. Luckily traffic was light and we found a few places to pull over at lookouts.
The road near the Cethana River was particularly interesting with several hairpin corners. One had a 15Km posted which I've never seen on a highway before! Note the GPS route below!
We passed through Moina before heading West again to our destination at Cradle Mountain. We enjoyed our picnic lunch there before doing a short walk to Pencil Pine and Knyvet Falls. I had done this one before but Sandra had missed it so we decided to take it in. A beautiful rainforest walk with a couple of nice waterfalls that only took us about 45 minutes.
From here we began our return journey. Near Moina we decided to explore two more waterfalls. These were located about 8km off the highway on an unsealed road to Lemonthyme Wilderness Retreat. The road was narrow but good quality and not busy. We were both surprised when we arrived that the resort was considerably bigger than we had expected. About 20 cabin type accommodations and a full restaurant/bar. It shows as 5 Stars which is surprising given it's remote location.
The staff at reception were very helpful and provided us with a bit of information and map for the walk to Bridle Veil and Champagne Falls. The walk was about 4Km return with much of it uphill along a 4wd track to Bridal Veil falls. A short path off the track led us to the first of these wonderful falls. Considerably bigger than we had expected and in full flow due to the recent rains they were very impressive. We crossed a short bridge at the base of the falls which was an excellent viewing point.
From here we took a bit of a bush track with lots of bends and a few obstacles along the far side of the river before recrossing the river again via another small bridge. From here we did a fairly steep and slippery descent to the base of Champagne Falls. While not as big as Bridal Veil they were still quite impressive with the large volume of water flowing in the river. We returned up the hill before re-joining the 4WD track and returning down the hill to the wilderness retreat. A bit over 90 minutes and a very enjoyable walk with two lovely water falls!
On the return trip we travelled farther North through Gowrie Park and then Sheffield. A nice mural wall in Gowrie Park extended for quite a distance and was a lovely setting surrounded by mountains.
From Sheffield we took a winding route that brought us back to the Bass Highway where we once again travelled South through Deloraine to our campground. The route home passed through some lovely green farmland. A big day but most enjoyable!
We are planning to head off in the morning to re-join with Carol and Stephen at Port Sorell. The weather here has been lovely and sunny although still cool. We had a bit of a frost one morning and we were glad that we were able to use the electric heater!
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