Day Visitor Facilities
Picnic shelters with electric barbecues are found adjacent to the visitor centre and there are picnic tables close to Waldheim. As well, there are plenty of opportunities for informal picnicking in Cradle Valley.
Toilets are located at the visitor centre, Waldheim and Dove Lake. All of these are wheelchair accessible.
A public telephone with local, ISD and IDD access is located at the entrance to the Cradle Mountain Visitor Centre. (There is no mobile phone service available within the Cradle Mountain area).
A limited line of grocery items may be purchased from the campground shop.
Cradle Mountain Visitor Centre
Located just inside the national park entrance, this centre provides visitors with a wide range of services that includes informative displays, an art gallery, videos and a welcoming log fire! Information officers provide advice on walks and activities. The centre is open daily from 8 am to 5 pm.
The Overland Track Check-in Counter is located inside the Visitor Centre. All walkers planning to walk the Overland Track to Lake St Clair between the months of November and April will need to check-in here. Here you can collect your Overland Track Pass, your National Parks Pass and have a chat to staff about the Track.
A visit to the centre as soon as you arrive is recommended. This will help you to make the most out of your stay.
Park Shop
Within the Visitor Centre is the National Park shop. The shop is well stocked with some stunning wilderness postcards, posters and framed pictures, as well as Tasmanian reference & souvenir books. The shop sells a wide range of all-weather clothing including thermals, quality raincoats, beanies & fleecy jumpers, many with unique Cradle Mountain – Lake St Clair logos. Bushwalkers find particularly useful the shops’ stock of bushwalking gear, including camping stoves, fuel, and waterproof pack-liners.
Waldheim Chalet
Nestled among the myrtles and King Billy pines at Cradle Valley, Waldheim Chalet takes you back to the time when the Weindorfers first offered their renowned hospitality to their guests. Having fallen in love with what is now Cradle Mountain -- Lake St Clair National Park, Gustav and Kate Weindorfer built the rustic home and guest chalet in 1912. The chalet was named Waldheim, meaning "forest home".
Waldheim Chalet continued to be used for accomodation until 1974. After a fire, it was beyond repair and demolished. The replica, rebuilt in 1976 using traditional bush carpentry techniques, is made from shingles split from King Billy pine.
Today the story of their lives and love of the mountain is told through a display and audio presentation. Visit the chalet for an insight into the early days at Cradle Valley. See our web pages for full details of the history of Waldheim.
Waldheim Cabins
Nestled between buttongrass plains and ancient temperate rainforest are the rustic and unique Waldheim Cabins. They offer an authentic wilderness experience.
Eight cabins (4 to 8 berth) provide simple and affordable lodgings, where a number of great walking tracks radiate from your front door.
The cabins are located inside the park and are equipped with heating (gas, wood or electric), single bunk beds, basic cooking utensils, crockery, cutlery and a gas stove. Linen can be provided at a small cost. Two amenities blocks each with showers and flushing toilets. There are small fridges available in each cabin but no general use power points
Please bring your own bedding and toiletries.
Please note that all cabins are non-smoking.
Cabin keys can be collected from the Cradle Mountain Visitor centre during office hours 8am to 5pm, and a little later in summer. If you arrive outside office hours details of your cabin and keys will be left on the notice board near the Visitor Center entrance.
See camping and cabin fees for further details and costs.
For reservations and further information please contact the Cradle Mountain Visitor Centre.