03 6330 3717
Marions Lookout

Overview

A chal­leng­ing alpine hike through the heart of Cra­dle Mountain

Step beyond the clas­sic Cra­dle Moun­tain expe­ri­ence and take on a guid­ed alpine adven­ture to two of the region’s most spec­tac­u­lar destinations.

Fol­low the Over­land Track from Ron­ny Creek through ancient rain­for­est and but­ton grass plains before reach­ing the glacial­ly formed Crater Lake. From here, the track climbs steeply towards Mar­i­on’s Look­out, reward­ing your effort with spec­tac­u­lar views across Dove Lake, Cra­dle Moun­tain and the sur­round­ing wilderness.

From Mar­i­on’s Look­out, descend through Wom­bat Pool and Lake Lil­la before fin­ish­ing at Dove Lake.

Octo­ber to March | 12 km | Approx. 6 hours | Guid­ed | Chal­leng­ing | Max­i­mum 13 guests

For active trav­ellers look­ing to expe­ri­ence more of Cra­dle Mountain.

IMPOR­TANT: This is a chal­leng­ing guid­ed alpine hike. Guests should be com­fort­able walk­ing approx­i­mate­ly 12 km over uneven ter­rain for up to 6 hours and com­plet­ing steep ascents and descents. Pre­vi­ous bush­walk­ing expe­ri­ence and a good lev­el of fit­ness are recommended.

Detailed Itinerary

Please note that the itinerary is subject to change without notice.

  • Day 1: Cradle Mountain

    Departing Cradle Mountain

    Your guide will collect you from your Cradle Mountain accommodation or designated meeting point before travelling into Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park.

    Before commencing the walk, your guide will conduct a safety briefing and check that all participants have the appropriate clothing, footwear, water and equipment required for the conditions.

    Ronny Creek

    Our walk begins at Ronny Creek, where we join the Overland Track and begin our journey through the Cradle Mountain wilderness.

    The initial section takes us through buttongrass plains and into the temperate rainforest, offering an opportunity to experience the changing vegetation and landscapes of the Cradle Mountain region.

    Crater Falls

    Continuing along the track, we pass through ancient forest towards Crater Falls.

    The rainforest provides a striking contrast to the open alpine landscapes ahead, with the track gradually gaining elevation as we continue towards Crater Lake.

    Crater Lake

    We arrive at the glacially formed Crater Lake, surrounded by steep forested slopes and alpine vegetation.

    Following the eastern shore of the lake, we continue towards the junction for Marion’s Lookout.

    Crater Lake is a Grade 3 walk in its own right, with uneven surfaces, steps and short steep sections. The route beyond Crater Lake becomes more demanding.

    The Climb to Marion’s Lookout

    This is where the experience really begins to climb.

    The track becomes steep as we make our way towards Marion’s Lookout. Sections of the ascent are rocky and demanding, requiring sure footing and a good level of fitness.

    Take your time, follow your guide’s instructions and enjoy the changing landscape as we climb towards the Cradle Mountain plateau.

    Marion’s Lookout

    Reaching Marion’s Lookout is the reward for the climb.

    From this elevated viewpoint, take in sweeping views across Dove Lake, Cradle Mountain and the surrounding wilderness.

    Your guide will allow time to rest, enjoy the views and take photographs before we continue our descent.

    Wombat Pool

    From Marion’s Lookout, we descend through the alpine landscape towards Wombat Pool.

    The landscape changes once again as we move from the exposed alpine environment back towards the forest, with ancient pencil pines surrounding the pool.

    Lake Lilla

    Continuing downhill, we reach Lake Lilla, another of Cradle Mountain’s beautiful glacial lakes.

    The track continues towards Dove Lake, providing changing views of Cradle Mountain as we make our way towards the end of the walk.

    Dove Lake

    Our hiking experience concludes at Dove Lake, beneath the dramatic backdrop of Cradle Mountain.

    After completing the approximately 12 km hike, your guide will return you to your Cradle Mountain accommodation or designated drop-off point.

Tour Highlights

  • Marion’s Lookout via Crater Lake
  • Wombat Pool and Lake Lilla
  • Cradle Mountain and Dove Lake Views
  • Ancient temperate rainforest
  • Buttongrass plains and alpine landscapes
  • Fully guided hiking experience
  • Professional hiking guide
  • Small group experience
  • Hiking lunch pack provided
  • Complimentary Cradle Mountain accommodation pickup and drop-off*

Hik­ing Difficulty

McDermott’s Grade: 4 – Challenging

McDermott’s hik­ing grades are a guide only and where pos­si­ble align with an offi­cial Parks Tas­ma­nia track classification.

This is a chal­leng­ing alpine hik­ing expe­ri­ence and is rec­om­mend­ed for guests with a good lev­el of fit­ness and some pre­vi­ous bush­walk­ing or hik­ing experience.

The approx­i­mate­ly 12 km route includes:

  • Steep ascents and descents
  • Uneven and rocky surfaces
  • Steps and ele­vat­ed sections
  • Poten­tial­ly mud­dy or wet conditions
  • Exposed alpine terrain
  • Chang­ing weath­er conditions
  • A sus­tained climb towards Marion’s Lookout

Guests should be com­fort­able walk­ing for approx­i­mate­ly six hours over var­ied ter­rain and car­ry­ing a day pack.

This is not a sight­see­ing walk or casu­al stroll. The expe­ri­ence is designed for active trav­ellers who are pre­pared to walk for an extend­ed peri­od and tack­le steep sec­tions of track.

Is this walk suit­able for me?

You should con­sid­er this expe­ri­ence if you:

  • Reg­u­lar­ly par­tic­i­pate in walk­ing, hik­ing or oth­er phys­i­cal activity
  • Are com­fort­able walk­ing for sev­er­al hours
  • Have con­fi­dence on uneven and steep terrain
  • Are com­fort­able walk­ing in chang­ing weath­er conditions
  • Have appro­pri­ate hik­ing footwear and out­door clothing
  • Can car­ry your own water and per­son­al equip­ment for the dura­tion of the walk

If you are unsure whether this expe­ri­ence is suit­able for you, please con­tact McDermott’s before booking.

McDermott’s hik­ing grades are a guide only and are not an offi­cial Parks Tas­ma­nia track clas­si­fi­ca­tion. Actu­al dif­fi­cul­ty can vary sig­nif­i­cant­ly depend­ing on weath­er, track con­di­tions and indi­vid­ual fit­ness and experience.

Please note for safe­ty rea­sons, guides will need to check all hik­ers gear pri­or to the departure

  • Tour does not include Nation­al Parks Pass,
  • Tour does not oper­ate on Christ­mas Day
  • Com­fort­able walking/​hiking boots
  • Min­i­mum 30 litre day pack
  • Water bot­tle and water- min­i­mum 3 litres
  • Warm cloth­ing
  • Wet weath­er jack­ets are required, wet weath­er pants are optional
  • Hat, sun­glass­es, sunscreen

Weath­er & Route Conditions

Cra­dle Moun­tain is an alpine envi­ron­ment and weath­er con­di­tions can change rapid­ly. For the safe­ty of guests and guides, McDermott’s reserves the right to mod­i­fy the hik­ing route where weath­er, track con­di­tions or oth­er cir­cum­stances make the planned route unsuit­able or unsafe.

Where pos­si­ble, an alter­na­tive hik­ing route of a sim­i­lar nature and dura­tion will be pro­vid­ed so guests can still enjoy a guid­ed Cra­dle Moun­tain hik­ing experience.

A change to the route due to weath­er or track con­di­tions does not con­sti­tute a can­cel­la­tion and is not eli­gi­ble for a refund, pro­vid­ed the tour proceeds.

If McDermott’s deter­mines that the tour can­not safe­ly oper­ate at all, the can­cel­la­tion and refund pro­vi­sions out­lined in our Terms & Con­di­tions will apply.

Key Details

Inclusions

  • Approximately 6-hour guided hiking experience
  • Professional hiking guide
  • Guided commentary and interpretation
  • Crater Lake, Crater Falls and Marions Lookout
  • Wombat Pool and Lake Lilla
  • Hikers Lunch Pack

Not Included

  • National Park Pass
  • Personal hiking equipment
  • Personal travel insurance
  • Personal purchases

Cost

  • $495.00 per person
  • Minimum age: 16 years. Guests aged 16–17 must be accompanied by an adult.
  • Operating Season: October – March

Payment Terms

  • Bookings are subject to availability and minimum operating requirements.
  • Full payment is required on booking
  • Cancellation and refund conditions apply as outlined in our Terms & Conditions

CHALLENGING ALPINE HIKE: This is a genuine alpine walking experience involving steep ascents, uneven terrain, steps and changing weather conditions. A good level of fitness and previous bushwalking experience is recommended.