Tasmania’s Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park doesn’t just have incredible scenery and challenging hikes — it also offers stunning flora and a bevy of fuzzy marsupials (and slightly less fuzzy monotremes). For best viewing, head out at dusk — that’s when the fun begins! Here’s a collection of the Cradle Mountain flora and fauna that you might see if you go.

Cradle Mountain Marsupials

Wombats

These cute little critters are all over the place once dusk falls. The easiest places to see them are right around the Cradle Mountain Lodge and at Ronny Creek — even right on the path.

As a fascinating side note, these are the only animals in the world that have square scat. How does that happen? Well, their intestines undergo a very specific series of contractions that allow them to squish the dried feces into little blocks. And these pieces of wombat poo are everywhere — a single wombat can poop out up to 100 cubes a day.

Bennett’s Wallabies

There are a lot of wallabies in Tasmania, and Cradle Mountain certainly has its share. In fact, you’re likely to find yourself sharing the trail with one.

Tasmanian Pademelons

Cute as can be, pademelons are among the smallest of the macropods (the family that includes kangaroos and wallabies). We saw them every evening near our cabin at Cradle Mountain Highlanders Cottages (a fabulous place to stay).

Brushtail Possums

Tree-nesters, possums can be tough to spot, but there are plenty of them in the park -— we found this one just outside of Cradle Mountain Lodge.

Two other marsupials that you might encounter are quolls and Tasmanian devils, but though we looked, we did not find any.

Cradle Mountain Monotremes

Duck-Billed Platypuses

Probably the best-known of the monotremes (egg-laying mammals), duck-billed platypuses are very hard to spot (and film) — they’re pretty much only active at night, so you need to find them just as the sun is about to go down. We were lucky to encounter this one in a pool just at the base of the waterfall at the entrance to the Enchanted Walk.

Tasmanian Short-Beaked Echidnas

Echidnas are amazing — they have both fur and spines (they’re also known as spiny anteaters), they have no teeth, and they lay eggs. Encounters aren’t common, but the best place to look is by the side of the road, especially if there’s a dead log nearby. This one was just at the edge of the driveway of Cradle Mountain Highlanders Cottages.

Cradle Mountain Flora

Flower sightings are, of course, time-of-year dependent, but this is what we saw in early December.

Coast Tea Tree (Leptospermum laevigatum)

Tasmanian Waratah (Telopea truncata)

White Kunzea (Kunzea ambigua)

Prickly Beauty (Pultenaea juniperina)

White Flag Iris (Diplarrena moraea)

Boronia (not sure which species)

Common Heath (Epacris sp.), with a Buff-Tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)

Christmas Bells (Blandfordia punicea)

Spreading Guinea Flower (Hibbertia procumbens)

Trigger Plant (Stylidium sp.)

Mountain Rocket (Bellendena montana)

Honey Myrtle (Melaleuca nesophila is my best guess, but it could be Melaleuca squamea)

River Rose, a.k.a Wiry Bauera (Bauera rubioides)

Snow Paperdaisy (Xerochrysum milliganii)

Dagger Hakea (Hakea teretifolia)

Alpine Daisy-Bush (Olearia algida)

Bonus Mushroom!

It’s neither a flower nor a furry friend, but I loved this strawberry bracket (Tyromyces pulcherrimus) fungus.

A Few Cradle Mountain Flora and Fauna Viewing Tips

• The best time to see most of these animals is at dusk, when they come out to feed.
• If you want to see wombats and the weather is good, you’re almost guaranteed to find them at Ronny Creek.
• For animal variety, station yourself near Cradle Mountain Lodge.
• The best time to see wildflowers in bloom is between October and February.

One of the wonderful — and sometimes frustrating — things about wildlife is that you never know what you’re going to see. But when you stumble on something, that makes it all the more delightful!

Hoping to spot flora and fauna while you’re out and about? Don’t miss my post on some of the the best walks and hikes at Cradle Mountain — perfect trails for exploring more of this spectacular landscape.

Need to cool off after your wildlife wandering? Try a little Cradle Mountain wild swimming.