Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park Tasmania | |
---|---|
IUCN category II (national park) | |
Nearest town or city | Queenstown |
Coordinates | 41°49′49″S 145°55′27″E / 41.83028°S 145.92417°E |
Established | 1922 |
Area | 1,614.43 km2 (623.3 sq mi)[1] |
Visitation | 209,000 (in 2005) |
Managing authorities | Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service |
Website | Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park |
See also | Protected areas of Tasmania |
The Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park is part of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Site. It is a large park with lakes, temperate rainforests and alpine heathland. Cradle Mountain is a jagged dolerite mountain peak. There are sites around the park where the Australian Aborigines lived 10,000 years ago during the last ice age.[2] Tasmania's tallest mountain, Mt. Ossa, 1,617 m (5,305 ft) above sea level, is in the park.[3]
An area of 158,000 acres (63,940 ha) was protected in May 1922 as a scenic reserve, becoming a National Park in 1972.[2] The National Park now covers an area of 397,840 acres (161,000 ha).[3] There is a 73 km (45 mi) walking track, called the Overland Track, between Cradle Mountain and Lake St Clair.[4]
Other National Parks and reserves in the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area are:
Other National Parks and reserves in the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area are: