Are you up for the Cradle Mountain challenge?

A visit to Cradle Mountain offers a multitude of options, depending on how adventurous you are.

If you’re not the active type, you can hire a chalet at the foothills of the mountain and remain content with the views of the peak while staying warm, dry and relaxed. If you’re up for an active day, you can scale the 1545m high mountain from the Dove Lake car park -” it’s a strenuous 6.5 hour walk, and you’ll certainly earn a soak in the bath and a good night’s rest when you’re done.

If you’re a really adventurous type, you can go the whole hog and walk the Overland track. Be warned: this ain’t no picnic. The Overland is a challenging, six-day trek across Tasmania’s beautiful but unforgiving high country. The track traverses thick forest, over high dolerite mountains and past spectacular waterfalls before finishing at Lake St Clair, which, with a maximum depth of 200m, is Australia’s deepest lake.

The 65km track attracts over 8000 walkers a year, and this high demand has made track management increasingly rigid.

There are several factors you need to consider when organising your trip: before you go, you’ll have to book your hike with the Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife Service. You’ll also have to pay the Overland Track fee, which currently stands at $150 per person. It may seem a steep price for a bushwalk, but the fee goes into maintaining the isolated facilities in the park, including the numerous huts dotted along the track, which provide shelter, cooking and toilet facilities for weary walkers.

Most importantly, you’ll need to ensure you have all the equipment needed to properly take on this weeklong challenge: food, wet weather gear, and a tent (the huts dotted throughout the park do fill up in busy periods, meaning a tent is an essential back-up if you don’t want to freeze your arse off at night).

Throughout the journey there are numerous side trips you can take from the main track, including a 3.5 hour return climb up Mt Ossa, Tasmania’s highest peak, and walks to Lake Will and Barn Bluff. The sometimes brutal and always unpredictable Tasmanian weather conditions mean that all but the most experienced walkers are encouraged to walk during the official walking season, from November to April.

While you’re making your way along the track, -” perhaps as you’re into your fifth or sixth day of hiking, as your legs ache and your pack weighs heavy on your shoulders -” spare a thought for those who enter the annual Cradle Mountain Run, a marathon that encompasses the entire Overland track. The current record holder, Andy Kromar, finished the track in just 7 hours and 25 minutes. You’ll find him in the dictionary, under insane.

info: www.overlandtrack.com.au