Tasmania Cradle Mountain walking tour
How this holiday makes a difference
Environment
Cradle Mountain boasts some of the most pristine environments in Tasmania and it is our commitment to preserve these landscapes and educate our travellers how to assist.
Cradle Mountain boasts a graded track and we educate our travellers why it is important to stick to these trails, to avoid treading on delicate fauna.
On this tour we stay in environmentally sensitive cabins situated just outside of the park. These cabins The cabins are set in 260 acres of bushland, offering a private wilderness setting away from the crowds of the big hotels and public huts. Utilising the huts avoids the need to put extra strain on the camp sites within the park, which can be very busy during the short season.
Our entire team shares a deep commitment to maintaining the integrity of the Tasmanian wilderness. Accordingly we have established an operation that follows a Leave No Trace philosophy and are proud of the fact that we have effectively left no human trace behind over two decades of operating in Tasmania’s most delicate environs. The places we take our travellers remain in the same excellent and pristine condition as when we first found them.
Our leaders in Cradle Mountain brief our travellers prior to the trip and encourage and promote an understanding to our travellers of local conservation, including:
Stay on track: If no track, fan out and do not follow in each other's footsteps.
Use of fuel stoves: Take care to place your stove and any hot pots on hard surfaces. Some vegetation does not easily recover from the heat of stoves.
Pack it in - pack it out: Take all of your rubbish out with you! Collect any other bushwalkers' garbage off the track!
Campsite etiquette: Pitch your tent on an established site rather than creating a new one. Once camp is established minimise movements, i.e collect your water once for the evening.
Flora/Fauna: Don’t disturb or feed nesting birds or browsing animals. Avoid introducing weeds or seeds into new areas by thoroughly cleaning boots tents and other equipment before and after each trip. The root rot fungus Phytophthora cinnamomi is present in Tasmania help stop the spread we ensure our travellers clean their gear including boots, tent pegs, gaiters and tent floor, before, during and after a trek.
Water: One of the rare pleasures one can have in Tasmania is to dip ones cup into the stream and drink directly from it. We advise travellers on how to keep the water sources unpolluted by taking washing water 100m away from a water source to only use bio-degradable soap.
We were delighted that our efforts were nominated by our travellers and subsequently long listed for the Responsible Travel Awards 2011.
Community
We've chosen to work with a locally owned cabin accommodation, rather than large hotel chains, to help provide a sensitive experience and to share the wealth with other smaller providers within the region.
In Cradle Mountain, we provide the option for travellers to visit the Devils at Cradle Sanctuary to learn about the important work being done to help save this endangered Australian animal.
As part of our operations manual we make it very clear that resources, where and when possible, should be purchased from local sources. We have a food policy, whereby it states that the produce on trips should be both Tasmanian owned and produced. If both are not possible it should then be either produced or owned locally before even considering any mainland or overseas alternatives.
All guides and support staff are locally employed.
We employ people to do our food drops – rather than helicopters.
All vehicles are maintained frequently locally in Launceston.
As a pioneer and leader in the Tasmanian adventure industry, we help to bring together smaller operators and include some of their experiences in our multi-activity packages so they benefit from our marketing activities as well.
There is a check of local gear and equipment before every tour at a local gear shop. If a client is deemed lacking essential equipment we have obtained favourable rates for them to purchase the gear from the locally owned outdoor shop.
Each year we run at least one charity fundraising trek which benefits a Tasmanian charity financially as well as through raising their profile through the marketing activities we undertake to promote the trek.
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