Cradle Mountain Day Tour: Guided Walks & Cheese Farm

Nine and a half hours in the Tasmanian wilderness, from alpine rock to working cheese dairy.

A full-day guided tour from Launceston to Cradle Mountain National Park includes a one-hour walk at Dove Lake with a professional guide, a visit to Ashgrove Cheese Farm, light lunch at a day hut, and an easy walk through Weindorfers Forest near the historic Waldheim guest house. Hotel pickup and drop-off are included, and the tour runs nine and a half hours with an air-conditioned coach and a local driver-guide speaking English.

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Cradle Mountain National Park

• Stop in historical mural town
• Coach tour to Cradle Mountain Visitor Centre
• Walk Enchanted Forest waterfalls
• One hour guided walk at Dove Lake
• Visit Tasmanian Ashgrove Cheese Farm
• Light lunch at day hut
• Walk in Weindorfers Forest and visit Waldheim

The Experience

The coach leaves Launceston and travels approximately two hours through rolling farmland and the North West Coast landscape, first stopping in Sheffield—a historical town with more than 140 painted murals depicting the region's pioneering history. From there, you reach the Cradle Mountain Visitor Centre on the park boundary, where interpretive displays and up-to-date weather information help you understand the alpine area ahead. A short five-minute walk from the centre leads to cascading waterfalls on the Enchanted Forest Walk.

The heart of the day is a one-hour guided walk at Dove Lake, where Cradle Mountain rises over the picturesque water. Your professional guide takes you up to Glacier Rock and down to one of Dove Lake's quartzite beaches—the kind of ground-level detail that makes the mountain's scale real. After that, you spend time at Ashgrove Cheese Farm learning how the cheese is made and sampling varieties produced on site. A light lunch from a local bakery waits at a day hut before you move to the final stretch: an easy twenty-minute walk through Weindorfers Forest near Waldheim, the historic guest house that anchors this corner of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area.

What’s included

• Air-conditioned coach transport from Launceston.
• hotel pickup and drop-off.
• a local driver-guide speaking English.
• entry to Cradle Mountain National Park.
• a one-hour guided walk at Dove Lake.
• the Enchanted Forest Walk at the Visitor Centre.
• a visit to Ashgrove Cheese Farm with cheese tasting.
• light lunch at a day hut.
• and an easy walk through Weindorfers Forest near Waldheim historic guest house.

Good to know

Moderate physical levelStroller friendlyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Experience Tasmania Gray Line Day Tours

Is this one for you?Pick this if you're traveling without a car—the coach-based format means you'll see the main peaks and walk the Enchanted Forest trail while the guide manages timing and route decisions.

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Top questions

How far is Cradle Mountain from Launceston, and how much of the day is spent traveling?

Cradle Mountain National Park is approximately two hours by coach from Launceston through farmland and the North West Coast. The full tour runs nine and a half hours including all stops, walks and the cheese farm visit, so travel time is a significant part of the day.

What walks do I do on this tour, and how difficult are they?

You do two walks: a one-hour guided walk at Dove Lake with a professional guide that goes up to Glacier Rock and down to a quartzite beach, and an easy twenty-minute walk through Weindorfers Forest near Waldheim. The tour requires at least a moderate level of physical fitness.

What is Ashgrove Cheese Farm, and what happens there?

Ashgrove Cheese Farm is a working Tasmanian dairy where you learn how the cheese is made and taste the varieties produced on the premises—a stop that breaks up the day between the mountain walks and lunch.

Is lunch included, and what kind of food is it?

Yes, a light lunch from a local bakery is provided and eaten at a day hut in the park before the final walk through Weindorfers Forest.