2. Best for unique wildlife experiences: Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park, Tasmania
“I am reminded regularly that Australian fauna is some of the most unusual and fabulous in the world,” says Irwin, whose conservation initiatives include endangered species breeding programmes at Australia Zoo and Wildlife Warriors, a non-profit begun by her parents to involve people in protecting threatened wildlife. “I love that you can be hiking in Tasmania and see a platypus swimming in the stream, or watching the sunset over the outback while emus are running in the distance.”
Bindi Irwin’s favourite Aussie animal
“I absolutely love echidnas,” says Irwin. “Being monotremes (egg-laying mammals), they are incredibly unique. They waddle around with their spiky bodies and snack on ants and termites. We’ve been lucky enough to have a few puggles (baby echidnas) hatched at Australia Zoo. Puggles look like beanbags with long noses and no spikes. Truly a sight to behold and so odd and adorable.”
Irwin’s pick for unique Aussie wildlife experiences is Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park, home to Tasmania’s stunning Cradle Mountain, and one of the five parks that make up the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. “We’ve been visiting [it] my entire life,” she says. “The hikes here are utterly breathtaking and there are adorable native Aussie animals just waiting to say ‘g’day’.”
Cradle Mountan-Lake St Clair National Park protects 1,614 sq km of rainforests, glacial lakes, snow-capped mountains and rugged alpine moorland. Visitors can arrange to stay overnight in the park’s rustic Waldheim cabins as they tackle its network of trails, like the famous 80km Overland Track that stretches from Cradle Mountain to the glacial Lake St Clair; Australia’s deepest lake. As you explore, keep an eye out for platypus, black currawong, carnivorous marsupials like quolls and Tasmanian devils at the park’s Tasmanian Devil breeding and conservation sanctuary, and Irwin’s favourite, the echidna. “This national park is beautiful any time of year and I swear the air smells sweet,” says Irwin. “It’s so pristine here.”
Website: https://parks.tas.gov.au/explore-our-parks/cradle-mountain
Address (Visitors’ Centre): 4057 Cradle Mountain Road Cradle Mountain TAS 7310
Phone: 03 6492 1100
Instagram: @tasmaniaparks
