Dove Lake Circuit — Attraction in Tasmania

In reality a fine day is a must, while the lake itself is beautiful, a major highlight is the stunning mountain scenery and to be real, the only reason people come here is to see cradle mountain standing tall behind the lake. That said the walk around the lake is magical. It’s on formed tracks, not to steep, around 150m elevation gain over the 6km circuit. If you were rushing you could do it with a few photo stops in an hour or so, much better to allow 3 and spend time relaxing and taking it all in at the many magical places along the way. The track is always close to the lake with stunning scenery and photo opportunities the whole way. The process of getting to the start of the walk from the car park at the visitor centre (there is a cafe and toilets) is pretty straightforward. Buy your bus ticket and off you go. Shuttle buses seem to depart about every 10 minutes or so, stop at the various trail heads along the way and depending on people getting on and off along the way it takes around 20mins. When you arrive at the bus stop there are toilets, use these as you won’t find anymore. If you don’t want to do the whole walk there is a beautiful lookout only 15mins or so from the bus stop, take the clockwise path. Alternatively if you go anticlockwise you’ll get to the boat shed. Both have brilliant photo opportunities. As this is a very popular spot go as early as possible, it can get vey crowded, particularly at...

Dove Lake will take you about 90 minutes at a good pace, is mostly flat on a good trail and achievable by most visitors (though not by wheelchairs). Despite this, few of the visitors to the park will bother with it, and will instead head right to the boat house, and left to the lookout, then catch the bus back. This is a shame as the track is well worth the walk. It stays very close to the lake and constantly gives you changing views and angles of the peaks and lakes, and at one point ducks under a lovely canopy into a gorgeous small stretch of rainforest known as the ballroom. The only tough bit is about 2/3 of the way round, when there are a few hundred step over the point behind the boathouse. Just before the end of the walk there is sidetrack up to Marion’s Lookout. Beware, this is extremely steep, and quite dangerous and for large stretch involves hauling yourself up chains over stretches of rock. If the weather is clear the views are superb, but it will take you about 1 hour to get there and back, and involved 400 metres of elevation. A much better option is to take the longer and slower hike up via the lake Lilla track, from behind the boathouse, or the overland track from Ronny Creek. There are no facilities apart from the toilets at the bus drop off, but a big new visitor centre now being planned should improve...

This was a beautiful walk until we arrived at the Dove Lake visitor centre.

Inside one largely empty building, in giant letters scrawled across the wall as you enter, is the message “ALWAYS WAS, ALWAYS WILL BE ABORIGINAL LAND.” It is written in a way that makes you feel like you are being screamed at by a hateful activist.

Apart from being categorically wrong (even we are not from Australia we know that the aboriginals never saw themselves as owners of the land. Rather, they are of the land and the land owns them) this message is filled with an attitude of hate and toxic resentment.

I feel so sorry for Australians, to be made to feel like enemies in their own country. And the worst thing is that this hateful message was paid for by the same people it is screaming at. Very disappointing and I feel sorry that Australians must endure this. How this got funding from their government boggles my mind.

The rest of the hiking was very beautiful but I would never return and give money to anyone who creates and approves of hateful and divisive messages like this. It is not even written in a way that is professional or informative. It is just anger and loathing.

Australians...