Walking up to Crater Lake

I woke to possum crap on my bike. I’d forgotten to cover the seat last night, and a passing possum had pooped on it. 

Despite the poop start, it was a fantastic day today, with a cloudless sky and warm temperatures. We had been advised by several locals that if the weather was good, we should head for Crater Lake National Park and get up to the lake, but not bother if it was cloudy or looked like it might rain. So we heeded that advice and off we went.

We rode to Ronny’s Creek, the start of one of the walks. In the car park just before there and where we had to register for the walk ( so they know who hasn’t returned at the end of the day) we encountered a gang of postie bike riders from Victoria, all proudly sitting astride their bright red bikes. They nearly fell off when we showed up, and were pouring all over Gordon’s bike and the kit he was carrying. Funny.

The walk from there is only about 6kms but its uphill of course. However, that 6kms, covers the most amazing habitats. At car park level, there are pandani, sticking up out of the grass, marking where the water is flowing. 

These are apparently the biggest heathland plants in the world and stand up out of the surrounding vegetation like mad camel heads or Animal from the Muppets. Then it moves up into rainforest and sassafras. It was nice and cool in there, with waterfalls and mosses and ferns. 

And it wasn't too steep either, being stepped.

Crater Lake was pretty amazing too. Its a caldera, a lake in a volcanic cone, and this one is in a steep cone, with cliffs of over 200 metres, indicating that the lava flow solidified quickly. Its pretty much intact too so the water is contained and is about 60 metres deep. 

A few skinks were hanging about and making the most of the sun and the warm decking.

We had a bit of a rest up there before climbing up a bit further or a view over Lake Lilla and Dove Lake, before dropping down to Wombat Pool, and round to Dove Lake, where we had a great view of Cradle Mountain, so named after a washing bench thing that the old gold miners used for washing soil to find gold;apparently, it looks like the cradle that they used for the purpose.

We didnt have time to circumvent it so we headed back to the the shuttle bus pick up for a lift back to the bikes.