Lake St Clair

Lake St Clair is located in Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park and the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. The landscape combines deep glacial lakes, dense forests of ancient Tasmanian cedars and high mountains. There are also opportunities for hiking and wildlife watching, as well as places where you can learn more about the history and culture of Aboriginal people.

Landscape and wildlife at the lake

At Lake St Clair, Bennett’s wallabies and pademelons are easy for visitors to spot. If you’re interested in how the landscape changes, the Shadow Lake Circuit offers a specific example: the route leads from wet forest at Lake St Clair through eucalyptus forest to subalpine moorland and sedges near the lake. Forest, open moorland and the lakeside surroundings form a continuous sequence here.

The walking trails also vary in length. At Lake St Clair, numerous short and longer trails lead through ancient rainforests to alpine lakes and mountain peaks. When planning, you can first consider whether you prefer a shorter walk or a longer hike; the destinations described range from the lakeside area to the mountain landscape.

Aboriginal culture and visitor centre

The Aboriginal name for Lake St Clair is leeawuleena, meaning “sleeping water”. Tasmanian Aboriginal people have long-standing connections with the area around the lake, which continue today. This cultural connection is also explored on the Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Walk, which starts at Lake St Clair. The trail shares knowledge about Aboriginal historical sites and artefacts, including preserved stone tools, caves and rock shelters.

Another option is the Lake St Clair Discovery Walk: this half-day guided wilderness walk includes the Aboriginal cultural trail Larmairrenemer tabelti, Platypus Bay and the Watersmeet Track. Check whether this guided experience is available before planning. At the visitor centre in Cynthia Bay, you can find information about the effects of glaciation, the interactions between Aboriginal communities and the land, and activities in the park.

Getting there and exploring by water

Lake St Clair is about 2.5 hours west of Hobart via the Lyell Highway (A10). From Derwent Bridge, the Lake St Clair Road (C193) runs 5.5 kilometres to the visitor centre at Cynthia Bay. There is no direct road connection between the two ends of Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park. Bear this in mind when planning drives through the park.

A passenger ferry runs from Cynthia Bay to Narcissus Bay at the northern end of the lake; it is Australia’s highest-altitude ferry service. The Ida Clair ferry offers a 28-kilometre round trip on Lake St Clair. It picks up Overland Track hikers at Narcissus and takes day walkers to Echo Point. The Overland Track is a 65-kilometre, six-day alpine hike through the national park. The ferry trip and the multi-day hike therefore offer different ways to experience the park. Plan according to the route you want to take and check the ferry timetable in advance.

Tasmania’s wider natural and cultural context

Across the wider destination of Tasmania, the Tasmanian Wilderness covers more than 1.58 million hectares—almost a quarter of the island state. It provides habitat for endemic, rare and threatened species, including the Tasmanian wedge-tailed eagle and the orange-bellied parrot. It is also important as a cultural landscape: Tasmanian Aboriginal people have lived there for about 40,000 years. This regional context complements the practical information about Lake St Clair without equating the landscapes and experiences of the entire area with individual places.

Discover more destinations: Midway Point, Bream Creek, Strathgordon, Randalls Bay, Wilmot, Chudleigh, Bridport, Gravelly Beach

For the wider travel overview: Tasmania.