Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park
🇦🇺 Australia
🐨 Wombat Wanderings at Cradle MountainCradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park is a rugged alpine reserve in the central highlands of Tasmania, featuring glacial lakes, buttongrass moorlands, and ancient temperate rainforests. Trails wind through deep valleys and past jagged dolerite peaks, marking one of the island's most celebrated wilderness areas.
-41.885° S 145.952° E
Wildlife
⭐ Iconic Species
★ 
Common Wombat
Vombatus ursinus
★ 
Red-necked Wallaby
Notamacropus rufogriseus
★ 
Red-bellied Pademelon
Thylogale billardierii
📊 Most Spotted
Black Currawong
Strepera fuliginosa
Crescent Honeyeater
Phylidonyris pyrrhopterus
Short-beaked Echidna
Tachyglossus aculeatus
Tasmanian Scrubwren
Sericornis humilis
Metallic Coolskink
Carinascincus metallicus
Tasmanian Thornbill
Acanthiza ewingii
Yellow Wattlebird
Anthochaera paradoxa
Green Rosella
Platycercus caledonicus
Yellow-throated Honeyeater
Nesoptilotis flavicollis
Welcome Swallow
Hirundo neoxena
Pink Robin
Petroica rodinogaster
Grey Fantail
Rhipidura albiscapa
⭐ Iconic Species
★ Common Wombat
Vombatus ursinus
★ Red-necked Wallaby
Notamacropus rufogriseus
★ Red-bellied Pademelon
Thylogale billardierii
📊 Most Spotted
Short-beaked Echidna
Tachyglossus aculeatus
Common Brushtail
Trichosurus vulpecula
Tasmanian Devil
Sarcophilus harrisii
Eastern Quoll
Dasyurus viverrinus
Duck-billed Platypus
Ornithorhynchus anatinus
Common Ringtail Possum
Pseudocheirus peregrinus
Tiger Quoll
Dasyurus maculatus
Inland Sugar Glider
Petaurus notatus
Broad-toothed Mouse
Mastacomys fuscus
Long-tailed Mouse
Pseudomys higginsi
Rakali
Hydromys chrysogaster
White-footed Dunnart
Sminthopsis leucopus
📊 Most Spotted
Black Currawong
Strepera fuliginosa
Crescent Honeyeater
Phylidonyris pyrrhopterus
Tasmanian Scrubwren
Sericornis humilis
Tasmanian Thornbill
Acanthiza ewingii
Yellow Wattlebird
Anthochaera paradoxa
Green Rosella
Platycercus caledonicus
Yellow-throated Honeyeater
Nesoptilotis flavicollis
Welcome Swallow
Hirundo neoxena
Pink Robin
Petroica rodinogaster
Grey Fantail
Rhipidura albiscapa
Superb Fairywren
Malurus cyaneus
Forest Raven
Corvus tasmanicus
📊 Most Spotted
Metallic Coolskink
Carinascincus metallicus
Eastern Tiger Snake
Notechis scutatus
Ocellated Coolskink
Carinascincus ocellatus
White-lipped Snake
Drysdalia coronoides
Tasmanian Tree Skink
Carinascincus pretiosus
Alpine Coolskink
Carinascincus greeni
She-oak Slender Bluetongue
Cyclodomorphus casuarinae
Blotched Bluetongue
Tiliqua nigrolutea
Mountain Dragon
Rankinia diemensis
Entrecasteaux's Skink
Pseudemoia entrecasteauxii
Recent sightings in Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park
LIVEiNaturalistAnimal Events
1Wombat Foraging at Dusk
Common Wombats emerge at twilight to graze on grasses and roots, leaving distinctive burrow systems visible along trails.
2Pademelon Breeding Season
Red-bellied Pademelons engage in courtship behaviors, including boxing matches and vocalizations, in dense scrub near Lake St Clair.
3Alpine Skink Basking
Metallic Cool-skinks and Alpine Cool-skinks sunbathe on warm rocks along Cradle Mountain’s summit trails, displaying iridescent scales.
Sighting Calendar
Average chance of spotting the park's most-spotted species, month by month
- 1Wombat Foraging at Dusk
- 2Pademelon Breeding Season
- 3Alpine Skink Basking
Sighting Zones
Warmer areas are where all species together are recorded most often.
Essentials
Climate
What visitors saw
After checking in at the caravan park where we spotted our first wombat, dashing across the track, we went to explore the surroundings, doing some of the shorter walks around the interpretation center and got rewarded big time!
In the rainforest, spotted-tail quolls darted through the underbrush, and in the open grasslands, we saw grazing wombats—and even Tasmanian devils, who don't mess around.
We saw our first of many “Pademelons” on the edge of the trail.
I had seen a platypus already, I was hoping Mo would be able to see one as well.
Quick answers
What animals can you see in Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park?
The most likely sightings are Black Currawong (seen by over 90% of wildlife watchers), Common Wombat (seen by about 90% of wildlife watchers), Red-bellied Pademelon (seen by about 80% of wildlife watchers), Crescent Honeyeater (seen by about 80% of wildlife watchers), Red-necked Wallaby (seen by about 80% of wildlife watchers) — among 291 recorded vertebrate species, based on citizen-science data from GBIF.
When is the best time to visit Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park for wildlife?
November has the highest combined sighting rate for the park's top species in our month-by-month GBIF data. The full sighting calendar on this page shows each species' best months.
Can you see Common Wombat in Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park?
Yes — about 90% of wildlife watchers report a Common Wombat sighting in Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park, based on 700 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
Can you see Red-necked Wallaby in Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park?
Yes — about 80% of wildlife watchers report a Red-necked Wallaby sighting in Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park, based on 279 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
Can you see Red-bellied Pademelon in Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park?
Yes — about 80% of wildlife watchers report a Red-bellied Pademelon sighting in Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park, based on 273 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
Where Wildlife Score
How good is this park for seeing wildlife?Biodiversity
GoodHow rich is the wildlife?
Sighting
Very goodHow likely to see animals?
Experience
GoodHow easy and pleasant is the visit?
