Australian Flora and Fauna IV - Cradle Mountain, Tasmania (Part 1)

From the humidity and heat of Queensland, we next flew due South to the cooler climate of Tasmania. Tasmania was rugged and beautiful and filled with lots of national parks and interesting flora and fauna deriving from Gondwanan heritage. We spent almost five days touring Cradle Mountain - Lake St. Clair National Park, Tasmania which is part of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area.

We began with a rainy-day walk around the the King Billy circular track near Cradle Mountain Lodge. The track is named for the ancient King Billy Pines (Athrotaxis selaginoides) (which notwithstanding their name are conifers, not pines) up to 1500 years of age. The walk was an exploration in the many shades of green in the trees and the profusion of mosses and lichens.

Back at the Lodge, it was incredible to observe the many animals that come out to feed in an open meadow near the Lodge in the evening. In the past, the animals had been fed by Lodge staff and guests although this practice was discontinued several years ago (although apparently some guests irresponsibly continue to feed the wild animals). A very bright-eyed and cute Tasmanian Pademelon (Rufous Wallaby) appeared frequently in the evening on the front porch of our room unsuccessfully begging for food.

Tasmanian Pademelon (Rufous Wallaby)

We learned that these poor herbivorous creatures are common roadkill in Tasmania. In addition, their numbers are large due to the dwindling numbers or extinction of some of their natural predators -- e.g. the Tasmanian Tiger (Thylacinus cynocephalus) is extinct and the Tasmanian Devil (Sarcophilus harrisii) population has shrunk due to a fatal and incurable facial disease (more about this in a future post). Click here to learn more about the sad tale of the marsupial Tasmanian Tiger and how it was hunted to extinction. Here is another Tasmanian Pademelon feeding near the Lodge in the evening.

Tasmanian Pademelon (Rufous Wallaby)