Cradle Mountain is a major feature of the Cradle Mountain - Lake St Clair National Park, in north-western Tasmania, 144 km south-west from Launceston, and 83 km south-west from Devonport. It is a spectacular mountain of Jurassic dolerite, its present jagged appearance formed by glaciers which gouged and sculpted it about 10 000 years ago. The mountain rises to 1545 m above sea level in very rugged and mountainous country. The mountain was named by Joseph Fossey in 1827, from its resemblance to a baby's cradle.
Copyright © Australian Museum, 2004