Breakfast in the Highland Restaurant is a buffet with all the usual trimmings while the dinner menu changes regularly,but likes to celebrate the local Tassie produce. You could find Macquarie Harbour Atlantic salmon or wild Tasmanian rabbit and lima bean stew. The Tavern Bar&Bistro is a top spot for lunch,order a Cradle Burger,a lodge-made beef patty with cheese,bacon,lettuce,relish and aioli and sit at the wooden benches with a view of the surrounds.
STEPPING OUT
Just wandering up to the lodge for dinner wallabies skitter away from my front door when I emerge and,with just a torch to light my way,I almost trip over a wombat grazing heedlessly on the path to the main lodge. A brush-tailed possum plays doorman to the main lodge.
Walks spread out in every direction from the lodge and stretch for minutes,or days. For a morning constitutional head down past the Cradle Mountain Lodge shop and take a short stroll to Pencil Pine Falls,a 10-minute round trip.
THE VERDICT
There is a reason that Cradle Mountain Lodge was the only Australian property featured on this year's Lonely Planet"Extraordinary Places to Stay"list. It has ancient forests,mod cons like the Waldheim Alpine Spa and a retro hunting lodge vibe. The food draws on the famous local produce and there are daily activities like wine and cheese tasting and spotlight night walks.
ESSENTIALS
4038 Cradle Mountain Road,Cradle Mountain,Tasmania. Rooms start from $199 a night. Phone 03 6492 2103,seewww.peppers.com.au
Paul Chai was a guest of Peppers Cradle Mountain Lodge.
See also:Australia's eight best places for a two-day break