A new viewing shelter at the iconic Dove Lake has officially been unveiled, bolstering Cradle Mountain’s reputation as a global destination for nature-based tourism.
The shelter will significantly improve the visitor experience to the Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park, specifically at Dove Lake, by providing a space that is accessible to all. It will also provide all-weather protection for visitors when viewing Cradle Mountain.
Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service Deputy Secretary, Jason Jacobi, said the project is part of the Tasmanian Government’s $26.8 million investment in the Cradle Mountain Master Plan.
“Designed by architects Cumulus along with design studio Futago, with cultural advice of Trawlwoolway man and curator Dave mangenner Gough and built by Vos Construction, the building features a low profile, earthy colours, undercover seating and floor-to-ceiling glass panels to highlight the amazing views,” Mr Jacobi said.
“It acts as an arrival point for visitors to Dove Lake and an introduction to the rare cultural and natural values of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area (TWWHA).”
The site also includes a new shuttle bus shelter, amenities, parking, bus turning circle and boardwalk connections, which will soon be complete, to the Dove Lake walking tracks and Glacier Rock viewing platform.
The building fits largely within the previous carpark footprint, minimising the impact on the natural environment, and is discretely set back from the edge of Dove Lake.
The shelter’s outer construction is wave like, mimicking the surrounding environment and the external concrete has a grooved finish to encourage the growth of organic material and plants on the surface. The internal courtyard features local endemic plant species that have been propagated to further aid with interpretation of the alpine landscape.
The Dove Lake viewing shelter has new interpretative signage which will help improve the visitor experience allowing a deeper connection to the landscape and the values of the TWWHA.
A Discovery Ranger will also be in the Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park precinct to support and provide advice to visitors.
Dove Lake is a key destination within the Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park, which is a primary gateway to the TWWHA and one of Tasmania’s most visited parks, welcoming approximately 186,000 visitors in the 2021-22 financial year and more than 280,000 pre- COVID-19.
Visitors are encouraged to travel to Dove like by shuttle bus that departs every 15 minutes from the Gateway Visitor Centre.
