King Billy Circuit
Walked April 2015, Posted Saturday 6th February 2016
After completing the Crater Peak walk we still had several hours of the afternoon left. To fill in the time we stopped at the Ranger Station on the way back from Ronny Creek to do the King Billy Circuit. The start of the walk was a bit more obscure than we expected, hidden amongst the cabins of Cradle Mountain Lodge.
The walk was pleasant, winding through the dark and cool moss-covered forest.
There were some impressive trees along the track that really looked very old, particularly in the middle section.
Another notable feature of the walk was the range of fungi and moss growing on the trees and logs, varying from tiny to large, from pale to colourful.
There is a short side track at one point which leads to a particularly large King Billy pine, and it really is very large. But almost impossible to photograph with the limited space and extreme contrast between bright sky and dark, dark forest.
As we neared the end of the walk we reached a clearing with a last glimpse of Cradle Mountain.
But the best was saved for last. We were almost back at the cabins when there was some movement amongst the trees: we had found a pademelon. We spent a while trying to get a good look at it but, frustratingly, it was some distance from the path and partly hidden by the trees… Then we turned around and found another one right behind us nibbling away without a care in the world! It was definitely the highlight of this walk to see such a beautiful creature so close up in the wild.
After that excitement the walk was soon over for a total of about 2 km. All that was left was some browsing at the nearby tourist shop…
