From Coast to Cradle: Your North West Tasmania Wildlife Roadtrip
1st December 2025
Wildlife shows up everywhere in Tasmania. Coastal tracks, mountain hikes and even short walks often come with a surprise encounter. This 48-hour road trip connects some of the island’s best viewing spots, taking you from the sea to the mountains with plenty of chances to see the creatures that define this part of the world.
Credit: Tourism Tasmania & Glen Turvey / This penguin was nesting with its two chicks in a culvert by the beach. Looking through the culvert the photographer was able to capture this back-light shot as if looking out from inside the burrow.
A Quick Trip Into Tasmania’s Wild Heart
Tasmania gives visitors a rare sense of being close to nature, with wildlife that shows up even in ordinary moments.
The island is home to creatures you won’t find anywhere else; from eastern quolls darting through the undergrowth to pademelons that hop around in the distance. Even the lesser-known locals, like the long-tailed mouse and bettong, play their part in making Tasmania feel like a totally different version of Australia.
And yes, Tasmanian devils are part of the story too, living mostly in forest and coastal scrub and moving through the landscape after dark.
But Tasmania also has plenty of coastline, with little penguins arriving at dusk, while inland the rivers hide platypus that surface in low light and the mountain plains are busy with wombats year-round.
Put those pieces together and a 48-hour wildlife trip through North West Tasmania suddenly makes perfect sense.
Start by the water, head high to the alpine air, and end back by the coast.
Credit: Tourism Tasmania & Chris Bell / Little penguins (Eudyptula minor)
Your 48-Hour North West Tasmania Wildlife Roadtrip
There’s no better place to start a wildfire trip in north west Tasmania, than Burnie.
Burnie started life as a tough little industrial port town, built on forestry, papermaking and ships coming in and out of Emu Bay. Over the years it’s shifted into something far more creative, with makers’ studios, galleries and a proud local community woven into the old industrial bones.
But the reason it’s such a great spot for your 48-hour road trip is due to its wildlife.
Day 1
Check into One North Terrace in Burnie on Friday evening, for unparalleled sea views and a very highly rated local stay, where modern, sophisticated rooms welcome you in. Located right next to the coastline, you’re spoiled for location, plus there’s a great restaurant on site.
Once checked in, it’s time to head to the Burnie Little Penguin colony.
Sitting right on the foreshore, just a short walk from town, the nightly viewing is run by the wonderful Friends of Burnie Penguins. From October to March, volunteer guides meet visitors at dusk and walk them through the lives of the colony; from courtship to chick-rearing.
You can stroll to the Penguin Observation Centre along the boardwalk; the viewing area is flat, wheelchair friendly and great for kids. Plus, the guides help you spot and photograph the penguins as they come ashore, and they’ll answer every question you can throw at them.
Credit: Jess Bonde / Fern Glade Reserve is one of Burnie’s most valuable natural and recreational resources. A peaceful river valley on the edge of the city abundant in flora and fauna.
Day 2
Morning
Begin the day early and make your way to Fern Glade Reserve, just under 4 km from Burnie.
Part of Tasmania’s 60 Great Short Walks, thanks to its long, quiet track that follows the Emu River through thick bush, it’s also one of the easiest places in the state to spot a platypus.
The reserve has picnic shelters, barbecues and toilets, but the real draw is that calm, green corridor of river where platypus surface if you give them a little patience and almost no noise. Head there at sunrise if you can and move slowly along the bank and watch for small ripples in the water.
Once you’ve had your sighting, head back to One North Terrace for breakfast and check out, ready for the next part of your wildlife road trip!
Credit: Cradle Mountain Lodge
Afternoon
Late morning, make your way up to Peppers Cradle Mountain Lodge, heading through Hampshire and Guildford on the way.
This incredible lodge in the true heart of the national park is the closest you can stay to the Ronny Creek Car Park which is the start of the local hikes such as to Cradle Mountain Peak.
Arriving in the World Heritage–listed Cradle Mountain–Lake St Clair National Park is a big moment in itself, with towering mountains which begin to engulf you as you edge closer.
Once you’ve headed down increasingly narrowing roads and checked in, take the short walk to Devils@Cradle, where your second wildlife experience of the day begins!
Devils@Cradle is a conservation sanctuary dedicated to protecting Tasmanian devils, eastern quolls and spotted-tail quolls. The sanctuary sits within the animals’ natural alpine habitat, giving visitors a close look at species that are rarely seen in the wild. You can wander the site alone, or join a guided tour, with every ticket helping fund ongoing conservation work.
As the evening draws closer, head back to the spa at Peppers Cradle Mountain Lodge, and settle in for a delicious meal at Highland Restaurant; one of Tasmania’s premier dining experiences.
Day 3
Morning
Day three is hiking day, and what an inspiring place to do it! Pick from two challenging hikes which help you to not only experience the wildlife, but also the outstanding natural habitat within which they exist.
Dove Lake Circuit
This is the walk many end up doing because it gives you the Cradle Mountain moment without needing a whole day.
The track loops around the lake with the mountain shifting shape every time you turn a corner, slipping between boardwalk and cool, mossy forest under the Ballroom Forest section.
You can often spot wombats around Ronny Creek or in the open grassy patches near the shuttle drop-off before you even start the loop.
Cradle Mountain Summit
On the other hand, the summit track is a very different story, starting out gentle from Dove Lake before heading past Wombat Pool and climbing toward Marions Lookout, where the whole landscape opens up.
From there it turns into hands-on scrambling, big boulders, exposed ridgelines and that slow, deliberate movement that makes you focus on every step. The top gives you the whole alpine plateau in one sweep, the kind of view that feels earned.
Wombats often appear in the lower valley sections around Ronny Creek, so you sometimes get your wildlife fix before the climb even begins.
Evening (optional)
After the summit or the Dove Lake loop, the afternoon opens up in a couple of different directions.
If you’ve got the time, staying another night at Cradle Mountain Lodge is a great call, because sliding into the spa or just sinking into the quiet after a full day on the trails feels unreal.
Maybe your legs still have life in them and you wrapped up the walk earlier, in which case you can start making your way back to the coast, with Penguin (that’s the name of the town) as an easy, breezy base stop with great beaches nearby.
And if the hike ended up being much shorter than planned, Wings Wildlife Park sits on the way back down to the coast, and is worth the stop for anyone still chasing a few more wildlife moments before the day ends.
Credit: S. Group / Penguin