Every year on January 1, there is a memorial ceremony for Gustav Weindorfer at the Waldheim Chalet near Ronney Creek at Cradle Mountain.

Gustav Weindorfer Ceremony, Cradle Mountain

Weindorfer is the man whose vision and passion for this magnificent area resulted in the creation of the reserve way back in 1922. He, together  with his wife Kate built the original chalet, called Waldheim, in 1912 in order to invite guests to the region and show them the beauty of the area.

Gustav Weindorfer Ceremony, Cradle Mountain

The ceremony was undertaken on a cold afternoon, in a fairly thick fog which added quite an atmosphere to proceedings. You could have easily forgotten it was in actual fact early summer! The poor weather also brought home how isolated the conditions must have been for Weindorfer and Kate 100 years ago in this lonely outpost in the wilderness.

Gustav Weindorfer Ceremony, Cradle Mountain

The hotels, roads and visitor facilities that exist today mean that the ease of access to the region is easy to take for granted, but this ceremony was a great tribute to the man that made it happen, and I was glad to have been present. The fog also added a wonderful dimension to the music and song which concluded the ceremony.

Gustav Weindorfer Ceremony, Cradle Mountain

Waldheim is the chalet that the Weindofers used to look after their guests in. The original chalet needed to be replaced in the 1970s and the current building is a replica which contains plenty of information on the Weindorfers history at Cradle Mountain. It is well worth a visit on anyone’s trip to Cradle Mountain.

Gustav Weindorfer Memorial Service

For a more detailed account of the Weindorfer’s history at Cradle Mountain please visit the Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife website.