There is a little spot at Cradle Mountain that has been on my radar for a long time and this autumn, I finally got out to see it – Suttons Tarn.

Cradle Mountain glows in the setting sun light above Suttons Tarn and some twisted branches of the fagus tree

How to find Suttons Tarn

For those reasonably familiar with the Cradle Mountain area, Suttons Tarn is up behind Kitchen Hut right at the foot of Cradle Mountain. In fact, the path to Suttons Tarn is the turnoff to the toilet at Kitchen Hut! Just keep following the path and in around 45 minutes you arrive at this beautiful lake which is somewhat reminiscent of the Labyrinth area near Lake St Clair.

Dusk falls over Cradle Mountain after a beautiful and clear autumn day.

Being a relatively infrequently visited location, I was quite surprised to meet a group of a dozen or so visitors enjoying the lake when I arrived. It turns out they were a part of the “Fagus Week” activities organised by the Discovery Park. The group left shortly after however and I had the lake to myself for the evening, which lead to a great session under the stars and a beautiful light show at dawn.

Early morning light on the mist above Cradle Mountain

Early morning light and fagus at Suttons Tarn

Stunning morning light and mist over Cradle Mountain

This was truly one special night in the mountains! Autumn is my favourite time of year for walking and photographing Tasmania. The colour in the landscape is a very special event to witness and very unique in the Australian context given that the fagus is Australia’s only winter deciduous tree! It is only found in mountainous western Tasmania in locations such as the Tyndalls, Mt Field and of course Cradle Mountain.