6 Days of Embracing Challenges

Each day of the walk, will have a theme, led by Matilda. Workshops on our Cradle Mountain Huts Walk have to be flexible. They are delivered in moments with stunning backdrops in nature that allow for the walk and day-to-day logistics to be the first priority.

1.) Identify Strengths

Working through challenging obstacles will push you to discover strengths you never knew you had, and reveal qualities within yourself that would have otherwise laid undiscovered. Identifying them will fill your toolbox with skills to conquer greater challenges in the future.

2.) Develop 2% Mindset

Putting in the time to work through a challenge will cultivate resilience. The conquering of one obstacle builds confidence that you can handle something even tougher in the future. Maybe, even get through it faster. The more you embrace challenges, the higher your threshold will become for what makes you uncomfortable. Over time you will become more adept at bouncing back from difficulties. 

3.) Master Your Emotions

When pushing through a challenging time, you will experience a wide array of emotions: sadness, frustration, anger, desperation, anguish, relief, contentment, bliss, etc. Feeling, learning, recognising, and sorting out how to deal with these emotions will lead to a mastery of your emotional self. No longer will you be ruled by your emotions, instead you will be the master of them!

4.) Social Growth

Amid the struggle, you will reach out to others and seek insights and wisdom to help you overcome adversity. The people you discover will become mentors, inspiration, and support. Relationships forged in the kiln of shared struggle are some of the strongest bonds people share. For example, look at the brotherhood the ANZACS have. These connections will be there to encourage you along the way and, in the end, be there to celebrate your victory.

5.) Cultivate Personal Leadership 

Overcoming adversity makes leaders of us all. Others struggling in the same or similar way will look to you as an encouraging example. Your triumphs become a model for others to follow or, at the very least, be an inspiration. The best leaders are the ones who lead by example and have overcome many challenges to become the person they are.

 6.) Build Character - Your Best Self

Above all, prevailing over challenge and adversity builds a strong character! The obstacles we overcome in life and the decisions we make when faced with them shape who we are. The results of these trials provide a bearing toward the person we will become. In the same way, going to the gym exercises our body and builds muscle - taking on challenges strengthens our character and leads us on the path to being greater than our former self.

Day 1: Waldheim to Barn Bluff Hut

Approximately 7 hours walking

On the summit of Cradle Mountain in 1910, Austrian-born Gustav Weindorfer proclaimed, “This must be a national park for the people for all time.” It’s fitting our journey begins at Waldheim in Cradle Valley, where Weindorfer’s story is told. We set off on the track, venturing through ancient temperate rainforest, passing the dramatic glacially-carved Crater Lake.

We climb the steepest section of the whole Overland Track today fuelled by a hearty lunch. Reaching Marion’s Lookout (1250m) takes about an hour, with steps leading through steeper sections. The reward, providing weather conditions allow, is staggering views of Cradle Mountain and Dove Lake. Every uphill step is worth it.

We continue around the base of Cradle Mountain along the edge of a spectacular glacial cirque before dropping into Waterfall Valley. Our private hut awaits, beneath towering Barn Bluff, having completed the steepest part of your journey (excluding side trips). It’s a welcome retreat after several hours walking over exposed alpine plateau where some days the wind howls - a reminder of nature’s power.

Day 3: Pine Forest Moor Hut to Pelion Hut

Approximately 5 hours walking

This morning we venture through gorgeous myrtle-beech rainforest as we descend around the base of Mt Pelion West, down to the Forth River before it plunges into Lemonthyme Valley. We’ll take a break at Frog Flats beside the Forth River, which happens to be the Overland Track’s lowest point.

From here, it’s a gentle ascent back out of the valley. We leave thick Eucalypt forest behind as the trees part to reveal Pelion Plains. Uninterrupted views of Mt Oakleigh’s dolerite spires now come into play.

The Pelion Plains area offers a host of side trips, hugged by mountainous terrain. There are excellent swimming holes, peaceful nooks to rest and abandoned copper mines to explore. Come nightfall, we’ll be nestled amongst dry sclerophyll forest at Pelion Hut.

Day 5: Kia Ora Hut to Windy Ridge Hut

Approximately 4 hours walking

Day five is about icy-flowing waterfalls. We depart Kia Ora hut and walk about an hour to Du Cane, where a 1910-built hut remains from the long-gone days of animal trapping. Du Cane Hut is a fine spot to rest, surounded by native gardens and overlooked by the spectacular Du Cane Range.

From here, we wander through some of the oldest forest in the National Park, with King Billy pines as much as 2000 years old. Now, we are above the Mersey River, which descends deeply northward towards Bass Strait, spilling down cliff faces.

There are three major sets of waterfalls in the area. We aim to visit one or more of these, choosing the best to have lunch beside depending on conditions. During the afternoon, we make our way over Du Cane Gap, then descend beside the spectacular Falling Mountain to Windy Ridge Hut. Tonight is a celebratory one, our last evening on the track.

the island’s highest point. Once we arrive at Kia Ora Hut, enjoy a Tasmanian drop with spectacular views out to Cathedral Mountain.