“The story of Pumphouse Point begins twenty thousand years ago, when the earth is frozen over. A rumbling glacier grinds down an alpine landscape, forging a steep ravine in its wake. Filling with melted snow and freezing rain, the deepest lake in Australia is born” –– Pumphouse Point
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Pumphouse Point offers an unrivalled and utterly unique experience of Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park at the heart of Tasmania. A wilderness retreat surrounded by snow-capped mountains, it floats on the lake itself and provides a refuge from fast urban life; a gateway into true nature. Wallabies and wombats graze unfazed at the edges of tracks; platypus glide serenely along the surface of the lake, if you look out for them at the right times of day.
Wallabies and wombats graze unfazed at the edges of tracks; platypus glide serenely along the surface of the lake, if you look out for them at the right times of day.
It’s a surreal privilege to take refuge from the snow in this beautiful hideaway, safely tucked away in the mountains whilst the coastline of Tasmania remains doused in sun.
Pumphouse Point offers three types of accommodation at the heart of the national park: The Pumphouse, which virtually floats on the surface of Lake St Clair; The Shorehouse, just at the edge of the lake; and an exclusive luxury Retreat. A stay at Pumphouse requires purchase of a national park entry pass ($24/$14) and respect for Pumphouse Points honesty bars and pantries.
Indeed, Pumphouse Point’s model is tourism built on trust. And that’s incredibly refreshing. All food and drink (accept from pre-booked share-table evening meals) is served through an honesty system where we mark off our consumption as we go along, and the place is all ours at all hours: we are left to our own devices in front of open fires and open alcohol cabinets. It works because what Pumphouse Point offers is so special that we want to put our hands in our pockets to bring ourselves back down to earth a bit, and believe it is all real.
It’s a surreal privilege to take refuge from the snow in this beautiful hideaway, safely tucked away in the mountains whilst the coastline of Tasmania remains doused in sun.
If perfect views, reflection and mulled wine and Scrabble by the fire isn’t enough, the surrounding walks are magical (Pumphouse Point is close to Tasmania’s well-known Overland Track), there are rowing boats and bikes to enjoy freely around the park, and artist Greg Duncan is in the midst of creating a masterpiece of epic proportions nearby, hand-carving the history of Tasmania’s Central Highlands into huge three-metre high, 100-metre long Huon Pine panels, in an work called The Wall.
Find out more ☞ pumphousepoint.com.au
–– Rosie Pentreath, September 2018.
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