Devils @ Cradle
Initial enquiries were made late July 2022 to sponsor a Tasmanian Devil through neighbouring business – “Devils@Cradle”, with Danielle letting us know that we were first in line for 2022 young, very exciting news for us!!
Danielle emailed us our first photo of “Squizz” on 28th November. Squizz is very confident and has just started making appearances on joey encounters, meeting some visitors, and assisting the Devils@Cradle team in teaching guests about their conservation programs.
Why we sponsored a Tasmanian Devil
Devils@Cradle are a fellow business and a neighbour in the small community of the Pencil Pine village, just north of Cradle Mountain.
We recognise the importance of supporting our neighbours, especially as we emerge from the pandemic that has affected our area so much over the last few years.
Sponsoring a Devil is a great way for us to support Devils@Cradle and their efforts in helping to sustain the lives of Tasmanian Devils.
It is a pretty unique opportunity to sponsor a Devil, and all of our staff are absolute animal lovers.
Reason we chose to name our Tasmanian Devil “Squizz”
We have chosen the name Squizz for our little Tasmanian Devil as a subtle reference to one of the helicopter types we use at Cradle Mountain Helicopters – a B2 Squirrel.
We shortened Squirrel down to Squizz, which we think is a suitably cute yet chopper-related name for our Tasmanian Devil.
Our first visit to meet Squizz
Josh, Bec, and Mitch visited Squizz on Friday, 6th January 2023, Squizz weighed between 2-3 kilograms, and is expected to grow as big as 8-9 kilograms by the time she reaches adulthood.
Tasmanian Devils usually live approximately 5 years in the wild, however in captivity can live up to 8-9 years. Devil sanctuaries such as Devils@Cradle allow a chance for Tasmanian Devils to thrive with minimal threat of contracting the Devil Facial Tumor Disease (DFTD), which has wiped out up to 60% of Tasmanian Devils since the mid 1990’s.
Visit Squizz
By visiting Devils@Cradle and joining their joey encounter, you may be lucky enough to meet Squizz too!
Devils@Cradle gifted us a beautiful portrait of Squizz which is proudly displayed in our booking office.
Thank you Devils@Cradle
Management and staff at Cradle Mountain Helicopters take this opportunity to thank Wade, Danielle, and the entire team at Devils@Cradle for letting us sponsor “Squizz”.
- Tim O
After literally dozens of trips to Cradle Mt and many hikes on pretty much every track in the National Park, this was one experience that I'd never had. So I... read more decided to treat my Mum to an early Mother's Day present and do the 20 minute flight. Our pilot Nick was great. He was flexible with the take off time, to allow some cloud to lift and give us a better view. He took us over Barn Bluff and Fury Gorge and then around Waterfall Valley. I've done that trip the hard way - on foot - so it was amazing to do it in minutes and the see the same area from above. The fagus was out and in full display, which looked great from the air. Mum was a bit nervous about flying in a chopper, but Nick put her at east and the whole flight was smooth and stable, so we could relax and enjoy the views. I'd recommend this experience to anyone, especially those who are less able to see the Park on foot. It sure beats slogging through the mud with a pack on. Thanks Nick.
May 7, 2021brownchez
Flew in chopper while snow covered mountain. $250 per seat for 20 minute flight. Stunning views of dove lake and surrounding mountain area.for me at my age, once in... read more a lifetime...best thing ever
November 1, 2018Colint50
We always like to take a helicopter flight to see the full view of the scenery. This time we did the 20 minute Cradle Mt circuit, and it was... read more wonderful. There is just so much you miss if your just walking the tracks. The sky was blue and cloudless so I guess we were lucky in that respect.
The service offered by Cradle Mt helicopters was great from the arrival, during the flight commentary and such a smooth flight. Great little R44 which we flew in. There are longer flights but I would no less than the 20 minute flight.
March 14, 2018 -
Wow, the scenery on this flight over Cradle Mountain was fabulous. Our pilot was fantastic, and the flight was awesome. I would definitely recommend doing this. You get to see... read more Cradle Mountain from all sides. It's great.
Pam B
November 16, 2024H6418CVerinp
Cradle Mountain helicopter experience - Such a great way to see Cradle Mountain! After doing a few of the trails it was awesome to see them birds eye. Fantastic experience highly recommend
October 1, 2022ActRegular_traveller
We'd booked the 20 minute flight via the company website and rang the day before to confirm the booking. Unfortunately, we were given a bum steer (not by the company)... read more & told that they now operated from the base about 1/2km from the visitor centre - not so, they only hanger the helicopter there. They still operate flights from adjacent to the visitor centre. Once we'd figured that out it went smoothly.
The 20 minute flight took us over Waterfall Valley & down towards Mt Pellion, then around the back of Cradle Mountain & Barn Bluff. Visibility was excellent. Great to see the mountains, lakes and tarns from a different angle. Unfortunately there is always reflected glare off the canopy, so photos were difficult. Apparently, they will remove the doors for a longer flight (we've had great photos doing that elsewhere).
Expensive, but a wonderful experience. More
March 16, 2018 -
The views were amazing as was the pilot. He gave us a rundown on what we were seeing without talking too much. We took great photos and it was the... read more highlight of our trip to Tasmania. We didn't have the time or the energy to walk around this area so this was a great alternative.
652laurelt
October 1, 2023ActRegular_traveller
We'd booked the 20 minute flight via the company website and rang the day before to confirm the booking. Unfortunately, we were given a bum steer (not by the company)... read more & told that they now operated from the base about 1/2km from the visitor centre - not so, they only hanger the helicopter there. They still operate flights from adjacent to the visitor centre. Once we'd figured that out it went smoothly.
The 20 minute flight took us over Waterfall Valley & down towards Mt Pellion, then around the back of Cradle Mountain & Barn Bluff. Visibility was excellent. Great to see the mountains, lakes and tarns from a different angle. Unfortunately there is always reflected glare off the canopy, so photos were difficult. Apparently, they will remove the doors for a longer flight (we've had great photos doing that elsewhere).
Expensive, but a wonderful experience.
March 16, 2018
What an amazing experience. My husband surprised me with the flight. We were blessed with perfect weather and the mountain had a recent dump of snow so an added bonus... read more of experiencing cradle mountain covered in snow. Our pilot Charlie was brilliant. A fantastic flight. Can’t recommend it highly enough.
Christopher T
October 20, 2023AliceAndTheSparrow
Worth every cent
An incredible adventure that I will always remember
The fagus was golden orange at the time we flew over the mountain making for an extra special... read more experience.
April 29, 2019 -
None of the group wanted to fly - but I paid for two tickets so I could get a flight over Cradle mountain. 2 is minimum number of passengers. ... read more A slightly windy day but nothing to worry about. Flying solo I only took the 20 mins flight but it was enough to appreciate the expansive vista and wilderness that stretched as far as the horizon. The low clouds obstructed the mountain view but it was still worth being up there and experiencing nature from above. My pilot was a local guy and made me feel comfortable and at ease. takeoff was fun and so was the landing - a small platform - very capable pilot. The flight was over too soon - great experience. The helicopter office is at the far end of the car parks - a distance from the Cradle Mountain building complex. I had time to get a quick lunch and catch a bus to Cradle Mountain. Rushed but worth it. Enjoy.
Apolonia70
February 19, 2024AussieClan5
First class! Absolutely amazing. We had the most fabulous flight over Dove Lake and Fury Canyon. We are not hikers and this was the perfect way to see Cradle Mountain.... read more Highly recommend
February 11, 2021
What a great experience it was awesome to see Cradle Mountain from the air. It was a large helicopter, big windows to take in all the views & a... read more friendly helicopter. Worth every cent was a great experience!
126trishb
June 2, 2023Trisha C
A fabulous experence and one that I would recommend to everyone. Our pilot was great and took us on an amazing flight around Dove Lake, Cradle Mountain and surrounding... read more lakes and tracks. The 20 minute flight took us over Waterfall Valley & down towards Mt Pellion, then around the back of Cradle Mountain & Barn Bluff. Visibility was excellent. A beautiful clear day and amazing scenery.
February 1, 2022 - Tim ONeill
After literally dozens of trips to Cradle Mt and many hikes on pretty much every track in the National Park, this was one experience that I'd never had. So I... read more decided to treat my Mum to an early Mother's Day present and do the 20 minute flight. Our pilot Nick was great. He was flexible with the take off time, to allow some cloud to lift and give us a better view. He took us over Barn Bluff and Fury Gorge and then around Waterfall Valley. I've done that trip the hard way - on foot - so it was amazing to do it in minutes and the see the same area from above. The fagus was out and in full display, which looked great from the air. Mum was a bit nervous about flying in a chopper, but Nick put her at east and the whole flight was smooth and stable, so we could relax and enjoy the views. I'd recommend this experience to anyone, especially those who are less able to see the Park on foot. It sure beats slogging through the mud with a pack on. Thanks Nick.
April 1, 2021Guide11212029912
Excellent - Excellent experience. Our pilot Josh was friendly, informative and professional. Was the best of our trip, highly recommended.
December 16, 2022sullivansf
Simply Awesome! - Nick was fantastic and we had a wonderful time! Definitely something worth doing before starting your walks so you can get a sense of the magnitude of the place. We... read more loved it!
September 29, 2022marklV5102XU
After visiting the Cradle Mountain and Dove Lake area we decided we must see the whole area by air. By chance we wandered back down to the booking office... read more and we were able to take a heli flight over the whole area. With clear skies and once up in the air were given a birds eye view of Cradle Mountain and the surrounding area. This flight was amazing and compared with the flight we did in Queenstown NZ. So if you are thinking about doing a heli flight this is the company to take you up up and away. A big thanks to Luke our chopper pilot and Brian in the office this is one memory that will stay with us to the end.
Mark and Anne
Sydney Australia
March 10, 2018 - Bren02
First class! Absolutely amazing. We had the most fabulous flight over Dove Lake and Fury Canyon. We are not hikers and this was the perfect way to see Cradle Mountain.... read more Highly r
January 1, 2021
Such an amazing experience and highly recommend this adventure! The views are incredible, all over Cradle and beautiful view of Dove Lake. The pilot was great and chatted through the... read more headset giving really good information on the region. Blown away and I’m scared of heights but that didn’t last long.
Tanya S
March 11, 2023shane d
The knowledge about the area was first class .... really informative!!! Plus the skill level of our pilot (Nick) was obvious, he was in complete charge of the flight... read more plan and we felt v
September 1, 2021stevejl
Great experience and very professional team - Amazing experience and provided great perspective of the national parks’ features. Great pilot (Nic) who was knowledgeable and friendly and mindful of how we were feeling about the experience. ... read more We were fortunate to have perfect weather and had an hour in the air.
December 19, 2022 - Paul H
Highly Recommended ! - Highly recommended!
My helicopter ride was fairly short because of the adverse weather conditions - a low cloud ceiling & light showers - Josh the pilot was very professional -... read more with the pre flight briefing inc. a safety briefing,with his commentary re points of interest on the ground & with his perfect landing after a very smooth flight.
Thanks Josh !
Also thanks to the Admin ladies - Bec & Ang - who were very helpful & professional in arranging a flight booking for me.
Thanks Ladies
Thanks to all @ Cradle Mountain Helicopters
December 1, 2022Rachel C
We went up with Steve the pilot he was really friendly and informative the scenery we flew over was just incredible what a stunning part of t
March 1, 2021Bob M
We opted for the 1 hour flight as a bucket list item for my brother - there were 4 of us and we had booked in for a Wednesday morning... read more flight. We received a call on Tuesday morning to ask if we wanted to consider having our flight Tuesday pm as the weather forecast for Wednesday wasn't good. That suited us and we appreciated the good customer service to be given the option. The flight with the commentary was worth every cent. The distance we covered and what we saw was absolutely brilliant.
May 1, 2022Tjones844
Simply Stunning Scenery and breathtaking - A first class outing with a new helicopter and very knowledgeable pilot. This has been the highlight of our Cradle mountain visit. You will not see what we did from... read more the trails and paths, although still stunning. I recommend this tour to young and old.
December 15, 2022 - craigl714
A must do in Cradle Mountain - Amazing views of Cradle Mountain and the surrounding lakes, Our family of four opted for the 20 minute scenic flight which was an amazing experience, our pilot was very informative... read more and the ground staff were very friendly and professional. Would highly recommend to do this if you have the opportunity while you are in the national park to view it from a helicopter.
January 14, 2023Kuchs
I celebrated my 60th birthday last week with 4 friends doing the Cradle Mountain & Fury Gorge 20 minute flight with our Kiwi pilot Tim. It was the most... read more amazing experience. The scenery had to be seen to be believed. I can highly recommend this to anyone (including people that have a fear of heights as some of my friends did). Well done guys !!!
October 2, 2018samindae
We did the 10 minute scenic flight of Cradle Mountain with Cradle Mountain Helicopters and it was the highlight of our trip to Tassie. 10 minutes was enough to see... read more Cradle Mountain and the surrounding lakes, if you can afford it though go for more time. We just found the 10 minute trip to be very reasonable, $270 for the flight for the 3 of us, worked out at $90 each.
We were pleasantly surprised at how comfy the helicopter ride was and how seamless the take off and landing was, it is definitely the way to fly. Our pilot was very friendly and we couldn't recommend him any higher.
We made sure we booked in advance by emailing the company a couple of months ahead. It might be a good idea though to keep your options open around your travel, for example if you are planning on going for a flight in the morning, maybe plan to turn up to cradle mountain the day before around lunch time, if the weather looks to be bad the next day, then give them a call to see if you can change your time to the day before. The guys are very flexible and will accommodate any changes if need be. We even turned up earlier in the day than when we had booked and as no one else was booked in we got to go up even earlier.
If doing the 10 minute ride, sit behind the pilot, you will get the best view when they turn around.
May 6, 2018B8868TImelissal
Excellent. Would highly recommend. Its great to do the walks and the flight to get the different perspective. - What a fantastic scenic flight. We had perfect weather with clouds opening up as we headed to Cradle Mountain. Nick and crew were fantastic. We did the 20 min flight... read more at 9am.
September 21, 2022 - sandrasY625CF
Great time and well worth the views - Awesome time flying over the area. Weather was a bit iffy but pilot maneuvered perfectly to maximize our viewing. Loved the scenery and pilots stories and knowledge
February 8, 2023Chris C
We were only in Cradle Mountain for a one night stop over and couldn’t leave without seeing the mountains. Heard a chopper flying and immediately decided to take a flight.... read more Our pilot was great and took us on an amazing flight around Dove Lake, Cradle Mountain and surrounding lakes and tracks. We feel we did 3 days of hiking in 20ish minutes without getting cold, wet or mud on our boots. Highly recommend a helicopter ride in Cradle Mountain and it would be a great addition even if you have walked the tracks to get the birds eye view of your journey. Another fantastic Tasmanian experience.
November 1, 2021Hongkonglawyer
With young Luke at the control, I and my family took to the sky in his helicopter for a quick bird's eye view of Cradle Mountain. Luke gave us a... read more pre-flight safety talk as the helicopter that housed the pilot and 5 passengers looked a bit flimsy for comfort. However, our confidence grew after the safety talk and witnessing the series of pre-flight checks that Luke took before we took to the sky. Luke hovered the helicopter a good 20 feet above ground and did some manoeuvre to ensure all controls were in sound working order before he took us higher to have a good view of the scenary. The helicopter hovered at around 6,000 feet during the flight and was gently edging forward so that the passengers would have a comfort ride in it. The weather was extremely nice to us on the day of our flight, plenty of sunshine and a slight breeze. We took in great scenery of the Cradle Mountain and Dove Lake, view which you cannot see from the ground below. After 20 minutes of breathtaking sight-seeing, Luke returned us safe and sound to the landing pad. I found that the price tag of AUD250 per head is worthed every penny of it. The only complaint I had was Luke has forgotten to do the dare-devil loop for us before we landed! Thoroughly enjoyable experience.
November 30, 2017Stephen B
Great service, great pilot Steve, fantastic views just pick your days, we were lucky to have an excellent weather window. Value for money, one of those memorable life experiences. take... read more a camera.
August 9, 2019 - vickirA2874QL
Cradle under the clouds - We had a great 90 minute flight. Our pilot gave us lots of information along the way. Spectacular way to see the mountains, lakes and surrounding areas.
January 23, 2023shanedK7391XF
The knowledge about the area was first class .... really informative!!! Plus the skill level of our pilot (Nick) was obvious, he was in complete charge of the flight... read more plan and we felt very safe!
September 8, 2021Jessica H
My husband and I decided to take this scenic helicopter flight as an anniversary treat, but let me tell you, you do not need a reason to treat yourself to... read more this once in a life time flight of magic.
I cannot recommend this enough. I realise that it may stretch the budget for some, but if it is something you can work in, you cannot possibly regret the epically beautiful and majestic scenery you bare witness to while you're being flown around by an absolute pro.
I've travelled near and far, and this helicopter flight holds a very special place in my heart now. My love for Tassie is ever-growing each time I visit, but there are few words to describe just how wonderful the view is from this height.
You literally get a view that can only be seen by the few who venture to the skies, and boy is it worth every dollar.
If I could give you guys more stars, I would. Thank you so much for providing this service. Just do it!
March 16, 2018
Started off a beutiful day. Arrived to the helipad and it all seemed very budget and backwater. Pretty average to say the least. Very bumpy ride,very random course taken and... read more quite low flying to the point of what the? Now we know to never again.
jack s
November 24, 2024