SOUTHWEST ADVENTURE
Southwest World Heritage Area
Tour
SOUTHWEST ADVENTURE
Flight Code
CDL5
Flight Time
Approx. 60 minutes
Cost
From $1,520 per flight.
Depends on aircraft type and availability.
Important
Seat Capacity and Cost will vary due to aircraft type and availability.
June and July – open by appointment only (subject to desirable weather conditions)
August – closed (off-site office still open for enquiries)

The Southwest Adventure starts at our helipad at the northern end of the
Cradle Mountain Visitor Centre and departs via Cradle Mountain and Fury Gorge route.
The flight then leaves the Fury Gorge behind and tracks out through the heart of the Southwest World Heritage Area via the Eldon Range to the Towering Peaks of the West Coast Mountain Range. Treating us to astonishing views of the Southern Ocean, Macquarie Harbour, Gordon River, Strahan, Frenchmans Cap and the breathtaking Lake Burbury. Unquestionably the cleanest air in the world. On our way back we continue our trek north via Mount Sedwick and the Reynold Waterfalls before returning to our helipad. This trip comes highly recommended from those who have had that very unique and personal experience. You can truly feel that purity and tranquillity that Tasmania is renowned for.
Photo Quality: We recommend wearing dark clothes during flight to avoid reflection on glass from white / light coloured clothing.
Contact us today for full flight information and to personalise your experience.
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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, 2023What 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, 2023Great 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, 2022Flew 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, 2018 -
I'm a nervous flyer but Charlie was professional. A bird's eye view over Cradle Mt & the surroundings, done in style. Highly recommend a flight.
simone R
November 19, 2024First 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, 2021I 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, 2018We'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 -
Excellent - Excellent experience. Our pilot Josh was friendly, informative and professional. Was the best of our trip, highly recommended.
December 16, 2022Highly 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, 2022We only did the 10 minute Dove Lake flight but the views were amazing! Time flies when you are in it but well worth it if you can afford the... read more price. Friendly pilot with good service. Only disappointing thing was he said he would go around Dove Lake so we could see from both sides but he ended up doing only one side. Please check the weather before deciding on the day as sunny days give you the perfect view!
April 1, 2021Excellent. 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 -
Highlight of my Tasmanian trip - Absolutely breathtaking. We were lucky enough to find another couple who wanted to do the longer flight so we could split the costs. This has been a highlight of my... read more trip to Tasmania. Highly recommended.
November 18, 2022A real treat! - We booked a custom scenic flight (approx. 45 minutes) and having kept an eye on the weather forecast, and as we knew it could be changeable in the Cradle area... read more we stopped by their office near the Cradle Mountain Visitor Centre on our arrival to check on the forecast for the following day (date booked). After a chat with the lovely Rebecca and checking with the pilot, we decided to move our flight forward to that afternoon to avoid a potential cancellation due to poor weather the next day. Sure enough, it was the right decision as the next day started out with very low cloud and drizzle, which didn't clear up until later in the afternoon.
We received a safety briefing before take off. Our flight took us over some of the most stunning and unspoiled scenery in Tasmania, and the far-reaching views were amazing. Our pilot (Josh IIRC) provided excellent commentary along the way.
Cradle Mountain Helicopters offer a variety of flights and while our custom flight was a real treat, their regular flights (we've taken one before) are a fantastic way to see the beauty of Cradle Mountain National Park from above.
February 13, 2023 -
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, 2022The 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, 2021Very dissapointing experience all round. Too expensive for the flight time and pilot was scarey. I would encourage people to go elswhere if you can.
Crusty C
December 11, 2024We 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, 2021 -
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, 2024We 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 the world
March 13, 2021Simply 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, 2022We 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, 2022 -
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, 2021After 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, 2021We did the 20min Cradle Mtn/ Fury Gorge flight. The weather was ideal & the scenery was fantastic. Nick our pilot was knowledgeable & easy to talk to.
March 1, 2022The 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, 2021 -
excellent flight and highly recommended - service was exceptional. Our pilot Nick was very professional and very informative. cannot fault the service that we received.
October 3, 2022A must do adventure - The whole experience was fantastic, the pilot Josh is very professional and knowledgeable about the area and made it such fun. Bec the office girl was also great and made... read more the booking process very easy, and was also very professional.
January 13, 2023A 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, 2022My 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 -
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, 2019After 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, 2018Started 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, 2024Great 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 -
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, 2018Cradle 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, 2023A 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, 2023We did an hour long flight on Boxing Day (my surprise Christmas present). Absolutely stunning from start to finish. Albert the owner and James the pilot were both... read more incredible and so helpful and knowledgeable. We were lucky enough to have absolutely perfect weather and so had a ride as smooth as silk and views that are impossible to describe. Highly recommend this - it is something we won't forget. Highlight of our 3 week Tasmanian stay.
December 29, 2017