Derwent Bridge, Australia

For supplies (and a bottle shop) for a stay at Cradle Mountain– Lake St Clair National Park you have to go to DERWENT BRIDGE, 5km away on the Lyell Highway, served by Maxwell's Coaches (Tel:03/6289 1141 or 0428 308 813), whose $10 shuttle service runs on demand. Here, you can stay at the well-appointed self-catering Derwent Bridge Chalets (Tel:03/6289 1000, Web: www.derwent-bridge.com ; B&B Price: $131–200), with modern studios and chalets, including a couple of luxurious spa versions, all managed by a friendly, considerate host. The focus of the small community is the Derwent Bridge Wilderness Hotel (Tel:03/6289 1144; Price: $101-130), an atmospheric pub with a huge brick fireplace and high-ceilinged, wood-raftered interior. It serves generous bistro meals and offers accommodation in old-fashioned, lodge-style rooms (some en suite) or functional hostel rooms (dorms $30). Derwent Bridge is close to Lake King William, equivalent in size to Lake St Clair and popular with anglers. Don't miss the phenomenal Wall on Lyell Highway as you enter Derwent Bridge from the south (9am–5pm, till 4pm in winter; $7.50). This work-in-progress by artist Greg Duncan is a frieze carved in Huon pine depicting rural life, each panel some 3m in height. The ten-year project, started in 2005, will eventually be 100m in length.