From the beach at Penguin to the slopes of Cradle Mountain, a ribbon of public wild country runs through the heart of the Central Coast.

People who walk, ride, and paddle it are now invited to help shape its future.

In north-west Tasmania, a remarkable expanse of wild country stretches from the coast near Penguin all the way to Cradle Mountain.

Public land managed by the Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service across the Dial Range, Leven Canyon, Loyetea Range, Three Brothers Hills, Black Bluff and surrounds makes up this area.

"It's the heartbeat of the town; this river is everything that people can enjoy." - Kim Phillips-Haines, Leven River Cruises

For Penguin, Ulverstone and the many rural communities in between, this wild landscape forms a beautiful backdrop to their everyday life.

Ulverstone artist Louise Daniels features the Dial Range prominently in her work.

"That silhouette is sort of imprinted on my brain," she said. "It's just part of where I live. It's hard to imagine the town without that backdrop."

Joining it all together is the Leven River, the largest wild river in northern Tasmania, and the various multiuse trails that take hikers through the landscape.

Kim Phillips-Haines has run Leven River Cruises out of Ulverstone for 17 years. "The environment and the nature here is just amazing," she said.

"It's the heartbeat of the town; this river is everything that people can enjoy."

Leven River Cruises Kim 0563 by Tilde Bergstrom — Kim Phillips-Haines running her River Cruise on the Leven. Photo: Tilde Bergstrom

Trails for walkers, riders and everyone in between

The Penguin Cradle Trail was developed by the North West Walking Club in the 1970s.

Volunteers have continued to maintain the track, making it possible for people to explore some of the more remote parts of the region.

It stretches about 80 kilometres from Penguin towards Cradle Mountain, taking hikers through forests, rivers, mountains and open countryside.

"It follows probably one of the last almost-intact green corridors linking the coast to the Cradle Mountain area," Greig Clarke, leader of the volunteer Wildcare group that manages the trail, said.

The Coast to Cradle Wild Country has potential for a large variety of outdoor recreation, not just hiking.

"It'd be good to see it as a sort of shared-use area. Mountain biking, hiking, horse riding, 4wd driving, motorbike riding, all sorts of outdoor recreation," Chris Stredwick, vice-president of the Cradle Coast Mountain Bike Club, said.

Tilde Bergstrom, Leven River 1388 — The Leven River. Photo: Tilde Bergstrom

Decades of care, and a vision still to be written

The community's connection to this country runs deep. Volunteers have built the hiking tracks, clubs have managed and maintained mountain biking trails, and many enjoy the free-flowing waters and unique wildlife of the Leven River.

A working group is pulling together a community-led vision for the wild country from Penguin to Cradle, looking at a multiuse nature reserve that recognises the area's natural, cultural and recreational values. The vision is not pre-decided.

The group wants to hear why the place matters to you, how you use it, what it should be called, and how it should be looked after in the future.

The findings will go into a report for the Central Coast Council and the state and federal governments.

Have your say by completing the community survey at kuno.earth/articles/community-survey-coast-to-cradle.

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Article published in the Advocate 10/10/2026

The wild Leven River and its trails connect the coast to the community