Crater Lakes National Park

Crater Lakes National Park features two water-filled volcanic craters surrounded by rainforest vegetation and volcanic rock formations. Walking trails of varying difficulty wind through the park, connecting viewpoints and allowing visitors to experience both the aquatic and forest environments.

Lake Barrine and Lake Eacham were separately protected as national parks starting in the 1930s and were combined into a single park in 2007. This merger created a larger protected area that better conserves the volcanic landscape and its ecosystems.

Aboriginal peoples held these volcanic lakes as significant places in their spiritual and cultural life for thousands of years. The landscape remains a connection to their ancestral heritage and the stories that shaped their relationship with this land.

The park provides parking areas at entry points and picnic facilities along the walking trails for visitor convenience. Visit during the cooler months for more comfortable walking conditions, as the rainy season can make some paths slippery and challenging.

The two lakes formed roughly 12000 years ago from volcanic eruptions and now support fish species found nowhere else, each crater hosting its own isolated aquatic community. These separated ecosystems evolved independently, making each lake a distinct biological environment that attracts specialists studying isolated populations.