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[Mystic]

King Billy was the name given to the Aboriginal Tribal Leader of the Oyster Bay people, named after the reigning King of England, King William. It is also the name of a beautiful and tall growing Tasmanian pine species, not found elsewhere in the world.

These trees can grow to 40m in height and can live in excess of 1200 years, though they are susceptible to fire, and both mature trees and seeds on the ground can be destroyed by fire. It is generally restricted to highland rainforests, above 600m, though I do know of at least one tree that has been cultivated at a much lower altitude in full sun.

The King Billy Track begins behind Cradle Mt Lodge, near the vistors centre in Cradle Mt NP, or you can take the signposted turn off near the end of the Enchanted Walk. It is a fairly easy, though mostly uphill, walk along a boardwalk with well spaced steps almost all the way. The rainforest that you pass through on this track is quite beautiful, esepcially if you are there on a day like the one we last visited on where the clouds are low and a light mist permeates the forest, giving quite an eerie feel to everything.

At the end of your uphill climb you reach a short track off to the left that takes you up close and personal with a massive King Billy Pine. Quite humbling standing in front of something about 30m high that could be around 1,000 years old.

Looking up a KB Pine (not the best shot in the world)

A view of the girth of the trunk

King Billy Foliage (reminds me of Norfolk Pines)

From this point you can either return via the same path you came or continue on to join another circuit track that will take you back to Cradle Mt Lodge. The walk up to the tree is about 30 minutes and the circuit is around a 2 hour walk. We had only planned on doing the Enchanted Walk and got diverted when we did this, and had left our water in the car, so did not complete the circuit this time.