We decided to try our luck and just go ahead and hike this afternoon as the misty rain didn't seem to be going anywhere.
We drove to the rangers station and discovered the lights were flashing, indicating that the carparks were full further up in the park, so we parked there and waited for the shuttle bus .
It didn't take long for a bus to arrive and we ventured on up to Ronny Creek where we could start our hike. It started drizzling as we set off across the boardwalk but it soon eased as we got higher up into the park. We passed rainforest and little waterfalls along the way and then started the climb up to Marions Lookout. The climb to the lookout was quite steep and rocky but the magnificent view of several lakes and the iconic Cradle mountain was worth it when we go to the top. Crater lake was surrounded by steep slopes and looked very inviting as we traversed the path that skirted the edge of it. Waterproof jackets get very warm when the sun comes out!
Marions lookout, at 1223 metres was fantastic and we got lots of lovely photos of cradle and the surrounding mountains.
The track continued up past the lookout and to the beginning of the climb to the summit and the view from there was even better. We could see to Kathleens pool and there were several small ponds among the sphagnum moss. We didn't have the time (or the knees) today to make it up to the summit as it is a very steep climb and involves also clambering over large boulders but we got great views from where we were and a rainbow came out when we were up there which just completed the picture.
After admiring the beautiful views for a while we continued on down the other side of the mountain around past Wombat pool and Lake Lilla then back down the Lake Lilla track to Ronny creek. The wombats were out in force again and we completed our 3 and a half hour hike with seeing a few of them grazing in the buttongrass and one running down the boardwalk.

It was a tiring walk but very satisfying and definitely made our stay here memorable. It was so nice to get decent weather so that we could see the views. We have been lucky with our three day stay here, now we can finish it with a soak in the spa bath.