 Aboriginal use of the Cradle Mountain dates back to the last ice age (10,000 years ago) and is believed to have been non-permanent, consisting mostly of seasonal hunting excursions during the summer months.Several artifacts and campsites containing various stone types and tools have been discovered at Pelion Plains and Lake St Clair, and early surveyors reported huts in the area.Aboriginal Tasmanians were persecuted by the European settlers upon their arrival, and the last free Aboriginals in the area were seen between Barn Bluff and Lake Windemere in 1836.