One of the most pristine parts of Australia, south-western Tasmania is a rugged, windswept, rain-lashed land of incomparable beauty, penetrated by few roads and still sparsely populated. In its interior, fast-flowing rivers slice through some of the continent's largest and oldest stands of temperate rainforest, and glacier-scoured peaks rise above sparkling lakes; along the coast, tranquil harbours cut deep inland, providing shelter from the winds that regularly buffet exposed cliffs and capes.

Much of the region is encompassed by two immense national parks: Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park and Southwest National Park. Together with Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park and Mole Creek Karst National Park to the north, and Hartz Mountains National Park to the south-east, these parks form a continuous corridor of green, which in 1982 was proclaimed the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area by UNESCO.

The south-west's parks offer limited visitor facilities and there are relatively few access points or marked trails. Exploring these areas in depth therefore requires that you raft or hike over significant distances and are completely self-sufficient for long periods. Less adventurous travellers can, however, make short forays into the fringes of this wilderness, thereby gaining a sense of its splendour and majesty.

Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park

West of Derwent Bridge, the Lyell Highway follows a route used by early explorers and pioneers, climbing the broad flanks of mountains, descending into narrow gorges and skirting verdant rainforest, eucalypt forest, buttongrass plains, and sparkling lakes and streams. North of the road lies Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park; to the south is Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park. It's here on the southern side of the highway that one of Australia's greatest wilderness adventures begins: the journey down the Franklin River to its junction with the wider, more tranquil waters of the Gordon.

Most rafting tours begin on one of the Franklin's tributaries, usually the Collingwood. Soon after you join the Franklin itself, the river carves a great arc around the sheer, gigantic bluff of Frenchmans Cap. The quartzite peak remains hidden from view by verdant veils of vegetation and high walls of rock, though you can hike to its summit from the small camp site at Irenabyss, one of many delightful glens on the upper Franklin.

Beyond Frenchmans Cap, the river enters a series of gorges. Inception Reach, Serenity Sound and Transcendence Reach are cut by rapids of varying intensity, with descriptive names such as the Churn, Coruscades, Thunder Rush and the Cauldron. You then come to Deliverance Reach, a stretch of placid water in an area called the Great Ravine. Having barely had time to catch your breath, you enter a number of smaller but still impressive gorges, containing further rapids, some quite long, others merely patches of white water. Below Big Fall, the Franklin slows and spreads out as it nears the Gordon, requiring a fair amount of paddling to reach the landing spots at the confluence of the two waterways. By that time, passengers are usually very glad to see their pick-up boat, float plane or chopper!

Until the great dams were built, creating Lakes Gordon and Pedder, the Gordon River was also navigable. Now, because of irregular releases of water from the dams, its upper stretches are considered too dangerous to raft or paddle, and only the placid lower reaches can be explored on boat trips from the town of Strahan on Macquarie Harbour. These tours usually travel upriver as far as Horseshoe Bend, then pause at nearby Heritage Landing, where a boardwalk circuit allows visitors to take a closer look at the ancient rainforest that cloaks the banks. Huon pine, blackwood, myrtle, sassafras, beech and celery-top pine are among the species that form a dense canopy above giant tree-ferns, moss-coated laurels and leatherwoods. One of the highlights of the walk is a 2,000-year-old Huon pine.

Walking tracks can also be found along the Lyell Highway. The Donaghys Hill Wilderness Walk is a short, easy 2-km (1.2-mile) return hike that provides superb views of the Franklin River and Frenchmans Cap. Allow about 40 minutes return. A more demanding trail heads south from Victoria Pass to Irenabyss, where you can pick up the well-worn track to the top of Frenchmans Cap. This round trip measures 54 km (33.5 miles), takes at least three days, and requires a good level of fitness and thorough preparation.

Less energetic visitors can always opt to view the interior on a flightseeing tour. Several companies run float-plane trips out of Strahan, with the standard route taking you up the Gordon to a small landing strip. From here, you can walk to Sir John Falls, which lies much further upstream than most of the boat tours are allowed to go.

There is very limited vehicle access to the Franklin and Gordon areas; in fact, there is only one vehicle track that takes you anywhere near the Franklin River and it is accessible only with a 4WD and a key that has to be obtained from the Queenstown office of the Parks and Wildlife Service. This is the Mount McCall Track, which was constructed by the Hydro-Electric Commission and runs for 22 km (13.5 miles) to the foot of Mount McCall. Even from there, it's a tough descent to the river past the ruins of a steep rail track.

There are only a few established bush camp sites in the national park, including Irenabyss Camp on the Franklin, Warners Landing on the Gordon, and another site at the bridge over the Collingwood. However, you can generally pitch a tent wherever you like -if you can find a space amid the dense tangle of vegetation.

Southwest National Park

From the southern edge of Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park, Southwest National Park extends all the way to Tasmania's west and south coasts. Covering more than 600,000 ha (1,482,600 acres), this is the largest national park in Tasmania and undoubtedly one of the wildest in Australia.

The most accessible part of the park is the area around Lakes Gordon and Pedder. Here the Gordon River Road runs for 82 km (51 km) from the Maydena Gate entrance to the Gordon Dam and Power Station. This spectacular route threads through narrow valleys and high peaks, traverses wide moors and lush forests, and frequently reveals magnificent views of surrounding mountains such as the Saw Back, Anne and Frankland ranges. Along the way, you may see colourful flowers such as silver wattle, leatherwood and waratah, and native birds including robins, wrens, thornbills, rosellas, honeyeaters and currawongs. At the Maydena Gate entrance station, you can buy or hire an audio cassette that provides an informative commentary on the area.

Lakes Pedder and Gordon, which can be viewed from various points along the way, are enormous bodies of water, covering 500 sq km (193 square miles) and containing 37 times the volume of Sydney Harbour. Mountain peaks such as Scotts Peak and Mount Solitary now form islands within these artificial lakes.

Visitors with robust vehicles can also take the Scotts Peak Road, which departs from the Gordon River Road at Frodshams Pass, 28 km (17 miles) from Maydena Gate. This corrugated and deeply potholed track runs south for 36 km (22 miles), providing stunning views in all directions. Notable sights include Mount Anne, the highest peak in the south-west, and unusual formations such as the Needles and the Thumbs. A number of lookouts offer breathtaking views of Lake Pedder, the Arthur Plains, the Arthur, Maydena and Jubilee ranges, and the Weld River Valley, while the most dramatic panorama 'a full 360 degrees' can be obtained at Red Knoll Lookout, 2 km (1.2 miles) beyond Scotts Peak Dam.

Several interesting day walks depart from the Gordon River and Scotts Peak roads. From the former, the Timbs Track offers a four-hour return hike through rainforest to the Florentine River, while the Mount Wedge Track, a four- or five-hour round trip, leads to the summit of Mount Wedge and its grand vistas. Just 2 km (1.2 miles) along the Scotts Peak Road is the Creepy Crawly Nature Trail, a 1-km (0.6-mile) trail along a boardwalk which provides a terrific introduction to the temperate rainforest environment. The walk is fairly easy, though not recommended for anyone unable to climb numerous steps and duck under low branches. Further south, two more arduous trails should be attempted only by experienced, energetic hikers. The walk to Lake Judd requires eight hours, while the difficult climb to Eliza Plateau takes five or six. On all of these tracks except for the Creepy Crawly Nature Trail, hikers should register their departure in park log books and sign out on their return.

Southwest National Park also offers two of the country's most challenging long-distance walking tracks. The 70-km (43.5-mile) Port Davey Track, which was originally created as an escape route for survivors of shipwrecks on the wild south-west coast, leads from Lake Pedder to Melaleuca on Bathurst Harbour and requires at least four or five days. As there are no roads to Melaleuca, hikers must then retrace their steps or fly or sail out. Alternatively, they can continue southward along the South Coast Track to Cockle Creek, a gruelling 85-km (53-mile) journey that takes between five and nine days. Both trips should be undertaken only by very experienced and well-prepared bushwalkers.

A much easier way to view the wild heart of the park is to take a sightseeing flight from Hobart to Bathurst Harbour. Some trips include a short stay at Melaleuca and a cruise around the harbour. Boating is also available on Lakes Pedder and Gordon, where between August and April you can enjoy some of the finest fishing in Australia.

The northern section of the park lies 75 km (46.5 miles) from Hobart along the Lyell Highway and Gordon River Road. The southern section can be accessed from Cockle Creek, which is about two hours from Hobart along the Huon Highway. All roads are subject to snow and ice and visitors should be prepared for sudden weather changes all year round.