Mt Field National Park

Mt Field National Park is a favourite of both locals and visitors for its spectacular mountain scenery, alpine moorlands and lakes, rainforest and waterfalls. The area around Russell Falls was made a reserve in 1885 and by 1916 had become one of Australia's first national parks. The abundance of wildlife that can be viewed at dusk makes this a great place to stay overnight with kids. When nature sees fit to deposit snow, skiing is also an option.

The park's visitors centre has reams of information on the area's walks, and on the free, child-occupying, ranger-led activities usually held from late December until early February. Also inside are a cafe and displays on the origins of the park. There are excellent day-use facilities in the park, including barbecues, shelters and a children's playground.

If you're staying in the Lake Dobson huts, skiing on Mt Mawson or taking the Pandani Grove Nature Walk or any of the high-country walks, you'll have to drive along the 16km (10mi) Lake Dobson Rd. To safely navigate this unsealed road in winter, you'll need chains and antifreeze (and so will your car). It's best to hire them in Hobart before setting off.

The park's most promoted attraction is the magnificent high Russell Falls, which is in the valley close to the park entrance. It's an easy 20min circuit walk from the car park along a wheelchair-suitable path. From Russell Falls, you can continue past Horseshoe Falls and Tall Trees Circuit to Lady Barron Falls, a walk of 2hr return past swamp gums (the world's tallest flowering plants).

The 15min Lyrebird Nature Walk starts 7km (4mi) up Lake Dobson Rd. It's an excellent introduction to the park's flora and fauna, particularly for children, with numbers along the track that correspond to information provided in a brochure available at the visitors centre.

For young children who don't mind a longer walk, there's the Pandani Grove Nature Walk, which follows the edge of Lake Dobson and passes through some magical stands of pandani (heaths resembling pandanus palms that grow up to 12m (40ft) high before toppling over). This walk takes 40min; park at the Lake Dobson car park, 16km (10mi) from the park entrance.

There are several magnificent walks at the top of the range, where glaciation has cut steep cliffs and deep valleys into what was once a continuous plateau. Attractive lakes litter the floors of these valleys, but perhaps even more beautiful are the many tarns adorning the ridge-tops.

If you intend to go walking here, take waterproof gear and warm clothing because the weather can be volatile year-round; also double-check with the visitors centre as to current track conditions. There's a 4WD gravel road from Lake Dobson to the ski fields, but this is open only to authorised vehicles.

From the Lake Dobson car park, take the Urquhart Track to its junction with the gravel road; both track and road are steep. Continue along the road to the ski fields, at the top of which is the start of the Tarn Shelf Track. At this point the track is fairly level and a boardwalk has been laid across large sections of ground to protect the delicate vegetation and keep walkers out of the mud. Either continue as far as you like along the track and then return by the same route, or take one of two routes that branch off at Lake Newdegate and circle back to the ski fields: if you travel east past Twisted Tarn, Twilight Tarn and Lake Webster, the walk takes five or six hours return from the car park, while the wonderful Rodway Range circuit to the west takes six or seven hours return from the car park.

The Tarn Shelf is an enjoyable walk at any time of year in clear weather. In summer the temperature is pleasant, in autumn the leaves of the deciduous beeches along the way are golden, in winter you may need skis or snowshoes, while in spring the sound of melting snow trickling beneath the boardwalk somehow seems to enhance the silence.

Skiing was first attempted here in 1922 on Mt Mawson. A low-key resort of club huts and rope tows has developed and, when there is snow (an infrequent event in recent years), it makes a refreshing change from the highly commercial developments in the ski fields of mainland Australia. There is no ski equipment hire in the area; again, it's best to hire gear in Hobart before setting off.

Visitors should also note that Mt Field is not home to the Tahune AirWalk. It seems that some visitors confuse the Air-Walk with Mt Field's Tall Trees Circuit, which definitely isn't a steel structure above the treetops!