Tasmania's largest national park, South West Park, is spread over 618,000 hectares 93 kilometres west of Hobart. It's known for its inaccessible but stunningly beautiful areas of pristine wilderness. The weather here is incredibly variable and can often be quite severe. Over the past 25 thousand years, the main inhabitants of these places were the few Tasmanian aborigines, and Europeans only occasionally appeared here, which ensured the safety of the territory. There's only one road passes through the park and it leads to the town of Strathgordon. The southern and western parts of the park are completely inaccessible to any land transport - you can only get there on foot, by boat or by air. A small airstrip airstrip for aeroplanes is in the tiny settlement of Melaleuca in the south-west of the of the park. There are also two huts there for tourists.
The "nucleus" of this protected area was created in 1955 and was originally was called Lake Pedder National Park. Over the next 35 years, the park area was expanded and renamed until it reached its current size in 1990.
Today, there are two major hiking trails within the park: the Port Davey Trail Port Davey Trail, beginning just south of Lake Pedder, and the South Shore Trail, which leads from Cockle Creek. Both are designed primarily for experienced travellers - they take between 10 and 14 days to complete. There are also more challenging routes that take in the East and West Arthur Ranges Range, the Southwest Cape, and Federation Peak.
For less sophisticated hikers, there are routes that take a few hours to complete travelling time, such as the road to Eliza Plateau, which offers wonderful views of Mt. Mount Ann and the lakes that lie in the valley. Or you can make the eight-hour trek to Judd Glacial Lake, surrounded by precipitous cliffs. The hikers will see a veritable wilderness of rainforests, myrtle trees, lush wildflowers and berry bushes. Among this lush splendor you can see green rosellas, honeyeaters, and black flute birds, known for their loud songs.
It is said that it is here, in the South West National Park, that the best fishing spots in Tasmania are located. Lakes Gordon and Pedder are where you can to try and catch trout. Another popular spot for fishermen is Edgar Dam near Scotts Peak.
