Many spend just 45 minutes in this iconic Aussie place. Here's what they're missing

Striding out from a forest of gnarled trees and velvety moss carpets, I look up to see near-vertical cliffs of volcanic rock framing an inky lake surrounded by fiery red and yellow foliage. Ahead of me, a weathered boatshed of native pine looks out over the undisturbed surface of Crater Lake and the peaks that rise in the distance promise even better to come. It's hard to believe I have this incredible scene all to myself, especially given I'm in one of Australia's most celebrated national parks.

More than a quarter of a million people visit Tasmania's Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park every year, but I'm shocked when a local guide tells me that some visitors only spend 45 minutes in the park. That's just enough time to reach the shores of Dove Lake, snap a few photos and turn back around. And while the iconic view over the water towards Cradle Mountain is worth the journey alone, anyone who thinks that's all the park has to offer is doing themselves a great disservice. Spend a few days exploring the jewel of Tasmania's highlands and you can wander through buttongrass plains as plump wombats graze contentedly just metres away, see Australia's only native deciduous tree paint the slopes with gold and lose yourself in some of Australia's most beautiful backcountry landscapes.

Regular shuttle buses (included in the 24-hour entry pass for $30.70 per adult) take guests from the park visitor centre to the sleek viewing shelter on the shores of Dove Lake. The winding road up offers tantalising hints of the vista that lies in wait, but be prepared for your jaw to drop when you arrive. Rising above the shingle-roofed boatshed on the gravelly shores of Dove Lake, Cradle Mountain's jagged crown of peaks looks like something from Game of Thrones and demands attention whether it's bathed in summer sunshine or dusted with snow.

Staying in the park means you're never far from the local wildlife. Speed limits are capped at 40kmh due to the high density of animals, and most visitors will encounter multiple species every day. The buttongrass plains near Ronny Creek are popular with wombats that graze beside the boardwalk as hikers pass by, and I spot several pademelons foraging beside the deck of my cabin at Discovery Resorts Cradle Mountain. Wallabies and echidnas are also common, while platypuses can be seen in the tea-coloured streams and lakes that dot the region. Carnivorous marsupials also roam the forests, but they are notoriously hard to spot. If you want to guarantee a Tasmanian devil or quoll sighting, your best bet is the Devils@Cradle sanctuary.

The remnant Gondwanan rainforest around Cradle Mountain provides a living link to the supercontinent that broke up tens of millions of years ago. Ancient King Billy pines, fragrant sassafras trees and twisted snow gums all make their mark on the landscape, but the most striking species of all is the deciduous beech. The only native Australian tree that sheds its leaves annually, the fagus puts on a spectacular show each autumn when thousands of trees change colour and transform the slopes into a shimmering tapestry of amber, saffron and fiery red. Visit on a calm day and you'll see the spectacle doubled in the mirror-still waters of the region's glacial lakes.

The panoramas of Cradle Mountain and the surrounding peaks are a highlight of any visit, but there's a different kind of beauty when the trees close in on every side. The park is home to three of Tasmania's 60 Great Short Walks, and the easiest takes just 20 minutes. The Enchanted Walk follows a bubbling stream past mossy gardens and arrow-straight pencil pines that are covered in tiny blue mushrooms every autumn. The tannin-rich water that filters through the buttongrass cascades over several small falls that send drafts of cool air through the surrounding forest. If you still have energy, stretch your legs on the King Billy Walk and venture deeper into a rainforest filled with majestic thousand-year-old trees. The two-to-three-hour Crater Lake Circuit packs in many park highlights, including waterfalls, wombats, lakes and mountain views.

Many of the park's most popular walks have gentle gradients, but reaching the alpine plateau above Dove Lake requires a bit more effort. The strenuous climb from Crater Lake to Marions Lookout has chains to help walkers up the steepest sections, but it's worth every step for the views of Dove Lake and the craggy dolerite spires of Cradle Mountain. The challenging Summit Track requires some navigation and rock-hopping, and should only be attempted in good weather conditions and with appropriate gear. But make it all the way up and you'll be rewarded with panoramic views deep into the interior of Tasmania's highlands.

The writer was a guest of Tourism Tasmania