WE hadnt meant to court danger that day. But here we were, staring straight over a Tasmanian cliff at a lake 200 feet below and wondering how to get there on a trail that seemed headed into thin air. Five hours of rock scrambling had left our quadriceps aquiver, and we were beginning to worry about sunset. So my husband and I did what we had to: We scooted down on our fannies, grabbing at roots and rocks to slow our descent. Eventually vertical became horizontal, and we were headed toward dinner, a warm fire, a bottle of Syrah. In a part of the Southern Hemisphere best known for serious multi-day walks along famous tracks such as Milford and Routeburn in New Zealand and Overland in Tasmania, we chose something a bit less complicated. Call it trekking lite long, challenging day hikes from a comfortable home base that is not a tent. And there is no better place to try it than rugged little Tasmania, Australias island state. Unspoiled and manageable, Tassie boasts 19 national parks, all of them crisscrossed with thousands of miles of trails ranging from daredevil to desultory. The advantage of trekking lite as opposed to planning lengthy outings requiring permits and guides or camping expertise is simplicity. Wed done most of the planning for our trip in an afternoon on the Web.

SO what to expect if you decide to taste the Tasmanian outdoors? Expect encouragement. At Cradle Mountain, the park service even provides free shuttle buses every 10 minutes from a large parking lot to most major trail heads. Expect weather lots of it, including rain and cold, even in summer. Heard of the Roaring 40s? Tasmania sits astride those latitudes. A walk through the Tasmanian mountains may require everything from T-shirts to turtlenecks, and all in the same day. If you choose to be a trekker lite, dont be intimidated by the trekking heavies. At our bed-and-breakfast in Hobart, Tasmanias capital, we were gently teased by a fellow guest, who called us wussies. An Australian, she was off to do the Overland Track with an outfitter. Later, about the time I was staring over that cliff, I figured she was settling down to afternoon tea, served by her guide. Seemed like I had the tougher deal.

TO walk in Tasmania is to pass through temperate rain forests loaded with exotic flora: stands of gracefully tall eucalyptus trees, coral fern, knee-high button grass and other vegetation with bizarre names. Try King Billy Pine or Gunns Gebung. Cradle Mountain rises 5,000 feet, towering like a giant stone cradle over azure Dove Lake. In the distance, a procession of basalt columns speak of Tasmanias turbulent volcanic past. At Freycinet, steep peaks called The Hazards jut out of a turquoise sea bordered by sugary beaches and bays full of oysters.

Then, of course, theres the fauna. Our first encounter with a wombat not a bat at all but a plump, groggy marsupial was along a trail at twilight. Hed fallen asleep over his dinner, curled up where hed been munching tender grass shoots. Awakened by my footsteps, he glanced up, unperturbed, and ambled away. Wallabies regularly hopped onto the beaches at Freycinet. But alas, no Tasmanian devils came out to play. Their very survival is threatened by an aggressive facial cancer that Australian scientists are struggling to understand and eradicate.

We also saw a couple of brown snakes, highly poisonous, like most Australian snakes. Ditto spiders.