Tasmania, Australia
The Freycinet National Park is on the east coast of Tasmania and about 2 hours drive from Hobart or Launceston. It's where the very pretty and secluded Wineglass Bay is located, unfortunately the day I visited the weather wasn't good! Still a nice view of the bay but I'm sure it's far more spectacular in sunny weather.
The peninsula where the national park can be found was named for French explorer Louis de Freycinet, who mapped the coastline of Australia with Nicolas Baudin. The English were also mapping, English explorer Matthew Finders and Nicolas Baudin met in what's now called Encounter Bay in South Australia. Baudin managed to get his map published two years before Flinders and so the French names stayed. (I love little bits of interesting trivia!)
There is an entrance fee to the park, once in the park there are beaches, hiking trails and camp sites. I wanted to see Wineglass Bay as that had been recommended to me, so after a stop at the Visitor's Centre to pay the entrance fee and get a map, I set off for the Wineglass Bay lookout carpark.
The Hazards, mountain ranges, named after a local whaler called Richard Hazard, not because they were dangerous!
Even though the weather was very overcast the carpark for the Wineglass Bay lookout was quite busy. I was there around 10 am and had no problem getting a park, from what others have said, it gets very crowded around lunchtime. There are a lot of people doing the hike so it's not a really solitary one! The path on the way up curves around to get good views of Coles Bay. (For the not very fit, great excuses to stop and admire the view!)
Coles Bay from not very high up the trail.
And getting higher!
The pink granite tops of the mountains hidden behind the mist.
This rock to me was balanced very precariously!
Parrot's beak rock, at least that's what it looked like to me! Steps up to the final part of the trail to the lookout.
Made it! Time to enjoy the view.
The wineglass part of the bay is a narrow strip of land with another bay on the other side which just can be seen.
There was a wallaby at the lookout, much to the delight of the international tourists. It happily hopped around with no fear.
Coming down from the lookout you are directed to another path, which explained why I could see people going up but no-one coming down on the path leading to the lookout. The going down trail is shorter and leads straight to the carpark. Having the two paths does ease the congestion to the lookout.
The climb up to the lookout takes about 45 minutes, or less if you don't stop and move at a brisk pace! For those with moderate fitness and I think a desire to enjoy the scenery, it takes a bit longer. Very helpfully seats have been made with the local stone, along the up trail. Water and toilets can be found at the lookout carpark, so make a pitstop before going up the trail.
I also stopped at the Cape Tourville lighthouse, again on a good weather day I'm sure the scenery would have been spectacular, it was somewhat subdued in the mist.
Looking south.
Looking north.
The Cape Tourville trail was an easy 10 minute circular stroll, most of it on a boardwalk so it has good disability access.
The Cape Tourville lighthouse. It's an unmanned, automatic lighthouse and was built quite recently, in 1971. (So no romantic images of the lonely lighthouse keeper bravely keeping the light going!)
The Freycinet National Park is on the east coast of Tasmania and about 2 hours drive from Hobart or Launceston. It's where the very pretty and secluded Wineglass Bay is located, unfortunately the day I visited the weather wasn't good! Still a nice view of the bay but I'm sure it's far more spectacular in sunny weather.
The peninsula where the national park can be found was named for French explorer Louis de Freycinet, who mapped the coastline of Australia with Nicolas Baudin. The English were also mapping, English explorer Matthew Finders and Nicolas Baudin met in what's now called Encounter Bay in South Australia. Baudin managed to get his map published two years before Flinders and so the French names stayed. (I love little bits of interesting trivia!)
There is an entrance fee to the park, once in the park there are beaches, hiking trails and camp sites. I wanted to see Wineglass Bay as that had been recommended to me, so after a stop at the Visitor's Centre to pay the entrance fee and get a map, I set off for the Wineglass Bay lookout carpark.
The Hazards, mountain ranges, named after a local whaler called Richard Hazard, not because they were dangerous!
Even though the weather was very overcast the carpark for the Wineglass Bay lookout was quite busy. I was there around 10 am and had no problem getting a park, from what others have said, it gets very crowded around lunchtime. There are a lot of people doing the hike so it's not a really solitary one! The path on the way up curves around to get good views of Coles Bay. (For the not very fit, great excuses to stop and admire the view!)
Parrot's beak rock, at least that's what it looked like to me! Steps up to the final part of the trail to the lookout.
Made it! Time to enjoy the view.
Coming down from the lookout you are directed to another path, which explained why I could see people going up but no-one coming down on the path leading to the lookout. The going down trail is shorter and leads straight to the carpark. Having the two paths does ease the congestion to the lookout.
The climb up to the lookout takes about 45 minutes, or less if you don't stop and move at a brisk pace! For those with moderate fitness and I think a desire to enjoy the scenery, it takes a bit longer. Very helpfully seats have been made with the local stone, along the up trail. Water and toilets can be found at the lookout carpark, so make a pitstop before going up the trail.
I also stopped at the Cape Tourville lighthouse, again on a good weather day I'm sure the scenery would have been spectacular, it was somewhat subdued in the mist.
The Cape Tourville trail was an easy 10 minute circular stroll, most of it on a boardwalk so it has good disability access.
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