Coles Bay - Places to See

The appealing quality of Coles Bay and Freycinet National Park is that they haven't really changed in fifty years. Today people still come to the area to get away from it all. They fish in the waters of Great Oyster Bay, which are still rich in trevally, flathead, crayfish and trumpeter. They walk into the park and climb the Hazards or the mountains to the south, both of which offer marvellous views across the bay and out across the Tasman Sea. And they drive on the rough roads through the National Park stopping for a spectacular view or pulling off the road to go swimming in the clear, safe waters of the bay.

Freycinet National Park
In its own way Freycinet National Park is one of Australia's most interesting wilderness areas - where else in the world do you see red granite cliffs tumbling into the cold ocean? This 10 000 ha park is alive with unusual animals - Tasmanian pademelons, white-breasted sea eagles, red-necked wallabies - and in season offers spectacular displays of rare native flora, notably a wide variety of native orchids. It is fair to say that it is one of the country's most spectacularly beautiful areas and when the weather is perfect it is hard to imagine a more peaceful and awe-inspiring piece of coastline. For more information check out: http://www.parks.tas.gov.au/?base=3363

Freycinet National Park Activities
Cape Tourville
The most popular activities in Freycinet National Park are bushwalking and scenic views. A good starting point is to drive to Cape Tourville. The 6.4 km dirt road, while hardly amazing, is perfectly adequate for conventional vehicles. The views are spectacular. Although Wineglass Bay is hidden by Mount Parsons there is a dramatic view across Thouin Bay to Lemon Rock and Cape Forestier.

Day Walks
When you enter Freycinet there is a brochure which provides a map and advice on a series of walks. These walks include an easy ten minute walk to the beach and rocks around Sleepy Bay. The Bay is on the route to Cape Tourville and the walk down to the rocks is easy and enjoyable. The kelp on the rocks is particularly impressive.

There is also a walk to Little Gravelly Beach, a tiny beach nestled between two craggy headlands. This is a 30 minute walk with the final stretch - from the top of the cliffs to the beach - being quite steep.

There are a number of ways to see Wineglass Bay. There is a medium walk of 1 1/2-2 hours which takes the walker to the lookout above Wineglass Bay. There is a 3-4 hour walk which goes to the lookout then continues on to the beach. It returns by the same route. The final route is 5 hours and is a circuit via the lookout and the beach and back to the main carpark.

There are many more walks of varying difficulty in the park. It is hard to imagine a more attractive option than staying for a week in the outstanding, award-winning Freycinet Lodge and spending each day attempting a different walk.