Flinders Island (Photo: Tourism Tasmania & John de la Roche)

From Gladstone we took the road to Bridport, on Tasmania’s northern coast. Like so many other coastal towns Bridport is a popular summer holiday tourist destination and offers beaches, safe swimming and a whole host of water sports. In 2004 Bridport also became a popular destination for golfers and from the town you can get flights or a ferry service to Flinders Island.

Being a popular tourist town there are a number of hotels and other Bridport accommodation here in if you want to stay a night or two.

Barnbougle Dunes Golf Course
Opened in 2004, the Barnbougle Dunes Golf Course is just outside the town of Bridport. This spectacular course with its coastal location really reminds me of the famous St Andrews Old Course in Scotland, and Barnbougle is quickly establishing itself with an excellent reputation. Within just a few years it has become ranked in the top 50 best golf courses in the world, and it is in fact Australia’s number one public golf course. Golf lovers should definitely bring their clubs!

Flinders Island
Flinders Island is located 20 kilometres (12.5 miles) off the northern tip of Tasmania and is part of the Furneaux group of islands. These islands were discovered in 1773 by Tobias Furneaux, after whom they’re named. Being an island the only ways to get here are by ferry service or there is also a light aircraft service operating out of Bridport.

One of the main attractions of the island is the Strzelecki National Park. Named after a famous Polish explorer, Sir Paul Edmund Strzelecki, the park was established in 1967. It is best known for its high numbers of endemic species – these are species which are found only here, so it’s a great place to see many rare and interesting species of plants. There are also a great many animals and bird life here too. The park is also good for hiking, rock climbing and sea kayaking. There are some great Flinders Island accommodation spots too.

From Bridport you can continue along the northern coast to the next major town, George Town which sits on the Tamar River estuary. We have decided to leave George Town for another day, so head south instead to Scottsdale, a medium sized town set in attractive surrounds with a great many bushwalking opportunities!

‘Touring Tasmania – Bridport and Flinders Island’ by Claire Bolgil

Mt William National Park (Photo:Tourism Tasmania and Joe Shemesh)

On leaving St Helens you have a couple of options – stay on the main road (the A3) and head inland towards Scottsdale, or take a detour to the Bay of Fires, or another detour to the far north east and Mount William National Park.

We had heard that the Bay of Fires was a spectacular section of coastline so definitely wanted to visit. Although not on the more beaten tourist path, the Bay of Fires has recently been named the world’s “hottest” travel destination for 2009 by Lonely Planet, so I have a feeling this is about to change!

Bay of Fires
We were advised that the best way to fully enjoy what the Bay of Fires has to offer was to join a four day guided hike. As appealing as this sounded we didn’t have four days to spare so had to make do with a quick visit.

Take the road to Binalong Bay and enjoy the views here first. Just north of Binalong Bay is the beginning of the Bay of Fires which stretches all the way north to Eddystone Point and there is a minor road which takes you a little further up the bay.

The Bay of Fires features amazing white sandy beaches, the most wonderful blue waters and lichen-covered rocks which, with their red colour, look almost as though they’ve been painted! The area also has a diverse ecology and much wildlife.

Mount William National Park
From the Bay of Fires we travelled back on ourselves to the A3 in order to take another minor road, the C843. This is a gravel road which takes you up to Eddystone Point in the Mount William National Park.

This is another destination where you could easily spend several days attempting to see everything the park has to offer. There is camping here, for example, and attractions include a multitude of wildlife – the park is a sanctuary for the Forester kangaroo as well as wombats and Tasmanian pademelons, echidnas, brush-tailed possums and more. Birds include kookaburras, yellow-tailed black cockatoos and albatrosses.

Gladstone
If you leave the park on the C843 but in the opposite direction from which you came you will shortly arrive at the tiny town of Gladstone.

This was once a bustling town, spurred on in 1870 by the mining of tin nearby. Now there is little more than a general store, one hotel and a police station, but the town remains the major entry point to the Mt William National Park, so tourism keeps it going.

If you’d like to spend some time here there is plenty of opportunity for bushwalking in the area and Gladstone’s cemeteries provide an interesting glimpse into the town’s past. There are many graves of Chinese miners who were attracted to the area.

For a great selection of Far North East Tasmania Accommodation, visit Book it Now.

‘Touring Tasmania – Tasmania’s Far North East’ by Claire Bolgil

Bay of Fires (Photo: Tourism Tasmania & Glenn Gibson)

One of the more major towns on the Eastern Coast of Tasmania, St Helens has grown from a small fishing village into a popular tourist town and has built a reputation as the ‘game fishing capital of Tasmania’. The fact that St Helens has a nice selection of hotels was our main influence for stopping here for the night, as we can’t claim to be big on game fishing!

What to See and Do in St Helens
St Helens was named after the English town of St Helens, on the Isle of Wight, and was established as a whaling base in the early 1800’s. By the 1870’s it had grown into a small shipping port in order to ship out the tin which had been discovered nearby. Now St Helens is primarily a tourist destination, though fishing and timber are other important sectors too, the warm microclimate experienced here makes St Helens a pleasant destination in both summer and winter.

Local History Room – St Helens own little museum gives visitors further insight into the tin mining which helped to develop the region. As a result of the tin mining, many Chinese people were attracted to the area, and you can find out more about them as well as the Aboriginals of the region.

Water Based Activities – With lovely sandy beaches and the calm waters of Georges Bay, St Helens is a great place to enjoy swimming and relaxing on the beach, and with 50 kilometres (31 miles) of coastline there’s enough space for everyone! For a little more activity try fishing, whether it’s game fishing or a more casual kind – Scamander River is renowned for its bream, for example. Surfing is also another popular pastime here in St Helens.

Restaurants and Hotels – Considering the huge influx of tourists into St Helens, you would expect there might be more in the way of restaurants and places to stay, though these are actually fairly limited. If you are planning to stay in St Helens, make sure you book your hotel well in advance as demand is high and space is limited. Make sure you visit Book it Now for your St Helens accommodation.

In terms of restaurants there are a number available, several of which are attached to the hotels and motels. With so much fishing around St Helens, seafood should feature highly – the town is most famous for its scallops, crayfish, flounder and abalone, so look out for these!

‘Touring Tasmania – St Helens’ by Claire Bolgil

East Coast of Tasmania

Following the coastal road north of Bicheno there are quite a number of interesting places to stop en-route as you make your way to the larger town of St Helens.

Douglas Apsley National Park
Just a short distance north of Bicheno is Douglas Apsley National Park. You could well spend several days here, enjoying the trails, the flora and the fauna, or, like us, pop by for a quick visit. Just at the southern edge of the park is the Apsley River Waterhole where, on a hot day, you can take a dip to cool off in the clear waters, whilst enjoying the scenery surrounding you.

If you don’t have much time to spare, take the trail to the Lookout, just a ten to fifteen minutes round trip, which gives you a lovely view of the waterhole from above. Alternatively, if you can spare three to four hours, the walk to Apsley Gorge is said to be a worthwhile experience, though should only be attempted in dry weather when the water levels are low otherwise you’ll find yourselves in difficulty.

Chain of Lagoons
Back out on the main coastal road you reach Chain of Lagoons. Just the name conjures up images of something tropical and to be honest, the scenery around the Chain of Lagoons area does not disappoint!

This also marks a point in the road where we have a choice to venture inland a little or continue along the coastal road. However, we’ve heard far too many things about some great pancakes at the top of Elephant’s Pass that we just had to investigate!

Elephant’s Pass, Pancakes and St Marys
The narrow, winding road which heads inland is called Elephant’s Pass and this seems like such a strange place to set up a pancake parlour, but the pancakes are legendary and we certainly enjoyed them! After gorging on pancakes there’s a short walk you can take from the craft shop to some pretty falls.

The road passes through the rural settlement of St Marys before heading back towards the coast on St Marys Pass, another narrow, yet pretty road.

Scamander and Beaumaris
Back on the coast, the beachside towns of Scamander and Beaumaris invite you to spend more time relaxing on beautiful white beaches. It’s easy to sit back and forget about the passing time, though it’s only another 18 kilometres (11 miles) to travel on to St Helens, our finishing point for today.

For all you Tasmania accommodation needs on route and St Helens Accommodation, visit Book it Now.

‘Touring Tasmania – Bicheno to St Helens’ by Claire Bolgil

Bicheno Coastal Landscape

The town of Bicheno sits on the coast just above the far northern end of the Freycinet National Park, and makes for an interesting stop off on our tour. Depending on where you spent the previous night, you may like to choose Bicheno for a good night’s rest – there are certainly plenty of hotels to choose from here!

What to See and Do in Bicheno
Bicheno may not be a large town but it does have a surprising number of quirky attractions! Named after James Ebenezer Bicheno, one of the British Colonial Secretaries for Van Dieman’s Land (the original name for Tasmania), it was proclaimed a township in 1866, though it had been used as a whaling port since 1803.

The Grave of Wauba Debar – Not exactly an attraction which you’re going to want to photograph but important in the history of Bicheno all the same, is the grave of Wauba Debar. Wauba was an aboriginal woman who was taken from her tribe as a teenager in order to be used as a ‘sealer’s woman’. Despite this mistreatment she saved two sealers from drowning when their ship was wrecked. Although she survived this shipwreck she later died on the seas and her bravery was remembered and memorialised through the headstone which local settlers raised money to erect.

You may recognise the name, as Waub’s Harbour in Bicheno was named after her.

Merchant Navy Memorial – In between Wauba’s grave and the sea is the Merchant Navy Memorial, an attractive boat shaped memorial dedicated to the Australian Merchant Navy.

Diamond Island – Just off the coast of Bicheno is Diamond Island. This small island is a nature reserve and is connected to the mainland via a sand spit which allows visitors to walk across it at low tides. The main attraction here is the colony of Little Penguins.

East Coast Natureworld – The East Coast Natureworld is a popular attraction for visitors wanting to see the local flora and fauna up close. There’s plenty of wildlife here including Tasmanian Devil and wombats and visitors even have the chance to feed kangaroos! There are also a great many birds as well as reptiles here.

Sea Life Centre – Also popular, the Sea Life Centre features many of the region’s marine creatures in the Aquarium though there’s also a great steak and seafood restaurant here where you can sample some of the local seafood delights!

The Gulch, the Blowhole and the Rocking Rock – Bicheno’s natural attractions include the Gulch, a sheltered area which was traditionally used by fishing boats during storms. Walking around you’ll see that many of the coastal rocks have a red hue to them – this is as a result of the red lichen which grows in the area. You may also come across a fairly substantial blowhole which water blows out of when a wave strikes underneath, and right next to this is the Rocking Rock – 80 tons of granite which actually rocks with the movement of the tide!

To find Bicheno Accommodation and East Coast and Freycinet Accommodation, visit Book it Now.

‘Touring Tasmania – The Freycinet Coast to Bicheno’ by Claire Bolgil

Wineglass Bay

At the gateway to the Freycinet Peninsula is the small town of Coles Bay. With its permanent population of less than 500 people, the town swells under the pressure of thousands of tourists visiting each year. But the town is well prepared for this large influx of people and there are a number of hotels and other places to stay in Coles Bay for those who want to spend more than just the day here, which is of course highly recommended!

What to See and Do in Coles Bay

Although many visitors are passing through Coles Bay in order to enter the Freycinet National Park, the town does also offer its own attractions.

Stunning views are just one of the advantages of Coles Bay – looking out across Great Oyster Bay, though the most impressive views are of The Hazards. The Hazards are a series of red and pink granite peaks and are situated on the Freycinet Peninsula, though Coles Bay affords some of the best views of them.

With all this natural beauty surrounding Coles Bay this makes a great location for outdoor enthusiasts – activities such as boating, kayaking, hiking, climbing, fishing and biking are all hugely popular around here.

What to See and Do in Freycinet National Park

Situated on the Freycinet Peninsula, which was named after the French explorer Louis de Freycinet, is the Freycinet National Park. Founded in 1916, it, along with Mount Field National Park, is the oldest national park in Tasmania.

Visitors to the park can enter in their vehicles, and you don’t have too much time available for exploring the car is probably the best way to get around. However, this will mean you miss one of the best beaches in the world, Wineglass Bay!

Wineglass Bay – Only accessible by boat or by a fairly lengthy hike, Wineglass Bay is certainly worth the effort required to get here! Visitors to this sweeping bay would be forgiven for thinking they had arrived on a tropical island as it features gorgeous sandy beaches and azure blue waters. If you can manage the hike all the way down to the bay this is a wonderful place to spend a few hours enjoying the beach and the waters, before heading back.

Depending on your walking speed, the hike all the way to Wineglass Bay is about 3 hours return. For those who don’t wish to spend this much time walking you can take the same route but stop at the viewing point. From here, which is about an hour’s walk, you get the most amazing views of the bay and for many people the views are more spectacular than experiencing the bay close up!

Other Walks – There are a good many other walks available in Freycinet National Park as well; some longer and some shorter than the one to Wineglass Bay. If you don’t have much time to spend here or perhaps don’t have the ability to walk too far there are a number of much shorter walks, such as 5 minutes to the Friendly Beaches Scenic Lookout.

Scenic Drives – Of course there’s also the option to see the park from the comfort of your car and there are scenic drives you can try, though be aware that often you will have to park and walk a little way to get to your destination anyway. Take the road to Cape Tourville, just after the Freycinet Lodge, to a car park 6.4 km in and from here there’s a boardwalk along the cliff which gives you wonderful views as well as taking you to the lighthouse.

Visitor Centre – Be sure to visit the >Freycinet National Park visitor centre as there is lots of information on all aspects of the park to be seen here plus you can pick up information on walks, wildlife and other attractions you can experience within the park.

Freycinet National Park Accommodation – Camping is restrictively permitted in the park, though has to be planned a long way in advance. Basically applications are received for a ballot, and successful campers are chosen randomly, so just turning up with your tent is not going to get you a pitch!

Other than camping there is the Freycinet Lodge. This is luxury accommodation situated just inside the park boundary, and although the location and the accommodation is stunning there is a hefty price tag to go with it!

There is plenty of other great Coles Bay accommodation and other Freycinet accommodation which you can browse through on Book it Now.

‘Coles Bay and the Freycinet Peninsula’ by Claire Bolgil

Schouten House in Swansea

Marking the entrance to the mouth of Great Oyster Bay is the seaside town of Swansea. Swansea has a number of attractions to convince visitors to stay for more than just a passing glance – it’s a historic town and as well as benefiting from Great Oyster Bay there are also wonderful views across the bay to the Freycinet Peninsula from here.

Swansea also has lovely beaches plus a good number of hotels and other Swansea accommodation to cater for the high numbers of tourists who pass this way during the peak season in particular. This gives you the option to stay in a Swansea hotel or travel a little further around the bay to the town of Coles Bay where there’s also a good choice of places to stay.

What to See and Do in Swansea
Being a historical town, Swansea has a quaint charm to it and walking around you get to see a number of the older buildings which are still in use today. Examples include Morris’ General Store which was built in 1838, the Council Chambers built in 1860, All Saints Church built in 1871, Schouten House built in 1845, and Resthaven built in 1841 – Resthaven is now the Oyster Bay Guest House though has also been known as the Black Swan Inn during its past.

Swansea Bark Mill and East Coast Museum – Another of Swansea’s historic buildings is the Swansea Bark Mill, dating from around 1885. This is the only restored black wattle bark mill in Australia. Here they processed the black wattle bark which was then used as the primary ingredient for tanning leather and was in use until 1935. You can see the machinery in action here and also visit the East Coast Museum next door which tells you more about the history of this part of Tasmania.

The next stage of our Tasmanian tour takes us around Great Oyster Bay to the town of Coles Bay and the entrance to the Freycinet National Park.

‘Swansea – Tasmania’ by Claire Bolgil

View of East Coast of Tasmania

This coastal drive between Orford and the Freycinet Peninsula gives travellers some of the most stunning coastal scenery in the whole of Australia. This is the kind of journey which should be savoured and remembered for years to come, therefore we hadn’t set ourselves any time limits; we planned to amble along, stopping at places where it was safe to do so and taking in the wonderful views around us. Here are some of the features, both natural and man-made, to be seen on this leg of the journey:

Great Oyster Bay
There are numerous spots long the way from where you can get fantastic views of the expansive Great Oyster Bay. This is a huge sweeping bay, spreading across to the Freycinet Peninsula and has the town of Swansea at the eastern end and Coles Bay at the western end. Great Oyster Bay is actually farmed for oysters and other shellfish and marine vegetables.

Berry Farms and Wineries
Onwards towards Swansea you have the opportunity to stock up on local berries and wine supplies, as there are a number of wineries and berry farms just outside Swansea. Kate’s Berry Farm is a highly recommended stop on your tour because not only do you get to sample the different berry products made here you can sit and admire the great view.

Wineries in the area include Freycinet, Coombend and Apsley Gorge and you might be pleasantly surprised by the different palate you’ll experience with these cool climate wines.

Spiky Bridge
When you see Spiky Bridge it’s easy to understand why it’s called this, but why it was built like this is not as apparent!

Located 7.5 kilometres (4.5 miles) from Swansea, Spiky Bridge was built by convicts (like so many other structures on Tasmania) in the early 1840’s. On either side of the bridge the edges have randomly sized spikes of rock sticking up out of them, which have been set into the mortar. We couldn’t figure out whether this was done for decoration and was part of the original design, or whether it was done this way for another reason entirely. One theory though, is that these spikes were put here to stop cattle falling of the bridge!

For all you East Coast accommodation requirements including Orford accommodation and Swansea accommodation, visit Book it Now for a great selection and great rates.

‘Orford to Swansea’ by Claire Bolgil