Touring Tasmania – Coles Bay and the Freycinet Peninsula

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