This morning we got back from Bruny Island and headed straight to the East Coast, past Hobart and the whole area we’ve already explored. Our first stop was Spiky Bridge, only 2.5hrs from Kettering where the ferry dropped us of!
Spiky Bridge is part of the old convict-built road which connected Swansea with Little Swanport and the east coast road to Hobart. Why there are spikes no one knows.
Then we got to the famous Freycinet Peninsula, particularly famous for the Wine Glass Bay. On the way to Coles Bay (halfway down the peninsula) we stopped at Friendly Beaches which is the first turn-off along the road. The view is lovely, but it was incredibly windy that day.
Arriving at Coles Bay we learned at the visitor centre that all the bush camps were booked out and checked in at the Iluka Caravan Park instead – only later that day we came across the free camp that we didn’t know of…
The National Park is closed to motorized vehicles south of Coles Bay. We saved the walks for the next day and spent the afternoon exploring the Cape Tourville Lighthouse. There is an excellent walkway around the more functional than pretty lighthouse. Information boards and whale species measurements you can walk and understand make it very interesting. The measure of the massive Blue Whale goes around the corner of the walkway though so you can’t see start and end of it. The view from the walkway and up the top is magnificent.
From the lighthouse we ventured to Bluestone Bay (a 4WD track) and to White Water Wall – a 4WD track too, and a free camp. The bay was beautiful in its harshness and wild country. The camp had a roundtrip walk to the White Water Wall where we saw some people climbing. The wall is a cliff towering over wild water and there are steps down to the water. On the way back we came across an Echidna – they seem plentiful in Tasmania.
In the morning we tackled the Wine Glass Bay hike via the Hazard Beach. 12km through bush and along beaches, absolutely stunning views and mostly flat. The only climb is from Wineglass Bay up to the lookout (with approximately 1000 steps on the way) and then back down to the carpark on the other side. The Wineglass Bay is a very popular walk, haven’t met many on the Hazard Beach track.
The walk along the Hazard Bay takes you 
through woods with views of the surrounding hills and rocks 
and the ocean 
Hazard Beach is pretty nice 
There are massive oyster (?) shells 
they come out of the dunes where they are embedded in layers – wonder how old they are? 
Walking into Wineglass Bay 
Very picturesque indeed 
and then up the 1000steps 
to the Wineglass Bay Lookout
If you visit Freycinet Peninsula, this hike is a must! I highly recommend it! If you you haven’t much time, at least try to do the climb to the lookout over Wineglass Bay. If you have a bit more time but not enough to do a 12km hike, climb down to the bay for a swim or just a look, it is absolutely worth it!
We had a swim at Honeymoon Bay after the big walk. It seems to be the only sheltered bay in the area, and everyone is there for a swim, a picnic or a stroll. Beautifully situated between some massive boulders there is a nice pool to swim in.
We left Coles Bay the same day and drove north, ending up in Bicheno. After setting up at the caravan park we walked down to the pub for a meal and met some locals. We stayed until the pub closed, not quite the plan, but we had very interesting conversations. One of the locals went home as he had to work the next day. We joined the other one, a musician, who then gave us some samples of what he plays. An incredibly talented young man!
The next morning we climbed the Whalers Lookout in Bicheno from where you can see the Governor Island which is part of the Governor Island Marine Reserve and aims to protect Tasmania’s extraordinary marine life. 80% of the plants and animals in southern Australian waters are found nowhere else. This area is known for spectacular diving.
The lookout is called Whalers Lookout as it was used as exactly that during the whaling period. A lookout person would climb a tree (which had iron climbing spikes) and keep a look out for whales. When he spotted one, he’d raise a flag on top of the tree to alert the whalers waiting at several whaling stations. Fortunately this era has passed and the whales are protected today.
Next stop was Scamander to catch up with a mate of my partner. Then we headed back south to a free camp at the Douglas River Camp amongst the Chain of Lagoons and enjoyed a lazy afternoon with a few swims in the natural pool at the beach to cool down a bit.
Later in the afternoon we heard a loud crack and joined all the fellow campers to have a look at the source of the noise. Turned out the massive gum tree at the turnaround of the day use area dropped a big branch, taking an old branch with it! Thankfully no one was parked underneath. We’ve heard about them gum trees dropping branches but never witnessed such a big chunk of the tree falling unexpectedly.
The following day we spent exploring along the coast, starting with Akaroa and Stieglitz – two small settlements on right hand side of St Helens which lays at the sheltered end of Georges Bay. The bays arm to the left takes you to Skeleton Bay and Cosy Corner which are two very nice spots for a beach walk and swim.
We followed the coast to The Gardens, where you can explore the rock pools at low tide and spot some of the plentiful starfish in the area. Unfortunately, it was high tide when we were there, so we went for a walk and explore along the beach and the boulders which give the area their name: Bay of Fires – it’s an orange lichen (lichen is a symbiotic partnership between algae and fungus) that grows on the boulders.
We ended up at Deep Creek Camp which is just past the Eddystone Point Lighthouse at the other end of the Bay of Fires.
We had once again very friendly Wallabies frequenting our camp spot. In the middle of the night, we were woken by noise from inside our Utes canopy! Armed with torches we went to have a look and caught the Possum red handed! It had found a way into our Ute to the only edible thing that wasn’t locked up: a loaf of bread. He left his dusty footprints all over the inside of the Ute.
On the way out we stopped at the Eddystone Point Lighthouse for a look.
From there we ventured to Tomahawk Beach, then Bridport and ended up at Lilydale Falls Camp for the night. We didn’t see any Platypus but had a lovely swim at the falls and enjoyed the walk through the forest.
We had a chat with a local who stays at this camp quite often. He was picking berries and the kids enjoyed helping him.
What we didn’t know nor expect, was that the locals have a communal fire every night. The spot for it was right in front of our camp. Well, what do you do? We joined them and had a great evening yarning (Australian slang for chatting).
The next day we got into Launceston. We spent a considerable amount of time trying to find a camp spot. In the afternoon we caught up with another mate of my partner for a BBQ. It was a great evening catching up and getting to know her family.
The next stop will be Mathinna, a small town in the middle of nowhere where friends are building a new home …
Such beautiful interesting places in Tassie. I like watching the echidna. cheers Dee and Tom