Isolation, Dolphins, Hiking and Natural Beauty come together at Wineglass Bay, Tasmania


Tasmania

One of the most picturesque locations in the state of Tasmania without a doubt is Wineglass Bay and the wider Freycinet National Park on the east coast of the island state. Close by the township of Coles Bay, Wineglass Bay has it all for keen hikers or for those who are not so keen and want to look at the pristine bay from afar.

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Gaining entry to Tasmanian national parks requires and entry pass to be purchased and this is the first thing you will need to do on arrival into the Freycinet National Park. From the main visitors centre it’s a short drive down to the Wineglass Bay visitors’ car park where hikers sign in and document their intended hike in the area for safety reasons.

The trail to the first main attraction is the lookout to Wineglass Bay that winds its way up the mountain on a very well made track. However even this part requires you to be prepared as the track is quite steep, so bring your hiking shoes and some water.

Upon reaching the Wineglass Bay lookout you gain an impressive perspective of the stunning Freycinet National Park with Wineglass Bay as the main attraction, the surrounding mountain ranges and the narrow stretch of land linking a smaller section of the park with the Tasmanian mainland.

The view of the bay is pristine and you can’t help but be impressed with the soothing calm nature of the region. Even after the exhausting climb to the summit of the lookout you feel refreshed and have a real sense of accomplishment once at the top.

Once at the lookout you have a few options, some people will be content with the lookout and may opt to head back down to the car park and explore other areas of the national park. Others like myself will want to get up close with the bay itself and head down the windy and more rugged track to the beach itself.

If you are opting to go down this path it is an absolute must that you take appropriate footwear, as the track isn’t as user friendly as the track that takes you to the lookout. It is a steady downhill decent and you know you are getting closer to the beach when the track stars to get sandier.

Once you’re on the beach if you haven’t realised already from the lookout you can see why it’s called Wineglass Bay with the almost perfect believe it or not, wine glassed shaped bay. On my visit I was greeted with something extra special, a pod of Dolphins were swimming around the bay and I managed to count at least five going about their business.

During my time on the beach I had my lunch that I brought with me and at the same time was able to film the below short time lapse of Wineglass Bay, even just watching the clouds float past was quite mesmerising.

The walk back up from the beach was the real challenge, from the beach to the lookout the path is quite narrow and rocky and by this time of the day there were more people coming down the track to experience the bay for themselves.

While this is the only activity I undertook within the national park, there are plenty of other walks and activities to do while in the region. To check out more things to see and do you can head over to the Tasmania Parks & Wildlife Service website which will also have up to date information about entrance fees.

While visiting the Freycinet National Park, Coles Bay and Wineglass Bay I was able to stay at the impressive Freycinet Eco Retreat staying in the secluded Saltwater Shack. The isolation includes not having mobile phone reception, Internet or any other guest staying close at all. It’s a great place to take yourself away from it all and off the grid.

You can check out the review of the Freycinet Eco Retreat by clicking HERE, and also check out the video on that post that shows exactly how isolated you are while staying in the Saltwater Shack on the property.


Just your average guy doing his 9 - 5 job as a Senior Payroll Officer by day, writing about his travel adventures and hopefully giving you inspiration and ideas for your next travel adventure here at loneXplorer...

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