One of the most beautiful national parks in Tasmania,
Freycinet peninsula on
the eastern coast of the island has got some great bushwalking tracks
like the peninsula circuit with some lovely views of the Hazards
Mountains, and the white-sand beaches and bright blue waters of Sleepy
Bay and Wineglass Bay.
There is also some interesting geology, and many
species of unique Australian
animals. Here is some
information on the park and its bushwalks, and in the end of the page
is a map.
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A great way to enjoy this
beautiful
national park:
Tasmania Facts: Geology
Tasmanian mountains are often known for dolerite - a
rock not found on
Australian mainland, which is responsible for the distinctive columnar
mountain peaks of Cradle
Mountain and many others in
Tasmania. While the Schouten Island south of the national park consists
of
dolerite, most of Freycinet peninsula is dominated by granite,
which belongs to a huge granite mass that extends to as far as Wilsons
Promontory in Victoria.
Many of the mountains and
sandy beaches are pinkish because one of the components of granite is feldspar, and here it happens to
be a pink mineral
called orthoclase.
Because sand forms by erosion of mountains, younger sands often have a
very similar composition to the mountains close-by.
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Tasmania Devils and Other Unique Australian Animals
Being an island, Tasmania has a few animal species that are different
from the rest of Australia. The most famous Tasmanian animals are Tasmanian
Devils, but in this
national park you can also see a few other interesting species like
Tasmanian Pademelons and many interesting bird species such as
Tasmanian Thornbill, dusky robin, yellow wattlebird and yellow-throated
honeyeater. Other birds and animals in Freycinet include common wombats,
Bennett’s wallabies,
echidnas,
eastern quolls,
common brushtail and
ringtail possums,
yellow-tailed black cockatoos
and swift parrots.
On the cliffs you can see
Australian fur seals,
and off the coast there are
southern right whales
and dolphins.
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Friendly Beaches - Northern Freycinet National Park
Although most people visit southern parts of this national
park, there are many nice short walks around the Friendly Beaches in
the northern end of the park. Cape Tourville lighthouse
is only a 500m walk away from the car park, and this area is also great
for birdwatching: there are little penguins, albatrosses, Australian
Gannetts, cormorants, plovers and many species of petrels on the
beaches or flying above the water.
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Coles Bay, Honeymoon Bay and Sleepy Bay
Further south, there is the small township Coles Bay, and south of it
is Richardsons Beach. Further south is the scheduled Honeymoon Bay with
a beautiful little beach. East of here, on the other side of the narrow
isthmus, is Sleepy Bay – a great place to snorkel and swim.
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Southern Freycinet: Peninsula Circuit
Further south is the park's longest and most popular bushwalk (27km,
2-3 days), which takes you up to Mount Freycinet. It starts at the
Fisheries just south of the Honeymoon Bay and goes first along the
coast around Mount Mayson to Fleurieu Point and Lemana Lookout.
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Hazards Beach and Bryans Beach
From here, the track continues along the 3-km Hazards Beach, in the end
of which there is a camping ground. If you have decided to do the walk
in three days, you can camp here. If you are doing the walk in two
days, keep going along the coast for another 4-ish km to Cooks Hut and
camp there. There is a side-track south to Bryans Beach from this
camping ground, which you can manage on your second day if you’re doing
the walk in three days.
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Mount Freycinet and Mount Graham
Back on Cooks Beach, the long track continues up the mountain range and
this is the only part of the walk that can be a little bit challenging.
You first walk past the 620m Mount Freycinet, and then right past the
top of the 579m Mount Graham. The track goes through some different
vegetation zones of the Freycinet National Park – closer to the coast
you’ll see blue gums and higher up there are silver peppermint gums,
heath and buttongrass.
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Views on Wineglass Bay and the Hazards
There are some great views from the mountain tops over the blue ocean
and Maria
Island south of the Freycinet
National Park. After Mount Graham the walk is mainly downhill and
pretty easy. Along the walk there are some beautiful views of the
Wineglass Bay with The Hazards in the background, and at Wineglass Bay
there is a camping ground.
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End of Freycinet Peninsula Circuit
You don’t need to stay in the Wineglass Bay as the rest of the walk
only takes one hour, but it’s a very nice place with some good views
over the blue ocean. The rest of the walk goes across the Hazards back
to the Fisheries where it started. On the way you have another nice
lookout, and you’ll pass the mountain tops of Mt Amos and Mt Dove.
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Here's a map of Freycinet National Park,
where I have tagged the places that I mentioned on this web page. You
can click on the tags to see what places they are, and double-click
anywhere on the map to zoom it in and see the places closer. Drag the
map to move around, and if you want to see the satellite image with
Google Earth, click on "Sat" in the top right hand corner.
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Dec 67 - Jun 68, returned to NW Cape Dec 68 - Jun 69 Not rated yet Never experienced fishing so good as off the Navy Pier at NW Cape.
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