Freycinet National Park

"Freycinet National Park Travel Information"  

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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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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