Since we didn’t have internet to do a little research on what we wanted to do with our full day in Tassie we had to just make a choice. We knew before coming here that Freycinet National Park was supposed to be worth a visit but we didn’t have a lot of information about it. Our GPS said it would be a 3 hour drive which sounded like a lot but why not give it a go. We got up early and headed out of Hobart. It was a nice sunny morning with another nice sunrise. The sun comes up about 20 minutes earlier in Hobart than it did in Melbourne.

The drive was filled with a lot of road kill. There were a lot of dead Wallabies. You have to drive slower between dusk and dawn because of the animals. We did see an echidna walking along the road.

We went to the visitor center and got our map and paid the park fee. We also forgot our bug spray so we had to buy another bottle. We also were shocked to learn that to see the bay that we just drove 3 hours to see was going to be a 3 hour hike. You could hike for an hour and half to see the lookout. So not only did we not have our bug spray but we weren’t prepared at all. We didn’t have a backpack or food. Luckily we did bring a large water from the mini fridge in our apartment and 6 little pieces of Cadbury chocolate. There was no turning back though and we set out on the hike.

To the lookout is 600 stairs. There were plenty of older hikers on the trail. They usually wanted us to pass as they were taking their time. Impressive that they were doing the hike at all because it was a pretty hot day. Our plan was to hike to the lookout and then decide if we should hike to the beach. The beach was named one of the top 10 beaches in the world so I wasn’t sure how I would be satisfied not going down to the water. Our decision was made for us when we missed the sign for the lookout. An older couple let us pass and onward we went on missing the sign. We started a steep decline down rocks. We were wondering how all of those people were going to do this hike. It took us awhile to realize we must have taken a wrong turn.

The hike to the beach is a must!!! There are no disappointments when you get on the sand. The sand is like little perfect pebbles and there was a wallaby at the bottom to greet us. I would have stayed down there all day if we would have had some food and more water. The hike back up wasn’t as bad as I thought until I saw a huge snake. Luckily it went off into the forest so I didn’t have to scream. No photos of the snake as I was frozen. There were some crazy people doing the hike down. One was an Aussie on crutches with a huge walking cast on. Maybe he didn’t think the difficult hike was that hard. The photos don’t do this hike justice. The sun was so bright it really washed out the colors. Wine Glass Bay is worth another visit for sure some day (and maybe I will be prepared). Click on the photo to view the slideshow.

Freycinet National Park