FREYCINET NATIONAL PARK

Welcome to Freycinet National Park

Headlined by Wineglass Bay but delivering so much more, Freycinet National Park is one of Tasmania’s favourite coastal playgrounds.

The park takes its name from French navigator Louis de Freycinet, a round-the-world explorer who published the first map of Australia in 1811 – including this precious east-coast peninsula. Freycinet National Park was founded in 1916, along with Mount Field further south. Together they’re Tasmania’s two oldest national parks.

Freycinet is studded with dramatic pink granite peaks, secluded bays and white sandy beaches. Blooming wildflowers, abundant native wildlife and whispering stands of casuarina trees keep you company along Freycinet’s web of walking trails, running up and over the peaks. Down at beach level, gin-clear waters beckon for swimming, snorkelling and kayaking. It’s the kind of place where you can spend half a day and still feel reconnected, rewilded and deeply immersed in Tasmania’s natural realm.

The main body of the national park covers Freycinet Peninsula’s southern tip, but it also extends along the peninsula’s east coast, stretching north along the Friendly Beaches, almost to the laid-back fishing town of Bicheno. The holiday hub of Coles Bay sits on the park’s doorstep – with everything you need from cold beer to fish and chips.

Cape Tourville

With windswept coastal views of Freycinet, drive-up access and a well-constructed boardwalk, the easy stroll out onto Cape Tourville makes a terrific introduction to the park – particularly if the Wineglass Bay car park is full to the brim, which happens sometimes in summer.

The elevated, wheelchair-accessible pathway features wide, even surfaces and gently graded slopes. This 20-minute, 600-metre circuit loops you around to the automated Cape Tourville Lighthouse, suspending you out over the edge of sheer cliffs in some sections. Views sweep across the seascape to the pink-granite Hazards peaks, the entrance to Wineglass Bay, and some craggy offshore rocks called the Nuggets.

There are often inquisitive wallabies and pademelons hanging around the Cape Tourville car park, or you might encounter some as you meander along the trail…along with lonesome-sounding gulls and soaring sea eagles.

Meanwhile, down below in the churning ocean, there are whales, seals and dolphins. Migrating whales are regular visitors to Freycinet’s shores. Humpback whales cruise the coast between May and July, heading north to breed in warmer waters; then return south for an Antarctic feed between September and November. Southern right whales navigate the same ocean highway between June and September, turning around for the journey south between September and late October. Other honorary Tasmanian sea mammals include orcas, sperm whales and long-finned pilot whales.

All this activity made Freycinet a fertile hunting and slaughtering ground for whalers in the early 1800s. Wineglass Bay earned its name as much for its shape, as its blood-red waters... Life-size markers along the boardwalk give an idea of just how massive these amazing ocean creatures are.

Back at the car park, say hi to the wallabies and drive on for further Freycinet delights.

Wineglass Bay

If you’ve been to Tasmania– or even if you haven’t – you will have undoubtedly heard about Wineglass Bay. This gorgeous goblet of sand is justifiably famous around the world. Visit and discover a hidden, isolated, anchor-shaped hook of sand with super-fresh surf rolling in from the Tasman Sea, caressing the white sandy shore with a hypnotic ocean rhythm.

Part of the appeal is the effort required to get here. Climb the steep, well-groomed trail to the Wineglass Bay Lookout, nooked into a saddle between the peaks of the Hazards, for the classic photo opportunity. Then, if energy permits, continue down to the beach itself – a sublime, sand-between-the-toes encounter.

Allow at least an hour for the 2.6-kilometre return walk to the lookout – longer if you want to stop at the top to catch your breath in the sea-salty air. Add another hour if you want to continue down to the beach and reward yourself with a rough-and-tumble swim in the surf.

From Wineglass Bay, you can track back the way you came, or cross the isthmus to sheltered Hazards Beach and walk back to the car park via the coast and the casuarina-cloaked Hazards hillsides. Give yourself four or five hours for this 11-kilometre circuit. Time your run with the sunset to catch the last orange rays from the west-facing side of Freycinet.

The highest and most hard-earned Wineglass Bay perspective comes from atop 454-metre Mount Amos, one of the peaks in the Hazards. This climb is steep, at times slippery and requires some serious scrambling near the top. Alternatively, for a less strenuous experience, take a half-day boat trip with Wineglass Bay Cruises, rounding the base of the peninsula and drifting into the bay with playful dolphins keeping you company.

A Wineglass Bay encounter is like a date with coastal royalty, whatever shape it takes.

Friendly Beaches

Of course, Freycinet isn’t just the Wineglass Bay Show – there are plenty of other lovely beaches and bays to explore here. A little to the north, Honeymoon Bay is a firm favourite – a tranquil sunset-facing cove with waterside campsites; while Sleepy Bay faces the open ocean, with some not-so-sleepy waves rolling in.

Further north along the peninsula’s north coast, the Friendly Beaches are an enticing prospect – not just for their name, but for their 10 -kilometres of fine white sand, inviting walks and bird-filled lagoons pooled behind the dunes. When Wineglass Bay gets busy, you can always find a patch of sand here to soak in the serenity with no one else around.

Want to stay a bit longer? There’s free national park camping for tents and vans at Isaac Point on the edge of the Friendly Beaches. Or Freycinet Experience Walk is a great way to explore the area on foot. This four-day, eco-certified guided tour traverses the entire length of the Freycinet Peninsular, sleeping in a sustainably-designed lodge exuding sophisticated simplicity, hidden in the scrub right near the sand.

Getting There

If you’re travelling under your own steam, Freycinet National Park is a 2.5-hour drive ( or 193 kilometres) north-east of Hobart, and a tick over two hours (or 174 kilometres) south-east of Launceston.

The journey up the east coast from Hobart is breezy and sea-salty, with the scents of the ocean filling the air as you pass laidback fishing towns and broad sweeps of sand. From Launceston, the direct route travels through Tasmania’s agricultural northern midlands, then the leafy backroad through the Wye River State Reserve.

Either way, you’ll end up on the Tasman Highway before taking the turn-off to Coles Bay, a 27-kilometre detour – with the Freycinet National Park Visitor Centre a further kilometre beyond the Coles Bay township.

Taxis and Ubers are in short supply along the east coast, but guided bus tours from Hobart or Launceston are another option. Multiple operators run day and multiday tours to Freycinet National Park. On the public transport front, Calow’s Coaches and Tassielink buses also connect Coles Bay with Hobart, and other towns along the east coast.

Accessibility

A parks pass is required for entry to Tasmania’s national parks. Trained dog guides assisting people who are blind or have low vision are permitted in national parks. However, you will need to obtain a permit for them and carry identification with you. To obtain this permit or for enquiries relating to other assistance animals, please phone the Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service or email parkfees@parks.tas.gov.au ahead of your visit.

Note that the walk up to Wineglass Bay Lookout and down to the sand on the other side is steep, with plenty of steps – so it’s not wheelchair-accessible. The Cape Tourville walk, however, is accessible for people using wheelchairs, though some assistance may be required due to the moderate gradient. A TrailRider all-terrain wheelchair is available for hire free of charge at Freycinet National Park for visitors with mobility limitations. Advance bookings are required. For further information please contact the Freycinet Visitor Centre or email freycinet@parks.tas.gov.au.

For those interested in the Freycinet Experience Walk, please contact the operator directly to discuss any special needs you may have, and to determine the suitability of this experience for your individual circumstances.

The Visitor Centre at the entrance of the national park is wheelchair accessible, and there’s a 10-minute, accessible circuit track starting just outside. Adjacent to the visitor centre, the Richardsons Beach Campground offers accessible toilets, and accessible powered and unpowered sites. The nearby Ranger Creek Day Use Area has an accessible toilet and shower block adjacent to the car park.