In this article we tell you the second stage of our roadtrip by van in Tasmania. The first stage led us to discover the Tasman Peninsula, this second day we visited the Freycinet National Park, with its walks, bays, rocks and viewpoints.
The light of an imposing dawn woke us up at 7 in the morning, the clear sky and the mild temperature ... this is going to be a great day! And so it was, we continued along the east coast of Tasmania, visiting magical places and hitting some hike than another, to end in a wonderful campsite meters from a beach in the Bay of Fires area. But we tell you more about all this ...
These are the main data:
- Point: Mayfield Bay
- Final point: Jeanneret Beach Campground
- Total km: 230 km
We picked up early to get on the road as soon as possible, but our stomach has become ill-used and, if we don't have a good morning coffee, we are not a person. So a few kilometers after starting the march we make our first technical stop in Swansea.
Although before, still with flickers in our eyes, we were surprised by the bridge Spiky bridge. And I say we were surprised because we didn't even know about its existence, but we saw a row of vertical stones on our left and we couldn't help wondering what the hell is this bridge that seems to be taken from The Lord of the Rings? It was built by convicts in 1843 (like almost all civil works of that time)
Old Spiky Bridge
The second surprise of the day was not built by convicts and cannot be considered a historical site. It's about the viewpoint inDevil's Corner, which dominates a field of vineyards (here wine is a serious thing) with the coast in the background. But it is not about anyone, like the ones on the sides of the road, this is a black cubic platform through which you can climb several levels and choose which is your best view.
Views from the Devil's Corner viewpoint
But the goal of the day was none other than theFreycinet National Park.It covers most of the peninsula with the same name, and to give you an idea, if Tasmania were a cup, we would be talking about its handle. Here you can spend a day (or several!) Exploring its charms, among which powerful mountains of granite, soft beaches with crystal clear waters and white sand, forests and a rich population of birds.
As in many of the Tasmanian national parks, the entrance fee is $ 24 per car for up to 4 people. To pay you will have to go to the information center and do it at the counter, or at the outside box, although we recommend you to enter and ask for information, they are very old.
The visits we made in the Freycinet National Park were the following:
- First we go toWineglass Bay Lookout, from where you get stunning views over this bay (the most famous in the park) and Coles Bay, in a halfway viewpoint. The route itches upwards, although it is easy, it took us a total of 1h 20 minutes round trip. The trekking can continue towards Wineglass Beach and travel the circuit ofHazards Beach Circuit (4-5 hours), within the 60 best short routes of Tasmania.
- Returning along the road that crosses the national park we stop at the Honeymoon bay, a few meters from the parking lot and with a pretty cool beach embedded in a small rocky bay.
- On the other side of this peninsula we reach the Sleepy bay, although to get here you have to walk a little more and go down some steps (in total about 10 minutes to go down). The prize is not too spectacular so yourself ... you can do as a girl from Hong Kong that we saw stop just 200 meters from arriving, got tired and decided not to go further.
- The next stop was the Cape Tourville Lighthouse, high on a cliff. There is a 15-minute trail that surrounds the lighthouse and with stunning views of the ocean. This is a good place to see whales, although it is not season and we have to settle for a nice wallabi.
- The last visit of the national park was the Friendly Beaches, where if you want you can camp. The sand of this beach is a brutal white and, the most curious thing is that it complains if with the foot skates on it… The talkative sand!
→ For more information about camping options in the national park, other trails, viewpoints, maps, etc. Visit the official website of Freycinet National Park
Views from the Wineglass Bay Lookout
Small Honeymoon Bay
Sleepy bay
Road to the Cape Tourville Lighthouse
Friendly Beaches Beach
One of the coolest places of the day is found in Bicheno. The town is pretty, but it has a place you can't miss: the blowhole, that this, really spits water towards the sky (not like the one of the previous day). Be careful not to get too close to avoid getting soaked from head to toe, as happened to a tourist who wanted to take the picture in the foreground.
Bicheno blowhole
In Saint Helens we take the turnoff towards the Bay of Fires, where there are several free campsites next to the beach. We stay in the Jeanneret Beach Campground and we end the day enjoying a beer (the cheapest of the super, which costs more than 2AUS!) and a blanket watching how the seagulls fish.
Beach next to the Jeanneret Beach Campground
