Wineglass Bay, regularly on lists of ‘World’s Top 10 Beaches’ was a must see location on our trip to Tasmania. Located in the Freycinet National Park on the east coast of Tasmania this is an area of sugar-white beaches and gin-clear water.
The Wineglass Bay walk is one of the most popular walks in Tasmania. There is a steep climb up to the Wineglass Bay Lookout which gives a super view of the bay and peninsula.
We had decided to drive from Port Arthur to the Freycinet National Park on a day trip. It took us three hours of solid driving. We would then drive to Hobart where we would spend the next three nights.
En-route we passed Pontypool, stopped in Swansea and crossed over the River Wye! Being from South Wales it made us feel very much at home.
Tasmania has reminded us so much of home. It seems to us to be Wales, England and Scotland rolled into one with a bit of Norway thrown in. The scenery is breathtaking. We could easily have spent much longer here.
Just before Swansea we stopped at Kate’s Berry Farm for some amazing berry desserts. We tried the scones, jam and cream, crepes with berries and berry cheesecake. All were delicious. I tasted the best strawberry jam ever…yum!
From here we drove into the Freycinet National Park with its stunning beaches and clear blue sea. Having fuelled ourselves with our berry desserts and a couple of meat pies we started on our way to the Wineglass Bay Lookout. It is a steep climb but perfectly do-able for anyone with a level of fitness. Before we knew it we were looking out over the very picturesque Wineglass Bay. It really is picture postcard perfect, its arc fringed with clear waters and talc white sand.
We would have loved to have walked down to the beach itself but by now we were running out of time. The walk down to the beach adds 1.5 hours to the Lookout walk. For us the walk to the Wineglass Bay Lookout took thirty minutes. We spent about forty minutes at the top, before taking twenty minutes to walk down.
Before leaving the Freycinet National Park we stopped at Honeymoon Bay for a paddle in the sea and a game of frisbee on the beach. The sea is the clearest we’ve encountered on our trip so far! We then stopped at Coles Bay for a cold drink.
There are many walks within the Freycinet National Park of varying lengths. You can climb Mount Amos taking 3-4 hours or the Wineglass Hazards Beach Circuit, an 11km loop taking 4-5 hours. We hope one day to return to Freycinet National Park as we loved it so much. We would plan to spend a few nights here enjoying the stunning scenery and beautiful beaches.
On our drive to Hobart we stopped at the Devil’s Corner Winery and Lookout. Here you can taste their wine or just enjoy the splendid views across to the Freycinet Peninsula.
WHERE WE STAYED
In Port Arthur we stayed at the Port Arthur Villas, located within walking distance of the Historic Site.
In Hobart we stayed at the The Old Woolstore Apartment Hotel, perfectly located just minutes from the waterfront.
