Cruising Freycinet and the Friendly Beaches

This was our view this morning across Great Oyster Bay towards the Hazards, from "Dunwerkin".

We'd booked a Wineglass Bay cruise to take us around the inaccessible southern and eastern coastline of Freycinet National Park, all the way to Wineglass Bay where we'd walked yesterday.

We were lucky to have such calm and clear conditions - perfect for viewing this pristine coastal environment and the wild life........plenty more cormorants, pelicans..... 

 dozens and dozens of dolphins, playing races with our cruiser.........

 and surfing the wake of the boat - just for our benefit.........

 .......and flocks of albatrosses feeding off schools of fish (probably disturbed by yellow fin tuna - according to our skipper).

As we rounded the southern tip of the peninsula, alongside the rocky granite outcrops of Schouten Island, the swells became more pronounced and the wind intensified.........and we entered Australian fur seal territory..........

.......... before heading into the calm waters at the southern end of Wineglass Bay. 

 and a delicious lunch (and glass of local Riesling) of all Tasmanian products.

The waters of Wineglass Bay are so pristine and translucent that it looks like we are anchored in very shallow water - we're surprised to find out it is actually about 6 metres deep here. It's impossible to imagine the brutal way Wineglass Bay got its name (goes back to its days as a whaling base and has to do with being filled with crimson blood apparently!!!!!!)

The 4 hour cruise has surpassed all our expectations. We anticipated we would see some stunning scenery but the wildlife sightings and the care and attention of the crew were real highlights for us today.

We spent our last afternoon in Freycinet checking out the "Friendly Beaches", about a 25 minute drive NE of Coles Bay.

 I did well to capture this little dancing hooded plover in this shot........

 and I know this is only a seagull......

The pink granite rocks and the silica rich pure white sand of the Friendly Beaches are very photogenic, especially when the vibrant orange lichen covering the rocks plays off the available light. I've learnt from this trip that you only see lichen like this in pristine environments - where algae and fungal growths are in perfect symbiosis. 

We ended off a wonderful day with a glass of Pagan quince cider on Dunwerkin's deck, and a toast to the many wonders of Tasmania!

Wineglass Bay/Hazards Beach walk

We embarked on an 11 klm walk today, starting at Parsons Cove in the beautiful Freycinet National Park. We climbed for a good half hour or so on a very aesthetically pleasing granite paved bush track...

until we reached the remarkable Wineglass Bay lookout, on the saddle between Mt Amos and Mt Mayson.

From the lookout we continued downhill to beautiful Wineglass Bay...one of Tassie's most photographed wild beaches.

We continued walking, turning right from the bay, across the isthmus, towards Hazards Beach.  It was nice flat walking here in amongst sandy scrubland. There's often good birdlife sightings here, but not today....... although I liked these banksia flowers looking their best amongst some charred old tree trunks.

 As we descended to Hazards Beach.........

..........we were struck by the 5 - 6 metre high dune middens circling the beach spilling thousands of years worth of abalone and scallop shell layers wherever the waves and the wind had exposed them. The Aboriginal communities living around here (until they were rounded up and murdered in the colony's early days) must have lived a wonderful life in this bountiful environment.

While Wineglass Bay is especially beautiful from above, Hazards Beach is beautiful at eye level.

Hazards Beach joins another track that follows the coastline around the base of Mt Mayson, continuing for around 6 klms, under beautiful warm sunny skies, until we got back to where we started.

Coles Bay

It's only a two and a half hour drive from Hobart to Coles Bay, even if you follow the winding coast road like we did, through Orford, Triabunna and Swansea. Swansea looked like it had a bit more going for it than the other small settlements and we stopped there for lunch - checking out the picturesque Kate's Berry Farm......... 

.......and the spectacular shoreline of Great Oyster Bay, before finding a wonderful lunch spot where we enjoyed the best seafood chowder you would ever hope to find!

We're staying at "Dunwerkin" at Coles Bay, only 2km or so from the entry to the beautiful Freycinet National Park.  The house overlooks the beautiful Coles Bay, which is fringed by the spectacular "Hazards".

This is part of the amazing view from the front terrace and living room.......

 We went for a windswept walk late this afternoon further around this beautiful bay.