Wineglass Bay Loop
Freycinet National Park
Directions - Wineglass Bay a popular destination and the signage for Freycinet National Park is easily spotted as you drive along the east coast. To reach the car park for the walk, simply follow Freycinet Drive through Coles Bay to the very end. There is a large car park but on busy days be prepared to park in the overfill bays along the road.
The Hike - After a sensational Bay of Fires Lodge Walk experience we had a couple of days before we were due to depart Tasmania so Hal suggested we find a place outside of the major cities to enjoy before heading down to Hobart. One area I had in mind was Freycinet National Park so twisted everyone's arms into staying in the area. I found a cool AirBnB in Dolphin Sands and after finishing the Bay of Fires we picked up the hire car and drove there in the dark. Seeing the photos online I knew we were right on the beach and the views across to Freycinet were amazing. What I should have checked in much greater detail was the route to Freycinet as I thought you could drive all the way to the end of Dolphin Sands but that was very wrong and we ended up being an hours drive from the park as we had to backtrack and loop around.
Once I realised this it put a snaffoo in my plans to hike Wineglass Bay with everyone and then return around sunset for Mt Amos (we only had the one car). Being Anzac Day it would be dicey whether there would be anything open to provide something else to do for the group other than hiking but in the end Candy and Hal were keen to be back at the AirBnB to watch their beloved Collingwood play Essendon for the traditional Anzac Day game. With that in mind we set off after breakfast to the popular Freycinet National Park ready to tackle the 12km loop that takes in the Instagram famous Wineglass Bay. Unfortunately Caris had started feeling unwell on Day Three of the Bay of Fires and by now was not feeling the greatest. She would troop on, wanting to try and keep up but knowing that she would be quite happy to return to the car and read her book. On the drive out we passed Devil's Corner winery and noted that it was open so vowed to return after the hike to sample a few vinos. Finally reaching the car park for Freycinet we found the main area to be full so had to park in the overflow bays.
I guess being a public holiday and close to Easter that there were a lot of tourists and locals looking to get in a hike. I've heard that Freycinet has been hit hard with wildly increased numbers thanks to social media and it was by far the most people I'd seen on a hike in Tasmania. The trail head contains many information boards detailing the various hiking options in the area ranging from a short walk up to the Coles Bay Lookout to the 12km Wineglass Bay Loop to the three day Freycinet Peninsula Circuit. With many people bustling around the boards we decided to get cracking straight away and began the climb up to the highest point on the track, the Wineglass Bay Lookout. The climb up isn't particularly steep if you're an experienced hiker but given the popularity, there were plenty of non-hikers that were going at their own pace up the paved surface. Caris was trying hard but I could tell that she wouldn't be lasting very long. I stayed with her as we passed lots of boulders and staircases up towards the Coles Bay Lookout.
This first viewing platform overlooks Coles Bay to the north but the limited elevation means that the views aren't super impressive (at least not compared to what it further on). Caris decided at this point that she was done and didn't want to hold us up so with her blessing I handed over the car keys and went on to find Candy and Hal. I found them a little way up the hill leading towards the Wineglass Bay Lookout and we continued up together. All up from the car park it's a 150m vertical ascent and the stairs make it very easy to break this into sections (there are numerous interesting points to stop at if you get tired). Reach the spur trail for the lookout I was excited to clap eyes on this famous bay as the photos of the area always look amazing. There are better views from the top of Mount Amos but that was planned for the afternoon and I was perfectly happy with this view as it lived up to the hype. There was a bit of a crowd gathered at the lookout with most people content to sit back against the cliff face and soak in the views while others positioned themselves for selfies and taking photos of the bay below.
With hazy conditions around for the day the turquoise bay wasn't "popping" as I'd like but the photos still capture the essence of the place and I was happy to see a few sailing boats anchored to provide that postcard element. With our fill of the great views we started heading downhill towards the bay. With most people only doing the Wineglass Bay Lookout return trip, the path leading down to Wineglass Bay Beach was a lot less cluttered. We did see quite a few people with big multi-day packs returning from their three day adventure and it is on my bucket list for the future. The path down is fairly steep in places but the stairs help out a lot so you just have to watch your step and not get distracted by the occasional nice view. Being a bit tighter than the climb up, be aware of others behind you that may be moving a little faster. As we reached the bottom of the hill it started to flatten out and the trees surrounding the trail became bigger and more mature. I got excited as I saw glimpses of the turquoise waters and white sand through the undergrowth. The great thing about Tasmanian beaches are that the forest usually goes right up to the sand so you get this almost tropical looking scene that looks really cool when you are there.