Since I started telling friends and ex-colleagues I was moving to Tasmania, they kept telling me, ” You will love that island. The nature, the calm, and everything about Tassie is just breathtaking. And make sure to visit Freycinet National Park.” So here I decided I should start working around this area and make the most of Freycinet National Park.
After a couple of months of living, working, and visiting Freycinet National Park, I am here with a full guide that will include everything you need to know.
At the end of this guide, you will be able to make your own plans to visit the area and you won’t regret coming here.
About the park
Known worldwide for its crystal clear turquoise waters and breathtaking views, Freycinet National Park is one of Tasmania’s most popular national parks. Wineglass Bay is one of the most famous beaches in the world, and it will be definitely your first thing to visit once you’re here.
Freycinet National Park is situated on the East coast of Tasmania on the Freycinet Peninsula, founded in 1916, it is Tasmania’s oldest park, together with Mount Field National Park. It covers an area of 169 km2, starting from South of Bicheno and extending throughout the whole Peninsula.
What characterizes Freycinet National Park are the red and pink granite formations, a series of jagged granite peaks in a line (the Hazards), many white sands beaches and bay, a good range of rare and endemic flora and fauna and the tranquillity you can still find in the area.
Getting here
If you are coming to Tasmania from overseas or from the mainland, perhaps you want to consider renting a car here. Tasmania’s public transport is not the best, also they don’t cover most of the areas and you will lose a lot of beauty by not having a car.
If you come from the mainland and want to take your car, camper or other vehicles there are ferries operating from Geelong (Victoria) to Devonport. Expect a 10 or 11-hour trip. The price goes from 90$ to up to 300$ per person, depending on the season and more. Here you can check the availability and book our ferry.
Fly to your destination pick up the car and start your adventure.
Hobart to Freycinet National Park: is 193km and 2h 40 minutes drive on the Tasman Highway. If you want to take your time on the way, there are a few good spots to see you can stop and enjoy.
Launceston to Freycinet National Park: 177km and 2h 10 minutes driving on the Lake Highway and Tasman Highway.
Devonport to Freycinet National Park: if you came with a ferry consider using the same route from Launceston but add an extra 100km to reach the city.
If you choose not to drive bus tours are departing from Hobart and Launceston. These are usually offering a day tour so you won’t have the freedom to wander around the park so much.
When to visit Freycinet National Park
Differently from what you might expect, from my point of view, you can visit Tasmania all year round. Winter is cold of course, but they sure give a special view of the island. Summer is warmer and the skies are clearer.
But what about the Freycinet Peninsula? The best time to be at Freycinet National Park is between November to March. This is the Australian summer month, the temperatures are higher, the sky is blue and there is less wind. Consider December to February to be the busiest period, due to the school holidays, and the peak of the summer season. But do not exclude other months, from September the temperature gets better and the rainy months are over (June, July and August), same is true for April and May.
Where to stay
To stay in Freycinet or its vicinity you have a few options. Even though my favourite will always be camping, I will give you a few options to look at:
Richardsons Beach, Honeymoon Bay, and Ranger Creek offer camping facilities and sites managed by Park Tasmania. If you want to wake up and run into the calm, crystal-clear water, the beach or bay options are yours. There are powered and unpowered sites, and the price starts from $13 per night. Here, you can book your campsite and pay in advance.
If you prefer staying in a hotel or a homestay or similar, the main towns close to the Freycinet National Park are: Coles Bay, Bicheno and Swansea.
Coles Bay is definitely the closest option, making the accommodations’ prices higher. But if your budget is high you have good offers to treat your stay. Freycinet Lodge has eight different options, from one-room cabins, family cabins, premier cabins and Coastal Pavillion. Price starts from 470$ to over 1000$ per night, make your booking here and enjoy the vicinity of the hiking trails and the ocean. If you are looking for very exclusive locations and luxury accommodations Edge of the Bay and Saffire are where you want to be.
Bicheno is a 30-minute drive from the visitor centre of the Park, here you have a vast range of accommodations, various in genres, prices, and styles. Harveys Farm Bicheno is elegant and private; you can rent the whole villa and plan your event here. Bicheno By the Bay offers self-contained holiday cottages with Tasman Sea views. In this little town, there are a high amount of hotels and private accommodations to choose from.
Finally, Swansea, this town is 45 minutes away from Freycinet National Park. Backpacker accommodations are available if you have a low budget and still want to visit the Park. Contrary if you are escaping from the crown and stress some remote, wild, off the grid and luxurious cottages are: Thalia Haven, Piermont Retreat and Swan River Sanctuary
Things to do in Freycinet National Park
Hikes, hikes and hikes.
Even though Freycinet National Park offers many activities, the main ones are hiking and exploring. You can easily spend 4 days here only walking around and camping. Sure once in the Freycinet peninsula you don’t want to miss these walks:
- Wineglass Bay Lookout is the number one place to see once you are here, the walk can be quite busy during the summer months, but if you want to avoid the crown go there early morning or for sunset. From the car park is a 40-minute walk to reach the summit. If you want to spend an extra 1 hour walking go down and walk over the white sand beach and perhaps go for a swim before heading back up. Do you have some more water and energy to keep going, or maybe you just don’t fancy walking up the stairs? Instead of going back up to the lookout, keep going and do the Wineglass Bay and Hazard Beach circuit (11km or 5 hours), reach Hazard Beach and get back to the carpark from there.
- Mount Amos Peak and the breathtaking view from the top. For an even larger landscape view climb Mount Amos and challenge yourself. More than a hike is a climbing experience (scrambling), it is hard as most of the time you will find yourself down on all fours but the reward is a stunning view over Wineglass Bay, the Lagoon, Hazards Beach and the Hazards peaks. DO NOT attend the walk if it’s raining or if it has been raining the day before, the rocks are slippery and it’s very dangerous. Give yourself about 3 hours to do this 4km hike with an elevation gain of about 400m. DO NOT go off track and wear proper hiking shoes.
Kayaking
Do you want to explore the many bays and beaches around Freycinet National Park by sea? Rent a kayak and spend your time on the crystal clear and calm water this wonderful Tasmanian park has. The water is full of wildlife creatures to spot around, some are rays and dolphins. Whales can be seen too, in the right months!
Chilling
If you are here to relax and enjoy your time doing simple things I suggest you to doing it by visiting some of the beaches around here: Honeymoon Bay, Sleeping Bay, Richardson Beach and Friendly Beach. You can reach all of these beaches by car.
Spotting wildlife
Wildlife in Freycinet National Park is vast and sprouting within the Park. Birds, during the mornings, always show up for a concert; although the singing goes on for most of the day. Kookaburra and crows are the biggest lovers of this National Park, but if you are lucky enough you might spot so many rare birds: the White-bellied Sea-Eagle, the Little and the Yellow Wattlebirds, the cute blue Superb Fairywren and other species. Red-necked wallabies and other nocturnal kangaroos, Eastern quolls, Tasmanian Devils, Wombat, Echidna, and many others are abundant in the Peninsula.
When driving in the Freycinet National Park make sure to respect the speed limit, this will preserve the wildlife too. Expect to see animals on the sides of the roads and make sure to take care of them if they are in need. The majority of these mammals are most active at dawn and dusk.
Please always respect the wildlife and their precious spaces, do not go off trucks during your hiking and do not feed the animals.
How many days should I stay in Freycinet National Park?
Are you wondering how many days you should spend in the National Park? It depends, actually. If you are only planning to come here for a quick visit to the most beautiful beach of Tasmania, Wineglass Bay and Honeymoon Bay, 1 day can be enough. But in my honest opinion, I would recommend staying here for at least 2 nights, this way you can get this Park’s vibes and its beauty. Perhaps having time to do Mount Amos, Wineglass Bay and Hazard Beach circuit.
Do you have 5 days? Well, even better in this case. If you have 5 days make sure you pack your camping gear, food, and good shoes and challenge yourself to do the 3-Day Freycinet Peninsula Circuit. 30 kilometres of spectacular views, beaches and quiet time.
If you like 3-4 day hike in breathtaking National Park, I have another unforgettable experience to share with you. One of the best of my life. The wild Thorsborne Trail in Tropical Queensland.
I hope you will enjoy your stay at Freycinet National Park. My experience here was unforgettable and I really wanted to share what I know about this Park so you can have a wonderful time here too.
See ya mate!
