Tassie - East Coast - Bicheno and Freycinet Peninsula

Leaving the old world charm of Richmond behind, after one last coffee at our favourite spot of course, we headed for Tasmania's iconic East Coast. Here are the world famous wilderness areas of the Freycinet Peninsula and the Bay of Fires. The scenery is spectacular.


We reach the coast at the small seaside village of Orford. Just up the road is the larger (but still small) town of Triabunna. These are mostly fishing and holiday destinations, as well as being the departure point for the Maria Island National Park. This island holds a large place in Tasmania's convict past, as it its first role in western society was as a penal settlement. These days it is reserved for nature walks, cycling and camping. You can even spend the night in a convict cell, similar in size to a phone booth lying on its side!!! We opted for a little more comfort.


Further up the coast we took our lunch stop at a lovely seafood cafe in the township of Swansea. This looked like a very nice town, with a strong fishing and seafood emphasis. Maybe come back and spend time later, if we have any left with so much to see.


A little further, and we reach our next home for a few days, Bicheno. The Bicheno East Coast Holiday Park is very nice. Right in town, means we can walk to everything, and the little town has a nice feel about it. It is a real seaside holiday place, with just enough shops and attractions to keep you satisfied. Some really nice cafes, a gourmet butcher & seafood shop, and a great bakery. We really liked it. This would be our last port of call with Lynne & Paul. Hard to believe that the three weeks was almost over. Still there was lots to do before they headed home.

John, Carol & Rastas on the
Wineglass Bay Cruise

First priority was Coles Bay and the magnificent Freycinet Peninsula, and yes, a visit to the iconic Wineglass Bay. We booked on board Wineglass Bay Cruises, and on a sunny but cool day, together with about 30 other travellers, headed out across the wide expanses of Great Oyster Bay. On board is Rastas the dolphin spotting dog. His antics were worth the price of the cruise! Every time someone said dolphin, he would race to that part of the boat and peer out across the water, ready to bark at the first sighting. Sadly it never came.The backdrop of the Hazards Mountains and that sparkling turquoise water is amazing. There is bird life everywhere. Eagles, Falcons, Albatross, Mutton birds, and countless gulls and terns, even a few shy penguins. We stop at a number of spots of historical significance, and then head out through Schouten Passage and the open sea.

The cliffs at Coles Bay

The cliffs along the coast are a different colour to those we saw further south near Bruny Island, but nonetheless spectacular. We get in real close in the Noosa Cat vessel, to see the caves and cuttings made by 1000's of years of water torture. We continue along the coast and enter Wineglass Bay. The white sand, the colour and the clarity of the water, immediately hit you. It is easy to understand why it is rated one of the most beautiful beaches in the world, and as it is only accessible by sea or a 3 hour hike, you get a lot of beach to yourself! We anchor in a quiet corner of the bay and enjoy some great Tassie cheese, a glass of Tassie Sparkling, and the skipper shucks some fresh local oysters to try. Not a bad life really!! Rastas is banned to the rear transom of the boat, where like the well trained fella he is, he sits quietly, thus avoiding the temptation of 30 plus people feeding him leftovers!! What a great day we had. However, the skipper did knock the romantic notion off the scene when he told us how Wineglass Bay was named. It used to be a whaling station, and when they were very successful and and the poor unfortunate victims were being slaughtered, all the blood washed into the bay, turning the waters red. From the mountains above, the bay resembled a glass of claret!!!

John & Carol with that iconic view.

After the cruise, Carol & John decided we just had to do the climb up to the lookout, to get to see the iconic view. We huffed and puffed (mostly John) our way up the hill, and the 300 steps, to the lookout. The return trip was about 2 hours, but so worth it. The view, on a perfect day, was amazing.


We did the sights around Bicheno. We were getting some mixed weather. We had some lovely days, then the temperature got up to 38C, followed by sea fog and then the freeze returned. The coastline is beautiful, but the water temperature is too cold for us to swim. Paul did take Harley for a swim at Binalong Bay. He told us the water was fine, but given that his body colour resembled a smurf, we didn't believe him!! We drove out to St.Marys, via Elephant Pass, home to the famous Pancake Cafe. We stopped and sampled the fare, which was excellent. They come sweet and savoury, and are the biggest pancakes we have ever seen! We were really glad we didn't have the caravan in tow. Elephant Pass didn't look like a regular caravan route! We also stopped in at St.Helens and Binalong Bay, the gateway to the Bay of Fires, but more about that later, as we stayed here for a few days after Lynne & Paul headed back.

Break up party in Bicheno

Last night in Bicheno, we opted for a break up party at the caravan park, so out came the Weber, and with help from the gourmet butcher and Carol, a sumptuous feast of roast shoulder of lamb was enjoyed by all. Sadly, the next day Lynne, Paul and Harley were all packed up, and the camper trailer headed out of Bicheno, headed for Devonport and the return voyage to the mainland.

John & Carol near Bluestone Beach.

We liked Bicheno, and decided to stay an extra few days. We also had another fun day planned. John had been given a voucher by his family for his 60th birthday, and the plan was to do something a bit different. A quad bike tour through Coles Bay National Park. www.all4adventure.com.au gave us 4 hours of adrenaline filled fun. Turned out we were the only two on the tour, so we got a personal tour with our guide Ben! After a short bit of training we headed out into the park, along the fire trails. What a day we had. We bounced and twisted and bumped our way along, through creek washouts, over tree roots and rough tracks on the way to the beautiful Friendly Beaches for morning tea. All that white sand and blue water. Then up to the cliff tops near Cape Tourville lighthouse, for fantastic views of the rugged coast, and on to Bluestone Beach for lunch. All places you can only reach by hiking or biking. Ben was a fantastic guide. We would recommend this tour to anyone of almost any age.


For our last night in Bicheno, we enjoyed a lovely meal at Pasini's Pizza Bar and Cafe. Fantastic pizza washed down by a lovely Spring Vale Pinot Noir, from the winery just down the road. The Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris or Pinot Grigio here in Tassie are fantastic. We haven't had a bad one yet! A bit pricey, but excellent.


Next stop is St. Helens and the Bay of Fires, just 60 kms up the road.