Innate beauty…

The innate beauty of Tasmania was on full display during our road trip around this magnificent little island.

As I wrote in my recent essay “Tassie Adventures” this little island paradise is both beautiful and quiet.  In fact, the perfect place for a getaway.

After our adventure to Cradle Mountain we came back to Launceston to spend time with my family on Boxing day which was as you can imagine a real treat!

Tasmania’s innate beauty is a mix of rugged countryside interspersed by small towns, rolling farmland, and towering mountain backdrops.

After a significant drive up the coast from Hobart our next stop was Freycinet National Park on Tasmania’s east coast.

We purchased our Park pass from the ranger station and made our way the few kilometers to the parking area.  Although busy we easily found a parking spot and began our hike up to the lookout.

The sign at the trailhead noted that it was a 1.5 hour round trip.  There were sections of the path that were steep but given that it was on a wide path not too difficult to navigate, especially once you got your second wind.

I can see why this is one of the most photographed locations in all of Tasmania.

The view from the lookout overlooking Wineglass Bay was absolutely spectacular!

After taking more than 50 photos from all over the lookout we headed back down, only to discover wallabies on the track munching away and not giving one hoot about us wandering by.

So cool!

We had booked our accommodations well in advance of our trip given that it was over the Christmas / New Year period and often fully booked.

This enabled us to make some great and varied choices in terms of places to stay.

After our National Park adventure, we continued up the coast to an area called the Chain of Lagoons.  This colourful region is home to Little Beach Co Glamping.

We decided on a villa overlooking the ocean with all of the amenities (except mobile or Wi-Fi access) rather than a tent.  Although some might consider this an imposition, it was actually nice to be untethered even if only for a night.

The other thing about the remoteness of the east coast of Tasmania is to make sure you check before you go if they have places to eat or buy food.

We bought some meals that we could heat up at a town an hour south of where we stayed as this was the closest place to buy food.

We spent a fitful night (with wine) overlooking the ocean – such innate beauty!

The next morning, we continued north along the coast to a town some 45 minutes away get coffee and something to eat before heading overland to our next destination.

When I say overland, I mean overland along bumpy, narrow, and winding dirt roads.  This is arguably some of Tasmania’s most remote areas (yes, still without cell reception).

Once we were back on paved roads, we headed for our next stopover north to the coast.

Tasmania is Australia’s second oldest colony and as such has an extensive history beginning in the 1790’s onward so it made sense to book into a unique place during our stay.

The Low Head Pilot station is located at the mouth of the Tamar River entrance where it meets Bass Strait (the body of water between the Australian mainland and the Tasmania.

The Tamar River was a main thoroughfare for trade from the early 1800’s onwards, and there for on the head there are a handful of houses that served as the quarters for the pilots and their families.

The place we stayed in was built in 1823 so an astounding 200 years ago…

Although a little draughty it had a lot of character and was definitely worth the stay.

That night I had booked us in for the Low Head Penguin tour.   We met the group up near the lighthouse and proceeded down to the beach via the Penguin rookery at dark.

Each night these cute little animals make their way up from a day of fishing and hunting along the north coast to where their little chicks are ensconced within the rookery and waddle up the beach to feed them.

This was a very cool experience and one I would highly recommend to anyone visiting.

For our final night we continued along the north coast to Turner’s Beach which is an area between Devonport and Ulverstone along on the coast.

We decided to splurge and stayed at our most luxurious accommodation during our trip to Tasmania – Amare Beachside Luxury.

As a side note, the actual town of Penguin is only a 15-minute drive west and the home of another of Tasmania’s many penguin rookeries.

In all, out trip to Tasmania was incredible for its innate beauty and friendly locals.  If you’re planning to visit Australia it’s well worth this island paradise.

Until next week

Ciao!