Tourist Guide to Freycinet National Park, Tasmania

Freycinet National Park is the oldest national park in Tasmania. The park consists mostly of mountains of granite, surrounded by white sandy beaches. The park offers a wide variety of wild flowers, birds, and native animals, and the marine animals that frequent the area.

The park occupies a large area of the Freycinet Peninsula. Other than the wide variety of plants and animals abundant in the park, it also offers Wine Glass Bay, voted as one of the best beaches in the world.

How to Get There

Your first destination is either Hobart or Launceston. The park is only a 3-hour drive from either of those locations. If you prefer to take public transport, taxis and busses are also available. Several tour operators also offer services to Freycinet National Park.

The Visitor Centre

The first thing that you’ll want to do upon entering the park is to head to the visitor centre. Much of the information you’ll need to navigate the park safely will be available at the centre. The visitor centre also has a park shop where you’ll be able to buy souvenirs.

Camping

Your next task would be to find a suitable camping ground if you intend to stay at the park for more than a day. You will need to be aware that Freycinet is one of the most visited national parks in Australia. Most of the time, the camping grounds are not able to accommodate the number of visitors.

In order to secure a spot at the camping grounds from 18 December to 10 February, you’ll need to enter the ballot system before August. The draw will commence in August and if you win, you’ll be notified by mail.

Finding camping grounds during the other months of year should not be a problem. Power is available at some of the camping grounds.

Activities

Once you’ve secured your camp site, the next thing to do is start exploring the park. There are a number of walking trails and scenic drives you can take to get familiarized with the location. One of the most visited areas in the park is the Friendly Beaches. The clear blue waters and powder white sand is simply too beautiful to miss.

The activities differ depending on the beach you’re visiting. Snorkeling and diving are great activities at Sleepy Bay. If you’re inexperienced in water activities, you might want to head to Honeymoon Bay which is excellent for beginners.

Walks

Walking is one of the most popular activities at Freycinet National Park. There are short walks that will take under 2 hours in total. Medium walks usually take around 2-4 hours. Long walks will take a minimum of 4 hours and will last up to 8 hours. If you really want to get to know that park better, you might want to join one of the overnight walks. The Freycinet Peninsula Circuit lasts for 3 days or even more, but then you’ll get to really explore every nook and cranny of the park.

Photos of Freycinet National Park