I had great expectations for Tasmania. Everyone who’s been to or lived there has great things to say about The Apple Isle. Everyone told me I’d love it… and they were right. Everyone said it was beautiful… and they were right. Everyone said the roads were terrible… and they’re obviously not from my hometown.
As I drove out of the Launceston airport, I had some trepidation about what I might encounter ahead, but I needn’t have worried, the multi lane state highway 1 that leads towards Hobart was anything but scary. The distraction here is not narrow roads and crazy drivers, it’s gorgeous scenery that makes you want to stop often and take photos… and when you’re on holiday why not do that?
Destination One was Freycinet National Park, a great spot for hiking, bird watching, and camping. I’d heard about the famous Wineglass Bay and as it had ‘wine’ in the title, I thought it was a must see place. I was right. This is a park that offers something for every type of tourist. If you want to get really involved and stay for a week, trekking all over the place, you can. If you’re short on time and you just want to see something wonderful, you can do that too.
The walk from the information centre to the Wineglass Bay lookout is 30-45 minutes, depending on how often you stop to admire the scenery. It is uphill, but it’s not super strenuous, and you can take your time, you don’t need to race to the top… but when you get there, you’ll be glad you made the effort.
Wineglass Bay is beautiful. You see the calmness of the bay and a white sand beach protected by rugged Tasmanian bush. It’s easy to feel a little like you’ve stumbled across a secret and you can’t help but wonder how this place was found at all, all those years ago.
From here I had a relatively short drive to Swansea to a B&B for the night. It was just on dusk as I was leaving the national park, which is when you need to be particularly vigilant. It’s not the road that’s scary it’s the traffic. That rugged Tasmanian bush houses rugged Tasmanian wildlife, that comes out at dusk. This is when you need your wits about you.
Tasmania lesson number 1: Think about what time you’re driving.
Pania
The Chronicles of Pania 