Freycinet NP
First encounter with a local
Cole’s Bay, a small coastal town bordering the Freycinet National Park & perfect getaway was our overnight stop where we camped in the town’s camp ground. Lying beneath the sheer pink granite cliffs known as ‘The Hazards’ and beside the sheltered waters of Oyster Bay, Coles Bay was once the haunt of whalers & tin miners, today an unspoiled fishing town & base to explore the Freycinet National Park.
Wineglass Bay
Tasmania’s east coast is noted for its holiday towns, sheltered ocean beaches, food & wine and magnificent national parks. The region is a paradise for bushwalkers, fishermen & nature lovers with rivers & bays, rainforests & peaceful havens for native animals & birds. Freycinet National Park contains Wineglass Bay, considered as one of world’s most beautiful beaches with its perfect half-moon formation. We walked the National Park for about 5 hours exploring its beaches, rainforest & it was my very first encounter with a wallaby, an amazing creature only found in this part of the world.
Hitchhiking in Tasmania
My last day in Tasmania was a fact. My fellow travellers were heading south to the Tasman Peninsula as for me, I needed to head north towards Launceston to catch a flight to the ‘Mainland’. Bruce, my host from Hobart on my first day in Tassie, organized a bus from Campbell Town to Launceston in the evening. So I decided to hitchhike my way up there but even before I could use my ‘Campbell Town’ sign, Natasha stopped a car while I was unloading the car and asked the girl if she was driving to Campbell Town. And she did, even till Launceston! Amanda was Canadian & worked as an ecologist on Bruny Island in the south of Tasmania. She had to map the bird population in the area but her job came to and end as it was the end of summer. She was driving back to Canberra where she would analyze the data in her office for the next few months.
Didier Van Bellinghen
Backpacking Around The Globe - 2013 