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4
Introductory to Moderate

Traveller Rating

 

Activities
  • 4 days walking
Accommodation
  • 3 nights Lodge accommodation
Meals
  • 3 Dinners
  • 4 Lunches
  • 3 Breakfasts

4 Days

View Inclusions
Trip Code: FEW

Trip highlights

  • Freycinet Experience Walk is a trip of the Great Walks of Tasmania
  • Walking the entire length of the Freycinet Peninsula
  • Stay at the secluded and comfortable Friendly Beaches lodge
  • Panoramic views from the top of Mt Graham

The inspiring four-day journey along the Freycinet Peninsula on Tasmania's east coast combines exciting coastal and mountain walking during the day with comfortable accommodations each evening. The walk will take you along deserted beaches, up pink granite monoliths and through the heart of the rich native heath lands of the Freycinet National park, including the iconic Wineglass Bay. Return each evening to the award winning lodge where your hosts will serve you splendid meals and regional wines. You can enjoy a hot shower or bath before sleeping in a comfortable bed after a satisfying day of walking. A true eco-lodge, it has solar power, waterless toilets and rainwater tanks which ensure that it leaves a minimal impact on the environment of this secret place. The walk itself covers between 28 and 40kms depending on which walking option you choose. Regardless of choice, you will travel from the southern tip to the north of the Freycinet Peninsula in a continuous journey and the best part is that because this bushwalk is lodge based, you don't have to carry a heavy back pack. No one except your fellow walkers and the four staff will be at the lodge with you - making it a special place to truly unwind.

Activities:

Itinerary

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MEETING POINT: Reception Area,The Old Woolstore Hotel, 1 Macquarie Street, Hobart between 7:45am - 8:00am sharp. Guides and walkers will be introduced before leaving at 8:30am for the scenic journey from Hobart to Coles Bay, taking in panoramas of the Freycinet Peninsula across Great Oyster Bay. A morning tea break is taken near the historic Spiky Bridge close to Swansea. On arrival at Coles Bay on the Freycinet Peninsula, we board the Naturaliste for a spectacular sea cruise down the western length of the peninsula to Schouten Island, the southernmost part of Freycinet National Park (weather permitting). On the way, keep a lookout for pods of playful dolphins and large Australasian gannets diving for food. After a picnic lunch and swim, choose from a short but steep climb up Bear Hill for expansive views of the Freycinet Peninsula, or fishing for dinner in Schouten Passage with our coxswain. The boat returns to Coles Bay and you are transported to Friendly Beaches Lodge to relax and enjoy a dinner of fresh seafood and fine wine in good company. Walking time: 2hrs | Distance: 3km | Total elevation gain: 200m

Meals:  L,D

Walkers rise with the sun and are transferred from Friendly Beaches Lodge to Coles Bay for another boat trip down the peninsula. There’s a choice of two walks today, weather permitting - the group will be split in two based on your preferred walk: Option 1 - a peaceful walk from Bryan’s Beach through sclerophyll forests and along beaches to the renowned Wineglass Bay. Along the way, encounter unforgettable close-up moments with local birdlife. Option 2 - a more challenging walk from Cook’s Beach to the top of Mt Graham (579m above sea level) , where you'll enjoy wonderful views of The Hazards' dusky pink rock outcrops, before descending to Wineglass Bay via spectacular Quartzite Ridge. The two groups rejoin at Wineglass Bay in the late afternoon, the perfect time for a swim in the bay’s crystalline waters, enjoy a cup of tea and exchange stories about the morning's adventures. Refreshed, we all make the steep climb to the Wineglass Bay Lookout for sublime views, then descend to the waiting vehicle. Back at the lodge, we enjoy refreshing hot showers before drinks and dinner. Coastal Track Walking time: 7hrs | Distance 14km | Total elevation gain: 213m Mt Graham Walking time: 8hrs | Distance 16km | Total elevation gain: 792m

Meals:  B,L,D

After enjoying a hearty breakfast, we transfer by 4WD vehicle to secluded Bluestone Bay. Here there’s time to explore the fascinating geology of White Water Wall before climbing to the Bluestone Bay cliff tops. We walk back to the lodge through pristine bushland following a track used by the Oyster Bay Tribe. Along the way we spot giant Xanthorrea (Grass Trees) and the exceptionally rare flowering Epacris barbata. After a peaceful walk we arrive at the orange lichen-splashed rocks at the beautiful south Friendly Beaches headland. We continue along the dazzling white sands of Friendly Beaches, perhaps celebrating with a dip in the sparkling ocean waters, before we arrive at the lodge where cool drinks and homemade afternoon tea await. End the day savouring a well-deserved meal and then relax with a glass of wine by the roaring fire. Walking time: 6-7hrs | Distance: 14km | Total elevation gain: 205m

Meals:  B,L,D

Rise early and head down to the beach for morning coffee, or sleep in and pretend you never have to leave. After breakfast, there’s a walk along the fossil-rich ridgeline of Mt Mary and a descent to Saltwater Lagoon, where you'll experience the curious honks and calls of countless wild black swans and pelicans in their natural nesting ground. After a delightful brunch at the lodge, take a final stroll along Friendly Beaches to Isaac's Point. Here, we are met by our vehicle for the journey back to Hobart, arriving by 5-5:30pm. Airport drop-offs can be accommodated for flights departing after 6:00pm. Walking time: 3hrs | Distance: 6km | Total elevation gain: 96m

Meals:  B,L

Inclusions

What's included

  • 3 breakfasts, 4 lunches and 3 dinners
  • 3 nights twin share accommodation at Friendly Beaches Lodge - solo travellers will be booked into their own private room at no additional cost
  • 2 professional guides
  • 2 lodge hosts
  • Regional wines
  • Transfers between Hobart and Freycinet
  • Use of a 30L daypack, 1L water bottle, hiking poles, travel towel (for bathing), waterproof jacket, torch and maps
  • National Park passes
  • Boat trips to Schouten Island on day 1 and along the Peninsula on day 2

  • Travel to and from Hobart before and after the trip
  • Accommodation before and after the trip
  • Items of a personal nature - car parking etc
  • Travel insurance

Accommodation

Friendly Beaches Lodge

Friendly Beaches Lodge has a shared dining and living area and two sleeping lodges known as North and South which branch off from the main lodge. North and South have a collection of double and twin rooms to suit everyone’s accommodation needs with 4 x bedrooms in each lodge. You share with a maximum of 5 people. Both sleeping lodges contain a lounge area with fireplace, a shared bathroom with a claw foot bath, a separate shower room and two composting toilets. The lodge is an environmental lodge and is completely ‘off the grid’; solar lighting, rain water and composting toilets help sustain its pristine surrounds. Individual travellers will be booked into their own private room at no additional cost.

Suitability

Introductory to Moderate

4

The Freycinet Experience Walk is an Introductory to Moderate graded walk. It involves walking with a light day pack through lightly undulating country for up to 7 hours a day at a moderate to steady pace. On Day 2 there is a choice between a more challenging walk over Mt Graham or a leisurely coastal route before re-grouping at the end of the day at the spectacular Wineglass Bay. The terrain is varied - both mountain and coastal. To enjoy this tour you will need a reasonable level of fitness. Suggested preparation: We recommend regular exercise 3 times per week (this can be cycling, jogging or walking) in the months leading up to your trip. At least once a week you should walk with a weighted day pack (5kg) for several hours for leg strengthening and aerobic fitness. The best way to train for an active holiday is to simulate the activity you will be undertaking on the trip so we recommend including bush walks and multi-day walking in your preparation.

Frequently Asked Questions

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The Great Walks of Australia are an exclusive collection of the best multi-day walking experiences in Australia. Each walk is an independently owned guided walking experience that enables access to some of Australia’s most iconic landscapes. All of the Great Walks of Australia can be viewed on their website - www.greatwalksofaustralia.com.au

To qualify as a great walk, each walk provides exceptional guided walking experiences in high-value natural areas for small groups. These experiences include outstanding accommodation, food & wine.

Yes, individual travellers will automatically be booked into their own private room at no additional cost.

You only need to carry a day pack containing your water, camera, jumper, rain jacket and any personal items you need during the day. Your day pack will likely weigh around 5kg.

You will be provided with a day pack, hiking poles and a waterproof jacket to use during the trip.

The trip operates between October and April. No matter what time of year you visit, your experience is sure to be memorable.

Spring (October to December) - visit during this time and you’ll enter a wildflower wonderland! Freycinet’s forests are bursting with the sweet honey-like scent of the flowering white Kunzea (Kunzea ambigua). This is also the time to enjoy the last of the striking yellow rock orchids and Mt Graham’s large duck orchids. Humpback whales follow their seasonal migration routes, often with calves in tow. It’s also mating season for echidnas, which means these normally shy creatures are more likely to be spotted trundling about!

Summer (January and February) - average temperatures are in the mid 20s, warmer ocean currents have arrived and the world’s clearest oceans are more inviting than ever. Long sunny days are perfect for swimming, snorkeling and exploring these pristine waters. White-bellied Sea Eagles, Crested Terns and the threatened Hooded Plover can be spotted. It’s also festival time in Tasmania – the ideal opportunity to combine your walking holiday with a range of cultural and culinary events.

Autumn (March to April) - Tasmania’s weather is never more stable than during this time. Water temperatures are still relatively high, so it’s often warm enough to swim. Fishing is also at its best, with abundant salmon and flathead catchable off the boat or beach. Flowering pink wattle, autumn tea trees and rosy hyacinth orchids are all in bloom, while echidnas are active and scarlet robins are regular Lodge visitors.

What can you produce from a kitchen with no electricity or modern appliances? One step through the door of the lodge at day’s end and the delicious wafts from the kitchen tell you the possibilities are plentiful.

This ‘unplugged’, handmade style of cooking is all about the simplicity of quality, Tasmanian produce, with meals inspired by the natural landscape and temperate climate.

It is a condition of booking a tour with us, and your responsibility to ensure that you are adequately insured for the full duration of the tour in respect of illness, injury, pre-existing medical conditions, death, loss of baggage and personal items and cancellation and curtailment. You must provide evidence to TEX that you have obtained personal travel insurance. You must ensure that your personal travel insurance covers all of the activities you expect to participate in.

On Day 1 you will need to make your own way to the meeting point - The Old Woolstore Hotel, 1 Macquarie Street, Hobart - between 7:45-8:00am sharp where you will meet your guides and fellow walkers.

On Day 4 you will be dropped off back in Hobart by 5-5:30pm, with airport drop-off on request (for flights departing after 6:00pm).

The terrain is varied, from mountains to coastal walks. Over 4 days you can choose to walk up to 39km.

There are no charging facilities at the lodge, so we recommend bringing extra batteries or a portable charger / power bank with cable.

There is no mobile or internet access, so your 4-day stay at Friendly Beaches Lodge offers you a rare opportunity to truly escape, relax and rejuvenate.

Trip reviews

Videos

Tasmanian Expeditions presents: The Freycinet Experience Walk

Positive Impact Travel

By joining this trip you are directly supporting positive impact projects in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

We’ve offset the carbon emitted by this trip by purchasing credits that support important projects that address the UN’s seventeen SDGs, like reducing poverty, affordable and clean energy, reducing hunger, clean water and climate action.

Proceeds from this adventure purchase carbon credits through the world’s largest and most awarded carbon project developer, South Pole, which are invested into projects accelerating the transition to renewable energy sources in developing countries.

Supported projects are based on internationally recognised standards and are third-party audited. They entail a series of positive impacts on the ground, which benefit local communities and ecosystems, that are aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.