One of the great bushwalks in Tasmania is the three day Freycinet Peninsula circuit walk. Most visitors to Freycinet National Park visit the lookout over Wineglass Bay and some more follow the track all the way to the beach or undertake the steep climb to Mt Amos, but only a few set out on this challenging but very rewarding multi-day hike.

Freycinet Peninsula Circuit – evening on Mt Graham

Our journey began with the masses of easter visitors along the trail to the Wineglass Bay lookout, from which there are magnificent views of the mountains we were soon to traverse. Then there was a quick descent to the beach at Wineglass Bay. From here we said goodbye to the crowds, and made our way to the far end of the beach, where the real walking was to begin. From the campground we started up the eastern slopes of the peninsula through some rather nice eucalypt woodland. As you can see from this panoramic photo of Wineglass Bay and the Freycinet Peninsula, there is a fairly wide plateau between the coast and Mt Graham. It is a fairly steady climb to reach the plateau and then a relatively easy walk across the plateau until the final clamber up Mt Graham. All together we were walking for just under 3 hours from the campground. On top we were rewarded with a nice clear evening and morning, and I was even able to photograph Wineglass Bay by moonlight!

A moonlit Wineglass Bay from Mt Graham

After a macro shoot the following morning we climbed down Mt Graham and on towards Mt Freycinet, the highest point on the Freycinet Peninsula Circuit at 620m. The light was harsh at the top so the photography wasn’t the best but simply sitting and looking was reward enough. The trail then continued to Cooks Beach, and we headed north to stay the night at Hazards Beach.

Coral lichen, Freycinet Peninsula Circuit

Eucalypt woodland near Mt Freycinet

Mt Freycinet summit view to Wineglass Bay

Walking times for the trip were as follows:

Carpark to Wineglass Bay Campground: 1.5 hours

Campground to Mt Graham: 3 hours

Mt Graham to Mt Freycinet Junction: 30 mins

Mt Freycinet summit: 1 hour up, 40 mins down.

Mt Freycinet Junction to Cooks Beach: 3 hours

Cooks Beach to Hazards Beach: 1 hour 10 mins

Hazards Beach to Carpark: 2 hours 40 mins