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Mt Parsons at Freycinet, view to Wineglass Bay

Mt Parsons – The Littlest Hazard

Mt Parsons, the littlest Hazard, is a measly 331 metres high, but includes some magnificent views not seen by many visitors to the incredibly popular Freycinet National Park. The climb up gives you great views back to Sleepy Bay and Cape Tourville, and the township of Coles Bay too.

Mt Parsons at Freycinet

The summit of Mt Parsons at Freycinet. Fascinating geology and great views from Wineglass Bay to Sleepy Bay

The walk is not signposted nor is it even on the little map you get from the visitor centre but nevertheless it is a walk worth checking out for the adventurous, with fascinating granite rock formations at the summit.

mt parsons hike at freycinet national park tasmania

This giant boulder is hard to miss!

The walk starts from Sleepy Bay, and the first thing we found as we started the walk was this really nice little Spider Orchid.

Spider Orchid in Freycinet National Park, Tasmania

Spider Orchid in Freycinet National Park, Tasmania

Once you start heading up, the views open up pretty quickly. After a short bit of climbing you get a great panoramic view of Sleepy Bay including views back to Coles Bay.

Panoramic view from Mt Parsons over Sleepy Bay and Cape Tourville

Panoramic view from part way up Mt Parsons over Sleepy Bay and Cape Tourville

There are lots of cairns and the odd bit of tape on a bush here and there, and it seems a few of the cairned trails may be red herrings – or routes used by rock climbers to get to out of the way spots, but if you keep your eye on the prize you’ll find the right cairns to lead you to the summit. You’ll pass more and more fascinating granite formations as you go.

Granite outcrops on the way up Mt Parsons

Granite outcrops on the way up Mt Parsons

 

Mt Parsons hike at Freycinet National Park

Some rock climbers passed us and headed off in this direction somewhere…

 

Mt Parsons hike at Freycinet National Park

Getting higher now and the views keep getting better!

 

Views from the summit to Wineglass Bay and the Freycinet Peninsula

Views from the summit to Wineglass Bay and the Freycinet Peninsula

 

Fascinating geology at the Mt Parsons summit

Fascinating geology at the Mt Parsons summit

While its not a difficult hike it is easy to get distracted by random cairns and we found ourselves doubling back on a few occasions. All up – including photos – it took us 5 hours.

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About Luke

Luke O'Brien runs a stall at Hobart's popular Salamanca Market every Saturday where his prints and cards are available for purchase. Follow Luke's photographic adventures on Twitter at @lukeobrienphoto, at his Facebook page or by subscribing to his email newsletter.

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