August 2023 - Freycinet Weekend

Our August getaway weekend, destination Freycinet, was organised by Lyn. We were last here in 2018, when we conquered Mt Amos:  Our Walk a Month: June 2018 - Mt Amos and Wineglass Bay.

We had a few people drop out for various reasons, so in the end our jolly group was Lyn, Di, Kat, Philip, Bob, Fin, Gerwyn and Wayne. The weather forecast was not very promising - cool, with showers.

Day 1 - Friday 

Four carloads headed to Coles Bay. Now with two EVs in the fleet, Di and Kat took turns charging at the rapid charger in Swansea on the way up (and on the way back).  It's a good opportunity to have a coffee or a snack while waiting. Artifakt Cafe and Gallery is our new favourite cafe in Swansea - good food, friendly service and quality artworks to tempt the tourists.

Bob, Lyn, Wayne and Gerwyn were the first arrivals at Freycinet, meeting at Cape Tourville at 2pm.   They had time for a few short walks before checking into our accommodation.  First there was the excellent short walk to the Lighthouse. 

Cape Tourville Lighthouse - Bob

 There are spectacular views up and down the coast. 

Just a short way back along the Cape Tourville Rd is sweet little Sleepy Bay, down quite a few steps to a secluded beach with strange rock formations.

Sleepy Bay

Arriving at our short stay rental, The Loft, we were blown away by the generous living areas and the huge windows framing a great view of The Hazards.

Our first dinner was at the Freycinet Lodge, relaxed eating with a good range of wines and seafood.  

Day 2 - Saturday

We were well prepared for our main walk of the weekend - the Wineglass Bay-Hazards-Beach Loop - which we took clockwise this time.  The track is 11km long, takes about 5 hours. The weather was a nice surprise for us - cool but sunny and clear.  Perfect walking weather!  And it was great not to be in the heavy day tripper traffic of the summer season, we almost had the place to ourselves.

Looking forward to a good day on the trail

Well made tracks

There is a new one way circuit at the world famous Wineglass Bay Lookout, nicely done.

We love this place

Then it was down the 1000 steps to the perfect Wineglass Bay, where Lyn was inspired to take a swim and we saw dolphins at play.   We had our morning snacks as we admired the view and quietly counted our blessings.

Shags on rocks - Bob

Dolphins in the Bay - Kat

Then we headed over the isthmus to Hazards Beach.  The bush here is a haven for birdlife.

Arriving at Hazards Beach - Kat

 

Looking south - Bob

Looking north - Kat

Proper lunch on Hazards Beach - Lyn

Silver Gull, in triplicate - Fin

After 5 hours of walking we were ready to relax and enjoy the wealth of drinks and nibbles we had brought to our holiday house.   Tonight Kat and Lyn coordinated a large group meal.  But we couldn't get the cooktop working!  Someone had activated a childproof lock (we learned later), and we couldn't locate any instructions on how to deal with it.  In the end we called for help from the cottages' support team and a man arrived to fix it in seconds.

The clever cooks had meanwhile managed to salvage our dinner by cooking the lamb, chicken and vegies (and dessert) via the oven and barbecue grill and burner plate.  So we had a terrific meal, with lots of leftovers.  

After dinner Wayne and Gerwyn said their goodbyes as they had to leave the next day.

Day 3 - Sunday

This morning we had our traditional group breakfast - a massive pile of eggs, bacon, mushrooms and toast.    

Then five of us headed off to Friendly Beaches (Fin was on the sick list today).   We did a two car shuffle to get the best value out of the beach walk, walking 3 kilometres from the main parking area to the parking area at the southern end of the public road.

What a beautiful spot

Pacific gulls and Pied Oystercatcher

The view from the lookout

On the way back to Coles Bay, Lyn, Di and Bob dropped into Edge of the Bay resort.  It has great access to the water line and fab views of The Hazards.  An option for a future visit.

Lyn and Di weren't finished, they walked the recently extended shared walk/cycle path from Coles Bay to the Hazards trails hub.   This trail is now 5km long and is a lovely offroad path.  Another option for a future visit - cycle to the walks.

Thanks to Kat for picking us up for the return leg, we were a bit tired by now.

Sunset on The Hazards for our last evening

Then the cooks pulled together a hearty ragout of leftovers and we enjoyed a photo show of our trip and even had a bit of a dance party!

Day 4 - Homewards

The morning offered overcast damp weather, just in time for our departure.  How lucky we had been with the weather for our fab weekend of walks and friendship.  We all set off for the drive homewards or for our next destination.