Last time we were in Tasmania, we did the walk in Freycinet National Park to Wineglass Bay Lookout, and we remember it as being quite strenuous. This time we decided to take the easy way out and booked ourselves the Wineglass Bay Cruise. We even decided to do it in comfort and booked the sky lounge, where we were treated to morning tea, all beverages, a Tasmanian Ploughman's lunch and local seafood.
As the cruise was a 9:30 start from Coles Bay, it was a reasonably early start from Bicheno - toastand a coffee from the Bakery next door, to drivethe 40km south to "not miss the boat", so to speak.
Called into a tourist information board on the outskirts of town, which provided plenty of information on the Freycinet Peninsula and arrived, along with lots of other people, in plenty of time to board the Schouten Passage II.
This boat is much larger than the Spirit of Maria we were on a few days ago, and can accommodate 150 passengers. And we don't like crowds!! Fortunately, the Sky Lounge was restricted to 30, so it all turned out just fine.
Coles Bay certainly is a very picturesque spot, sitting beneath the pink-granite peaks of the Hazards Range and overlooking serene Great Oyster Bay. The Hazards are composed of five main peaks: Mount Dove (485m), Mount Amos (454m), Mount Mayson (415m), Mount Baudin (413m) and Mount Parsons (313m)
Before heading south along the Freycinet Peninsula, we crossed the bay to pick up more passengers from Freycinet Lodge. Nothing startling about that, apart from the sea eagle that was keeping an eye on proceedings. We headed further south to Schouten Passage, a corridor between the peninsula and Schouten Island. Discovered a few fur seals on our way.
Also checked out Bryans Beach, which our Captain, Noah, claimed as being better than Wineglass Bay. We were inclined to agree as, for starters, it was deserted and the colour of the sand and water was pretty amazing - on par with Wineglass Bay, we were later to discover. As we travel along, Noah kept the commentary up on what there was to be seen (spotting things like eagles' nests). The bridge (if that is what you call it) was at the front of the Skylounge, so we did a fair bit of hanging about in it for the best views.
From Schouten Passage, we headed into the Tasman Sea and then north along the peninsula towards our destination, Wineglass Bay. For a while, we had a pod of Dolphins keeping up with us. Unlike the Bottle-Nosed Dolphins from the other day, these were Common Dolphins, by name, but in reality, there was nothing common about them. Such beautiful creatures. We also had an albertross checking us out for a while.
We arrived in Wineglass Bay, dropped anchor, and had lunch, a pretty fancy gourmet, Ploughman’s-style lunch featuring smoked salmon, assorted smoked meats, local cheeses, fresh salads, served with our choice of local wines and artisan beers. Tasmanian oysters were also available for those who wished to partake.
There's no doubt that Wineglass Bay is a beautiful spot. Quite a few others obviously think so too, as there are quite a few craft anchored in the bay.
Back to Coles Bay, meeting up with the Dolphin Pod along the way. Certainly a different way to see Wineglass Bay and a most enjoyable day.
Back 'home' to The Hub, calling in to the Lobster Shack on the way - fish and chips for dinner.
