Freycinet National Park, Tasmania

I had heard good things about Freycinet, but none of them did it justice. I spent about 3.5 days there and was expecting to be trekking for most of it, but in fact the hikes were quite short. There was one day that included quite a long and challenging trek, but for the most part, my time was spent lazily enjoying the scenery.

Freycinet is a National Park situated on a peninsula off the east coast of Tasmania. It is nothing short of spectacular. Unlike the Overland Track, this park needs sunny weather to really show off it's beauty and I was lucky to have sunshine for about three-quarters of my stay there. I arrived at the trail head at around one on Sunday afternoon and hiked for about one and half hours to Hazard beach. Unfortunately, when I arrived it started to cloud over and the winds really picked up. As this was a long weekend, there were a few other campers at the camp site, but it was fairly quiet. The closest tent to mine was occupied by an Australian couple who were doing a sea kayak tour of the park. Their guides were a couple of young men from Vancouver who were doing a work term in Freycinet. I spent some of my evening with them and enjoyed their company. The weather broke a bit later in the day and we were treated to a beautiful sunset. The possums were a bit of a pain that night, and one actually clawed his way into my tent and was attempting to pull my food cache out through the hole he had made, by the time I chased him away with my hiking pole. I repaired the hole with some bandages.

By the morning it was still windy and overcast, so I packed up my tent and moved on to Cook's Beach, an invigorating hour-long "trek" down the coast. I met a few campers on their way out - the long weekend was officially ending. There was one other camper at Cooks' Beach, a German fellow named Tiemo. We were obviously both enjoying our solitude, but had much in common so spent some time together. I did a short (2-hour return) hike over to the south end of the peninsula to Bryan's beach. This was quite a wild beach - lots of fallen trees and debris on the sand. The wind was blowing hard right into the beach and there was nowhere to take shelter, so I didn't stay long. By the time I got back to Cook's Beach, the weather had cleared, and the wind died down. I spent some time sunning on the beach and exploring the little bays to the south. Tiemo and I spent most of the afternoon and early evening sitting on the beach and enjoying the spectacular scenery and generally solving the world's problems. It was a wonderful afternoon.

The next morning was a bit overcast as I set out on my long walk. This trek crossed the peninsula diagonally and took me quite high to get some fabulous views. About two hours into it, the sky had cleared and I had beautiful weather. I unfortunately don't have too many photos from this trek due to stupidity on my part. Based on the estimated walking times, the map and the actual terrain that I was walking through, I was totally lost for the entire day. I wasn't actually lost - the trail was very well marked and there was never any question that I would come out where I wanted to. I just couldn't reconcile the terrain with the map and walking times. I kept looking for the side trails to the two peaks along the way (which, it turns out were not marked) and didn't realize until I was well passed them that I had missed them. Because I kept waiting for these two vantage points to take my photos, and given that I missed them both, I never really took any photos. I think I ate my lunch within about 50 meters of one of them - doh! Anyway, all the views are safely registered in my mind's eye, I just can't share them with you.

I arrived at Wineglass Bay campsite about one hour earlier than my fastest estimate and found the campsite empty. This beach is the jewel in the crown of Freycinet and is so beautiful it makes you ache. It is one of the most romantic places I've ever been, and I have to admit it would have been nice to share it with someone.

The bay can also be accessed directly from the trail head in about an hour (this is the trail I would take out) so most people just come in for the day. I could see a handful of people at the far end of the beach near the trail head. There were a couple of boats anchored in the bay for the night but other than that, the place was empty. I put on my bathing suit and headed for the beach. Within minutes, realizing that there was nobody within view, I had pulled off my top and walked the beach in my bottoms. It was so wonderful to feel the sun on my skin and to have the freedom to be out in the fresh air half naked. I spent the rest of the afternoon just soaking up the sun and the solitude. By late afternoon I had the beach to myself although another couple did show up at about 7:00 to use the campsite. After dinner I sat on the beach and watched it get dark, the stars came out in full force as the last light was leaving the sky. It was a spectacular night.

When I woke the next morning, the other couple were still asleep in their tent and all the boats had left the bay. The beach was mine. I grabbed my towel and went for an early morning skinny dip in the sea. I can't begin to describe the feeling of freedom and serenity. I had a couple of hours to kill before I had to hike out, so after I packed up I put on my iPod and hit the beach. I sang along to Blue Rodeo at the top of my lungs as I twirled and danced in the sand. In that moment my life was perfect, and every demon that had ever plagued me was a million miles away. I came to realize how important these things are to me: feeling the sun on my skin, swimming naked, singing out loud, being 100% myself and having privacy. My house gave all these things to me and I know that I'll never settle in a spot where I can't have them.

I hiked out at the last possible moment and caught the bus back to Hobart (although the temptation was to buy more food and hike back in for a few days!). I am now preparing for my final outdoor adventure of Tasmania. I'll be heading out to Tasman National Park (south east coast) tomorrow for some more hiking. The scenery there will be much more dramatic: high cliffs along the sea and wind-blown bluffs. The trekking will also be much more challenging, which I'm looking forward to. (Getting back in shape after months of laziness has been wonderful.) I'll be back in Hobart late on Monday and fly to Sydney early Tuesday morning. I have to rent a car for this leg of the journey, as there is no public transit to this park. It's a real drag to have to pay for a car to sit in a parking lot for 3 days, but there's just no other way to do it. At least there's no accommodation to pay for out there.

I'll be in touch again on either the 19th or 20th, depending on my schedule.