Blown Away ............ By Freycinet

We had hoped to cruise around Freycinet today but the conditions were too windy, so we called into the National Park Visitor Centre to see what short drives and walks were worth doing. There were enough to make for a very pleasant morning.

The first walk to Oyster Bay is a 5 min easy stroll to the beach from the visitor centre. There are great views of the Hazards:

We then drove further along the peninsula and turned off towards Cape Tourville. We first stopped at Sleepy Bay where you can take a short 10 min return walk to see one end of the bay or keep on going to see more. We went far enough to see the small inlet from above, but decided not to attempt the uneven and steep steps down to the inlet.

Sleepy Bay first lookout:

Sleepy Bay towards the end of the walk:

You absolutely must drive on to Cape Tourville. The road is sealed the whole way, albeit narrow. I had enough room to pull over to let oncoming traffic through in most places, including a smallish tour bus. The road is signposted that it is not suitable for cars towing caravans.

The views over towards Wineglass Bay are magnificent. You don't see the whole of the bay, only a sliver of brilliantly white sand. You would need to climb the more than 600 steps at Wineglass Bay lookout (reached by driving to the end of the road down the peninsula - maps are available at the NP visitor centre).

The walk at Cape Tourville is very easy with well maintained gravel or boardwalk, an easy gradient and no steps.

Cape Tourville view towards Wineglass Bay (tucked away to the left of the furthest red rock bluff):

Close-up:

The lighthouse:

The view in the other direction:

Our last stop for the day was the Friendly Beaches. The turnoff is back along Coles Bay Road, the main road into Coles Bay from the highway. There is about 2k of corrugated gravel to negotiate to get to the first lookout over the Friendly Beaches (taking the left fork in the road) but the view is well worth a bit of rattle and roll. You can even walk down onto the beach - we only could see 4 people on the beach itself.

Yes - the water is really this colour!

We travelled back to Coles Bay for lunch and coffee at Tombolo. I can recommend the thin crust pizza, not overladen with cheese and toppings, just how I like it.