Tasmania Road Trip – White Sand, Shells & Wineglass Bay

Don’t you feel like a discoverer when you find rare and beautiful things out of the blue? My road trip to Tasmania gave me an opportunity to discoverer some of the fascinating gems of nature. My top favorite being the Bioluminiscent alage that I found in Hobart. This post is all about finding beaches and hike to Wineglass Bay Lookout Tasmania.

Wineglass Bay Lookout Tasmania

 

Continuing from Day 1 – Lavender Field and Bay of Fires

Day 2 was all about exploring the neighbouring coastal villages of east coast. Beaches,  waterfront and sand so white and smooth that it felt like flour.

We stopped by Scamander to have a delicious brunch of fish burger, eggs and toast. The sun was blazing hot so we drove further south to find a swimming spot. It was then we saw the sign of Falmouth on the highway and decided to explore the area. The most amusing sign board I saw was of a lodge called Wooly Butt, probably named  so due to  numerous sheep in the farmland. Falmouth is a quaint coastal resort village, which initially I thought had only rows of houses, but when we reached the  end,  a  surprise awaited us.

The whole beach was covered in Shells.  Layers and layers of sea shells.  One can’t even walk  barefoot over it.  That was the spot we decided to go swimming as the water was shallow and the waves didn’t crash into it. I made a video-call to my sister and mom to show my amazing find. I was as excited as the little kid who was body boarding in the water nearby. This was one of the very few places where I found people.  Even though the numbers were only a few. We spent the afternoon here. My husband swam in the ocean,  while I fiddled around the shore.

falmouth tasmania

We decided to hit the bed early as the next day was going to be long and tiring one. We drove back to St Helens, bought Chinese Food as that was the only restaurant that was open and slept even before it started to get dark, which was around 9 pm.

On Day 3 we woke up to a bright sunny morning.  Our amazing motel owner had provided bread and wide range of spreads for breakfast.  We packed, leisurely enjoyed a light breakfast and by 8 am had checked out of the hotel.

There was only one activity I had planned that day – Hike to Wineglass Bay Lookout. My research told me that this was going to be a tough hike due to steep mountain track.

On our way we stopped by numerous unknown beaches, with one common feature – incredibly white sand.

We reached Coles bay by midday. The three peaks afar looked formidable and intriguing. What I didn’t know at that time was I was going to climb one of them.

From Freycinet Visitors’ Center we bought a day pass as it is compulsory to buy pass when you visit the national parks in Tasmania.

After applying enough sunscreen,  we packed few packets of Doritos, a big water bottle,  and made our way towards the popular lookout.

The climb to the lookout was short but steep. I could feel my heart racing within 10 minutes of walk. At one point I even started wondering if I would make it to the top.  But then I saw three elderly women and an old man slowly walking uphill with walking sticks.  They were exhausted and didn’t have mobility like ours.  It was so inspiring just to watch them continue the walk. Well,  that was enough to pump some energy into me. With a resolve to do more cardio in the new year, we carried on and in 30 minutes reached the beautiful lookout point. The group of women burst into laughter and celebration and slapped each other’s back on making it to the lookout.

 View of Coles Bay while walking towards Wineglass Bay Lookout

The shirt was off after few steps. Too hot to handle 🙂

Coles Bay Road Trip Tasmania

The perfect curve and ivory sand looks striking from the lookout. The history of Wineglass Bay is pretty dark as this spot was once a popular spot for hunting whales in 1820s. All the killing and mess made the area look like a red colored stained wineglass. Thankfully, the beauty has restored and no signs of those dark days can be seen.

Wineglass Bay Road Trip Tasmania
Wineglass Bay Lookout Tasmania

From the lookout we saw another track that would take us to the beach.  It was a 1.5 hour return track.  We decided to give it a go and within 30 minutes we reached the bottom. The path was rocky but downhill,  so we did not face much difficulty. Although at one point I started feeling dizzy and had to sit for a while. The weather was extremely humid and hot, and this region receives quite harsh sunlight. It was a good thing that we had applied lots of water resistant sunscreen.

The Bay was absolutely beautiful. The sand so white that all the reflection and brightness was blinding me. We were in the midst of no where,  and in front of us was the sea,  closed on three sides with tall mountains.

I found  a place under shade,  opened a Doritos packet and sat there,  staring into the sea. These are the kind of places where let your mind go blank and absorb the environment. Listen to the waves, the wind rustling through the tress and feel grateful for an opportunity to see this wonder of nature.

Although in my case I was also watching this lovely girl with some serious flexibility skills taking pictures of her friends.  At one point she almost did a split to take a picture.

The walk back was exhausting. It was all uphill, and my heart was ready to jump out of my mouth. I took numerous breaks,  drank water, rested on rocks,  took lots of pictures, and in 1 hour, we made it back to the lookout point.  From there,  the path was downhill till the parking area.  We even spotted a couple of wallabies during our climb.

Afar you can see a portion of the beautiful Wineglass Bay Lookout in Tasmania

From here on,  the trip wasn’t  too adventurous and we drove directly towards our motel in Swansea, which felt like a ghost town as the only people I saw were in the restaurant where we had our dinner.

Our hotel was right next to the sea. Which meant an excellent opportunity to see a sunrise.

Stay tuned for the next adventure.

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Wineglass Bay Lookout Tasmania

Follow my journey – More posts on Tasmania Road Trip

Day 1 – Lavender Fields and Bay of Fires

Day 4 – Tasman Peninsula

Day 5/ Day 6 – The Stunning Tasmanian Landscape (Hobart and Tullah)

32 thoughts on “Tasmania Road Trip – White Sand, Shells & Wineglass Bay

  1. There are so many memorable places in this area. I have never seen a beach covered in shells. That would be cool to see. I think there are some like that in Florida (very far from Cali). The view from the lookouts is great. I am not the best hiker out there but, at my own pace, I know I can reach the top and enjoy the views.

  2. Beautiful. You know it’s funny when I was in Australia, I didn’t have time to make it to Tasmania – but my bags did. The airline accidentally sent them to Hobart instead of Cairns! Anyways, I would love to go back and see it myself. I have pinned for future reference.

  3. So I just followed you in all your social networks FB, twitter, pinterest…. etc.! Hope you can find mine and the time to follow me too! I just love making new friends! I got your email too! Woo Hoo!

    1. Thank you so much … I am so happy to have you here. Please let me know your blog url so that I can visit it too 😊

  4. Being as I’ve never been here before, I was glad to read that your husband was with you & you were not alone. It looks like a wonderful adventure and finding cool things is the greatest! When I was little and we use to take road trips here in the U.S. Dad would find a big unique rock & he would paint the city and state it came from & he’d bring it home to put in his rock garden. Isn’t that a neat hobby? I wish I new what happened to those, but as time goes by and moving and things happening I guess they got lost in the shuffle. Don’t lose your great findings! Some day you can pass them down to your children! Woo Hoo!

  5. Beautiful photos! Tassie is a gem. I so need to go back for a proper tour as the last time I was there, most days were spent on the Overland track, some in Hobart, Port Arthur, Bruny Island and Davenport.

  6. Can I tell you how envious I feel of you that you get to travel to these absolutely gorgeous places in Australia. Loved the pictures. How pure and clean! Loved the beach, shells and the gorgeous blue skies.

  7. Stunning pictures, Rajlakshmi. Someday I wish I can visit Tasmania. Didn’t get a chance last time I was there in Sydney but maybe next time. Until then your posts will have to do:)

  8. Your travel post pics are simply stunning Raj – the one of the seashells is divine. I wish I could have a dekko at it in real life. Hats off to your fitness level for taking up the climb; though the view was well worth it. I have been travelling Oz through your eyes and am so grateful for your terrific posts on all these off the beaten path kinda places that you seem to be finding. Its such bliss to view nature in its pristine self and you do a stunning job of it!!

  9. If you ever decide on coming to Mumbai, and if we ever meet, then, pleaseeeee get for me those shells! I love shells, I used to collect them long ago, but then threw them all away. Now, I have but two, saved from a few years ago. And, the kind of colourful shells I see in these pictures here..my heart went mmmmm!
    I love beaches, too! And, every picture of yours makes me tempted to go find a beach nearby and forget myself in its beauty!
    White sand!!! Another WOW!

  10. I honestly dont think Ive ever seen a beach like that where the whole place is filled with shells so abundantly

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