Luke on Cooks Beach

This circuit of Freycinet Peninsula, one of Tasmania’s “Great Bushwalks”, has been on my to do list for a long time. It was originally intended as a long one-day hike, but with my eight-year son Luke showing increasing enthusiasm for hiking and camping it became a two night three day adventure. It’s been many years since I’ve walked with a 20 kilogram pack and the first time Luke’s been on an overnight walk. So this could be a great experience … or the chance to see how effective my emergency beacon is!

We arrived in Launceston the evening before our walk and stayed with a Taswegian friend overnight, so we can make a relatively early start the following day for the 2.5 hour drive to Coles Bay. There’s time for an egg and bacon roll before we hit the track – the last palatable food for the next 48 hours.

Day 1 - Wineglass Bay to Cooks Beach15.3 kilometres, 205 metres climbingAt 11 am we’re on the track from Wineglass Bay car park to Hazards Beach. It’s a slow start, with a friendly wallaby posing for photos at the trackhead. Despite signs saying “don’t feed the wildlife”, this wallaby was very tame and was obviously used to receiving food from tourists. At least it had been fed fruit, and not bread which is bad for them. I was happy it was a friendly one; the

signs along the road to Freycinet were rather ominous and warned of kangaroos that would flip your vehicle with a single paw. It’s not surprising that international visitors are scared of our wildlife!

The first five kilometres were relatively flat, with the track following the coast from the car park to Hazards Beach, said to be named after local whaler, African-American Captain Richard Hazard. It’s pleasant walking, despite being a warm day and carrying a heavy pack, which I’m not used to. There are views out to the west over Promise Bay towards Swansea and the Eastern Tiers.

After about 1.5 hours we’ve almost reached Hazards Beach, and just before we get there we spotted an idyllic bay. Across the (almost warm) turquoise water is Mount Freycinet and Mount Graham, which we will climb tomorrow. Unlike the exposed beach, this spot had plenty of shade and another friendly wallaby. We stopped here for lunch and a swim.

Reluctantly, we left the bay around 2:30 pm, continuing our walk along Hazards Beach. The beach doesn’t disappoint either: we could easily have spent a few hours lingering here, except that we have a campsite to get to.

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Map of the walk

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Descending to Wineglass Bay from Mount Graham

The campsite at the end of the beach was shaded and fairly empty. From here the track followed the coast through low scrub and casuarina trees. While there was some shade, this section of track felt much longer than the four kilometres that it is. We were glad to reach Cooks Beach.

A short walk along Cooks Beach brought us to our camp site. We’ve covered about 15 kilometres, but it has been easy walking. We set up camp a stone’s throw from the ocean, on a small hill just before the entrance to the official campground. There’s water from a tank at Cooks Hut a stroll away, where we chatted to the friendly park volunteers before enjoying a hot chocolate and tea as the sun sets. Apart from my lamentable attempt at cooking sausages on my camp stove, it was a fantastic day.

Day 2 - Cooks Beach, Mount Freycinet, Wineglass Bay15 kilometres, 930 metres climbingWe woke early the next day. To be specific, Luke woke up early and told me I need to get up. I’d have been happy to snooze another couple of hours. We were underway around 7 am, heading back along Cooks Beach to the turn-off up to Mount Freycinet and Mount Graham. Today will be a big day.

From the northern end of Cooks Beach, the track ascends steadily up to and then along the East Freycinet saddle, gaining about 375 metres over 5 kilometres. It’s tough going after a very flat first day and carrying a heavy pack, but we’re walking through dry sclerophyll forest and in shade. It takes us just over two hours to reach the side-track to Mount Freycinet. I felt slightly bad telling Luke that climbing the highest peak in Freycinet National Park is not optional, and we leave our packs at the bottom.

The climb is steep: only 750 metres in distance, but climbing from 375 metres up to the top at 620 metres. There are cairns and orange markers designating the rough track that goes directly up the side of the mountain, with some boulder scrambling at the top. As you approach the summit the views towards Wineglass Bay suggest it’s worth the effort. Luke doesn’t share my opinion. I am currently the Worst Dad in the World.

The view from the top is incredible, although I am not yet forgiven. You can see the main track continuing up over Mount Graham to the north-east. Directly north is a magnificent vista that takes in Hazards Beach and Wineglass Bay, with Hazards Lagoon in the

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