A Tassie Must-Do: Wineglass Bay
Ever since I found out I was going on this dialogue, I very quickly began my research on Tasmania. Even if I had a spare five minutes here and there at my co-op, I would spend them looking up things to do. Before I knew it, I had already created a list of 8-10 places that I wanted to visit. The list ranged from botanical gardens, to treacherous hikes, to watching the sunrise; however, at the top of the list: Wineglass Bay.
Since it was still our first week in Tassie, the work load for our Fluid Mechanics class was light. This meant that the upcoming weekend would be our only opportunity to go do something that required a larger portion of time. A group of us decided that Wineglass Bay was the journey we wanted to embark on. The next morning, we were on our way to Freycinet National Park, the location of the beautiful bay. Along the way we stopped at different lookout points that had breathtaking views of the sea. The beaches were rich in sand, there was an abundance of sun, and the weather was perfect at 56 degrees. Driving around Tasmania is nothing like how it is in the US. There are no highways packed with 5 lanes of cars going one way, no dividers, and absolutely no traffic. Most of the country roads that we traveled on were right next to the coast, which made for an even better experience. Who wouldn’t want to have a gorgeous view of the Tasman Sea at all times? There was farmland, after farmland, after farmland. Sheep in herds of 100, horses, and cows could be seen everywhere.
After a not so boring two hours of driving, we reached our destination. This first day, we did the smaller hike to reach the lookout point. This hike was short and quick; however, my heavy breathing said the exact opposite. I can’t emphasize this enough, but if you love nature, hiking, or just getting outside, Tasmania is the place for you. The crunch underneath my hiking boots, the noise from the breeze, and the fresh smell was truly something else. After reaching the lookout point, we realized that we wanted more: to feel like we were on top of the world. The only thing that would help us achieve this would be climbing up Mt. Amos. The following morning, we set out to do just that. I can’t even begin to explain how unreal this hike was. The beginning portion of it was a nice, easy trail that didn’t have much incline; however, once we got to the base of the mountain it turned quite treacherous. Sheets of rock at a time, crevices that you could get your foot stuck in, and a lot more heavy breathing is what we ran into. After about 1.5 hours of intense hiking and a few slips, we reached the summit. It felt like I was staring at a green screen. I seriously felt like I was on top of the world. The shape of the beach was that of a perfect wineglass, with the bluest water I had ever seen. Out of all the hiking I have done, this was easily the most surreal view and experience. All around us there was ocean that stretched for miles, beautiful greenery, and the same clean air that I had been breathing since day one here.
Two of the most important things I brought on this small trip were my hiking boots and camera. I highly recommend buying hiking boots because not only were they an investment, but also helped me complete this hike safely. The second item, my Nikon d5100, has been my best friend so far on this trip. It’s hard to capture scenes as our naked eye sees them, but this camera comes pretty close. I have a Tamron lens attached to mine, which can zoom in and out great distances. It is able to capture the brightest reds and yellows during the day, but also the black silhouettes and blue water right before a sunrise. I am grateful that the pictures I took can do at least some justice to the insane things I saw. After only being on this island for a week, I had already crossed off the first item on my Tasmania bucket list, and knew that there was only more to come and be done.
Here’s the view from the top of Mt. Amos, overlooking Wineglass Bay.
