About Tasmania's East Coast
The east coast of Tasmania, which begins at Cape Portland, at the the north-east corner of the state, features wide sweeping beaches punctuated by headlands of granite, much of which is covered in orange lichen. The crystal clear waters, the ribbons of clear white sandy beaches and the brightly painted rocks that punctuate them, have led to these beaches being ranked internationally among the best in the world.In stark contrast is the hinterland, a mountainous area where once miners extracted tin and gold from the ground, but today farmers plough patchwork quilts of rich dark soil, where bountiful crops grow alongside verdant pasture. But the untamed natural majesty of the region's rugged mountainous terrain is never far away, encircling the farmlands are deeply wooded rainforests where the Whtie Knights, the world's largest eucalypts, grow in abundance, rivers flow over waterfalls and wildlife abounds.
Freycinet Peninsula is really as stunningly beautiful as photographs of it suggest. It therefore comes as no surprise that its most wondrous attraction, Wineglass Bay, has been labelled one of the world's top ten beaches. Recognised as one of Tasmania's most iconic destinations, Wineglass Bay is located on the stunning and pure Freycinet Peninsula, an area full of turquoise waters, scenic surrounds and a cool, crisp atmosphere that invigorates the soul. To the Peninsula's south is Maria Island, a unique location where the visitor feels they have left civilization behind and stepped into another world. The whole place is a treat for the senses, and an opportunity to experience something civilisation lost more than a century ago.
Tasman Peninsula, in the region's south, is another extremely scenic part of Tasmania that is dominated by rolling pastures and heavily timbered hills and surrounded by dramatic coastline of sheer cliffs, towering rocky outcrops, sheltered bays and sea caves. Walking tracks and kayaks give access to the area's more isolated corners. And if that isn't enough to entice you to jump on a plane to Tassie and go see it for yourself, there's the added bonus of the peninsula being steeped in Australia's convict history; it contains some of the country's most important convict heritage sites, the jewel in the crown being the Port Athur settlement.