Mount Amos & Wineglass Bay: Exploring Freycinet National Park

If you’re visiting Tasmania, you are spoilt for choice with hikes you can do. With its rich and vibrant scenery, no one track is the same. But unless you’re here for at least a year, the likelihood is you won’t be able to do them all. One place you absolutely must visit is Freycinet National Park. From peaks to paradise, there are 24 trails that you can do in the Freycinet Peninsula. There’s also some quirky free campsites around if you want to save a few dollars. But if you don’t feel like roughing it, check out more accommodation options here or here to see what’s available.

Freycinet National park is such a popular place to visit, making Wineglass Bay one of Tasmania’s most popular beaches. It is a definite must swim as it is ranked number 44 in the WORLDS best 50 beaches. Only 2 hours from Launceston and 2.5 hours from Hobart, Freycinet National Park is easily accessible to most. If you need to hire a car for your travels from either city be sure to check out here. Otherwise you could join a day tour, which you can find here or here.

We spent 3 days in Freycinet National Park in total. One day we spent hiking and the other we spent lounging around Honeymoon Bay. The third day we travelled to the close town of Bicheno where we found another incredible beach! You can find out more about it here, where we listed our top Tasmanian swimming spots. On our hiking day we did 2 trails: the Mount Amos trail and the Wineglass Bay trail. If you have more time, we would recommend splitting these over two days as it is A LOT of walking. But if you’re up for the challenge, both are achievable in the one day.

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Mount Amos

Mount Amos is 1 of the 5 peaks that make up the Hazards Ranges in the Freycinet Peninsula. These stunning mountains stand over you like rocky giants dominating the landscape. A parks pass is needed to access all national parks in Tasmania. You can purchase a day pass from the automated machines in the Mount Amos carpark. Otherwise if you are going to be visiting multiple parks check out all the parks pass options here. This National Park can be found on the East Coast of Tasmania and here’s everything you need to know about taking on this climb.

Preparing for Mount Amos

Now this trail is no walk in the park – pun intended. It is graded a hard track and has some extreme hazard warnings due to slippery rock surfaces. With only a total distance of 4km the hike takes between 2 – 4 hours to complete. This hike should not be attempted during or just after rain as it will definitely increase the risk of injury. Be prepared for rock scrambling and at certain points walking close to vertically up smooth, flat rocks. Our hearts were in our mouths for large portions of this track as this was our first encounter with this much rock scrambling. We would say having a little experience in rock scrambling would be advantageous. In saying that, we did see children no older than 10 completing this so maybe we are just uncoordinated ourselves. If we can do it, anyone can!

To be prepared for this hike we suggest you definitely wear proper hiking boots as at points it’s nothing but the grip of your shoes and the slabs you’re walking on. Plenty of drinking water is a must as although it is short in length, it is physically demanding. We took 2 litres of water each and they were almost finished by the bottom. It can also get quite cold and windy at the top of the mountain, so a warm jacket is also an essential.

Finding the Walks

To access this walk, park at the Wineglass Bay carpark. This carpark is a 10 minute drive from the nearest town of Coles Bay or 40 minutes from Bicheno. Here there are toilets and a water refill station to get you started. Multiple trails are accessed via this carpark so follow the signs for Mount Amos and you’ll be on your way.

Early Rises

We set off at 6am just in time to catch the sun as it was rising over the mountains in the east. We debated whether to start the hike a couple of hours before to catch the sunrise at the peak, but we’re glad we didn’t as trying to complete the rock scramble in darkness would not have been fun for us. There are markers along the rocks to guide you if the sunrise is something you wish to attempt. But the markers aren’t the easiest to spot and certain parts of the track required us to find holes in the rock to climb up from so definitely wear a head torch if trying this in the dark. We crossed paths with many people who had done it that morning so it is definitely achievable, it just wasn’t something we thought we were ready for as novice rock scramblers.

The first 800 metres takes roughly 15 minutes and lured us into a false sense of security as there is not much in the way of elevation gain. The path leads through the bush at the base of the mountain. Don’t let this fool you as after that point we arrived at a marker warning you of an upcoming rock scramble – and here is where things get interesting.

The Scramble

From here it’s about 1.2 kilometres to the top, with an elevation gain of over 300 metres in that time. From the peak you will be at 454 metres above sea level. Once we began the ascent we were spoilt with gobsmacking views of Coles Bay and the surrounding peninsula. Due to the time we started, the landscape was covered in a beautiful haze and constantly looking back was a welcome distraction from the climb that was before us.

Up, up and up we kept going and the views just kept getting better, but the legs got sorer. It is a consistent uphill battle, scaling rock slabs and finding hand holds can be challenging.

After an hour we had basically finished the hardest part and the incline got less steep as we headed for the summit.

Reaching the Peak

Around 15 minutes later, after one final scramble, we had done it. All that hard work and mild panic attacks had paid off. Luckily the reward is incomprehensible. There isn’t a view like it in the whole of Tasmania. The turquoise water of Wineglass Bay gently crashing into the gold sand standing before Mount Graham and Mount Freycinet.

With a 360° view of the peninsula and its surrounding mountains, we hadn’t seen anything quite like this before. With the deep forest that hugs the coastline and the beaches of Wineglass and Hazards Bay.

Allow yourself plenty of time at the top to stop and really appreciate where you are. Plus as lunch spots go it’s difficult to think of anywhere better to smash back a sandwich and refuel for the equally as sketchy decline.

Descending the Mountain

One thing you forget whilst soaking up the beautiful view is that you still have to go back down. At points this can be just as challenging. Although it is quicker, it is very steep and we could see what we were facing this time around. The sheer cliff edge staring right back at us.

Take your time and don’t be afraid to use all the tools in your arsenal to help you descend, including your behind! Michael spent the vast majority of the way down on his backside and besides from a minor hole in his shorts, came out unscathed.

After scaling back down the kilometre of rock slabs the final stage led us back through the eucalyptus forests towards the car park. This left us with an incredible sense of self-praise that we actually did it. To this day this remains one of our favourite hikes we’ve ever done. Those views we saw will stay etched into our brains forever.

Wineglass Bay

Most normal people would call it a day after scaling a mountain. But not us psychopaths. The vast majority of people who come to Freycinet national park would walk to the main attraction – the Wineglass Bay lookout. It is approximately a 3km loop with a considerable amount of stairs which takes between 1 – 1.5 hours.

However, if you really want to experience something special, then not much gets better than walking down to the actual bay. The total trip takes between 2 – 3 hours and is around 6km in length. This also includes a stop a the Wineglass Bay lookout. The hardest part is the 1000 stairs (literally) you have to tackle to get down to the bay and back. Good thing there’s a beautiful beach at the end to cool down!

Preparing for Wineglass Bay

Once again we would advise proper hiking shoes due to the stairs which can be quite tricky on the poor knees and hiking boots help absorb some of that shock. Utilise the water filling station to top up your bottles if you’re like us and completed Mount Amos beforehand. It’s best to stay hydrated as we definetly worked up a sweat reaching the sandy shores. The final, and most important suggestion we have is take swimmers and a towel. The feeling of the cold, diamond-like water after a hike is unparalleled.

Beginning the Trail

Similar to the Mount Amos track, the walk begins from the car park. All the walks are easily signed, for this one we followed the Wineglass Bay lookout trail. The lookout is the first destination along the walk, with an ascent of approximately 150m. It is an easy almost 3km out and back track to follow but it is a constant incline and there is a few steps to reach the lookout.

The track is well constructed as it weaves you through large granite boulders and into the coastal woodland. Snippets of the coastline can be seen as you wonder up the trail and plenty of stairs.

After a short but steep walk we reached the saddle between Mount Amos and Mount Mayson. This is where the lookout is located and the scenery is luscious. The view of Wineglass Bay looks so tantalising that it almost feels like a betrayal to not walk down to the beach.

Towards the Beach

At this point you can either return back to the car park and this total walk should take around 1 to 1.5 hours. Otherwise you can continue down to Wineglass Bay. As high up as we were looking down at the water, it dawned on us that we would have to get down there, then inevitably make our way back up.

There are 500 steps each way which are hard work. Luckily there is crisp, refreshing water too cool down in once at the bottom. The stairs took us down through the bush and around 45 minutes later to our relief later we emerged from the trees and onto the beach.

It felt like our own little piece of paradise. Although it was somewhat busy, the beach feels isolated from the rest of the world. We jumped straight into the sea and got absorbed in the serenity of it all. Swimming in some of the clearest water we’d ever seen surrounded by mountains. This included looking back up at Mount Amos, the mountain we’d climbed earlier in the day, which was surreal.

There is an extra 25 minute walk to the end of the beach if desired where there isn’t as many people, but we were happy to just put our bags down and get swimming. If you’re fortunate like we were, there are even kangaroos that frequent the beach!

Going Back Up

Despite cooling down and relaxing, that all came undone when we had to climb 500 stairs back up through the bush. The tiredness and perspiration kicked back in and we were sweaty messes in an instant. However 45 minutes passes pretty quickly when ascending the steps and before we knew it we were back by the lookout.

From this point onwards it’s a steady descent back towards the car park. The track forks off so you do not have to return the same way. This gives a change of scenery as you pass more gigantic boulders that towered over you. The track merges back to the main track just before the car park.

To Finish Wineglass Bay

In total we walked about 5km to get to Wineglass Bay and back, taking us around 3 hours to complete, including some time swimming and eating lunch at the beach.

If the walk to the peak of Mount Amos is too much, we whole-heartedly feel this walk is an absolute essential during your time in Tasmania. It is doable by almost anyone and the feelings you are left with when you emerge onto the beach are indescribable. 10/10!

Mount Amos & Wineglass Bay: How To Explore Freycinet National Park