TAS - Binalong Bay - Highlights of Tasmania
From: Sandy Guthrie
We had a fantastic 3 week family
holiday in Tasmania recently and had the good fortune of having Tassie
born friends give us some hints on places to go and stay - plus the
advice to take our time...and not try and see everything in one trip.
The highlights of our trip were:
1. The National Park Waldheim cabins at Cradle Mountain.
The cabins are terrific and the beautiful walks and twilight sightings
of native animals were sensational.
2. We also really loved our stay at Loonganna, at the
Mountain Valley wilderness cabins. Here we got to see platypus swimming
in the river and Tassie devils on our verandah at night. You also get
private guided tours of the their own glow worm caves - our children
were ecstatic!
3.Coles Bay and the Freycinet Peninsula was also spectacular.
We rented a house and enjoyed the walks, beaching and the raspberries
at Kates Farm.
The whole island was fabulous...but our absolute
favourite place to stay was at Binalong Bay. Binalong Bay is about 10
mins drive from St Helens,( on the NE coast ) which is Tasmania's 2nd
biggest fishing port.
Binalong Bay and the bays to the north have some of the
most amazing beaches and coastline you could imagine. The combination
of dazzling white sand, turquoise water, enormous grey granite boulders
which are ringed by vibrant orange lichen is a smorgasbord of colour to
leave you inspired and energised. There are heaps of beautiful walks
you can do along the coast and although the water is cool - it is very refreshing!
Binalong Bay is apparently where the more well to
do Launceston based families have been holidaying for decades, and it
is amazing to us after being there how so few people from mainland
Australia know about it. There are still lots of old shacks you can
holiday rent...and some newer houses too, but so many people get to St
Helens and go no further, without realising what they are missing just
10 mins down the road.
Everyone seems to have heard about Coles Bay and the
Freycinet Peninsula but Binalong Bay is much more accessible (Did you
know the return walk to Wineglass Bay takes about 2 1/2 hours). St
Helens also has some good restaurants, a cinema, and lots of shops etc,
so you don't have to be totally self catering if you don't want to. You
can also take fishing and diving tours there.
Whatever you do, get to Tassie...it is a great place
to holiday....but if you are going to the East Coast...stay at Binlaong
Bay. You could easily stay a couple of weeks and still leave not having
seen all the local attractions!
Sandy Guthrie
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