hikespeak

Portuguese Bend Reserve is a 399-acre park on Palos Verdes Peninsula with an elaborate network of trails covering beautiful ocean-facing hillsides, canyons, and ridges. With so many trails, several hikes in the park are possible, including the 5.15-mile trek described here, made up of two loops. For something shorter, skip the lower loop for a 3-mile round trip hike with 575 feet of elevation change (the longer double-loop has 975 feet of elevation change). ...Read more.

If you think being a prisoner at a Tasmanian penal colony sounds bad, add coal mining to that prison sentence and you get something truly awful. Such was the case in the 1830s and 40s when, just after the famous Port Arthur Penal Colony was established, convict laborers were sent to another part of the Tasman Peninsula to work in coal mines (and you can imagine that working conditions in the mines were not a top priority). ...Read more.

With some of the tallest sea cliffs in Australia, Cape Raoul is a daunting promontory jutting south from the Tasman Peninsula. While it is listed as one of Tasmania's 60 Great Short Walks, this hike is longer and harder than other tracks on that list at 12 to 14 kilometers (7.45 to 8.7 miles) round trip. The out and back bushwalk follows a track through wild vegetation in Tasman National Park, first ascending 200 meters (655 feet) and then descending 240 meters (790 feet) to reach Cape Raoul. ...Read more.

The Tasman Peninsula extends into the Tasman Sea in the southeast corner of Tasmania. While the peninsula was once used as a penitentiary, a visit to the peninsula's impressive coastline today will feel like anything but prison. Just south of the narrow isthmus at Eaglehawk Neck, the east coast of the peninsula has several easy-to-reach wonders, including Tasmans Arch and Devils Kitchen (as well as nearby Fossil Bay Lookout and the Blowhole). ...Read more.

The Tasman Peninsula extends into the Tasman Sea in the southeast corner of Tasmania. While the peninsula was once used as a penitentiary, a visit to the peninsula's impressive coastline today will feel like anything but prison. Just south of the narrow isthmus at Eaglehawk Neck, the east coast of the peninsula has several easy-to-reach wonders, including the Blowhole and Fossil Bay Lookout (as well as nearby Tasmans Arch and Devils Kitchen). ...Read more.

If you're on the lookout for a campground on the Tasmanian coast with grassy plots shaded by eucalyptus trees, don't overlook Lime Bay State Reserve. This off-the-beaten-path campground is located on a remote thumb of the Tasman Peninsula, set in a picturesque bay with light sand beaches framing the campground on both sides. Lime Bay State Reserve Campground Lime Bay State Reserve protects a point at the northwest corner of the Tasman Peninsula in southeast Tasmania. ...Read more.

Wineglass Bay is one of the top-rate beaches in Australia, and a premier destination for hikers in Freycinet National Park. A great way to see Wineglass Bay and the beautiful beach on the opposite side of the peninsula is to hike Wineglass Bay and Hazards Beach Circuit. This loop loop is 11.5 kilometers (7.15 miles) long, or a bit farther if you walk out along the beach at Wineglass Bay and take a pair of side trails to scenic overlooks. ...Read more.

Freycinet National Park's main campground is popular for a reason. Its campsites are spaced out behind an inviting sandy beach in a bay at the top of Freycinet Peninsula's sheltered west coast. Richardsons Beach Campground boast fine bay views and is close to the town of Coles Bay and walking tracks in Freycinet National Park. With both powered and non-powered sites, Richardsons Beach Campground is a great place for tent and campervan camping. ...Read more.

Freycinet National Park preserves a picturesque peninsula on Tasmania's east coast. The park's beaches are the pride of Tasmania, and if you've got slightly loftier ambitions, and you can get a great overview of the peninsula from Cape Tourville. An easy 600-meter long trail loops around this promontory on the peninsula's east coast, crossing 100-meter tall granite bluffs to reach the Cape Tourville Lighthouse, a naval beacon on the point. ...Read more.

Visit long stretches of light sand running along the pristine east coast of Tasmania north of the Freycinet Peninsula. The trail to Friendly Beaches is listed as one of Tasmania's 60 Great Short Walks, and it takes little effort to get from the car park to the beach. A 10-meter long boardwalk leads to an overlook behind the beach and another 10 meters of steps take you down to the sand. ...Read more.