Frommer's Australia from $50 a Day 13th Edition - To Parent Directory

entrance to the Port Arthur site, the ghost tour, and breakfast for A$103 (US$67)
per person. The restaurant here, called the Commandants Table, is open nightly
for dinner (to people not staying here, too). Mains cost A$15 to A$22 (US$9.75–
US$14).
Port Arthur Historic Site, Arthur Hwy., Port Arthur, TAS 7182. & 1800/030 747 in Australia, or 03/6250 2101.
Fax 03/6250 2417. www.portarthur-inn.com.au. 35 units. A$99 (US$72) double. Extra person A$15 (US$9.75).
Children 11 and under stay free in parent’s room. AE, DC, MC, V. Free parking. Bus: Hobart Coaches run from
Hobart on weekdays. Amenities: Restaurant; kids’ playground; coin-op laundry. In room: TV, coffeemaker, iron.
3 Freycinet National Park
FREYCINET NATIONAL PARK 619
206km (128miles) NE of Hobart; 214km (133 miles) SW of Launceston
If you only have time to visit one place in Tasmania, make sure it’s Freycinet
National Park. The Freycinet Peninsula hangs down off the eastern coast of Tasmania.
It’s a place of craggy pink granite peaks, spectacular white beaches, wetlands,
heathlands, coastal dunes, and dry eucalyptus forests. This is the place to
come to spot sea eagles, wallabies, seals, pods of dolphins, and humpback and
southern right whales during their migration to and from the warmer waters of
northern New South Wales from May through August. The township of Coles
Bay is the main staging post, and there are many bushwalks in the area. The
Moulting Lagoon Game Reserve—an important breeding ground for black
swans and wild ducks—is signposted along the highway into Coles Bay from
Bicheno. Some 10,000 black swans inhabit the lake, so it’s very rare not to see
them. Six kilometers (3 3 ⁄4 miles) outside town and inside the national park is the
Cape Tourville Lighthouse, with extensive views north and south along the
coast and across several of the small islands in the Tasman Ocean.
The spectacular Wineglass Bay , named as one of the world’s top 10
beaches by Outside magazine, is a lovely spot for a walk.
ESSENTIALS
GETTING THERE Tasmanian Redline Coaches (& 03/6336 1446) runs
between Launceston (112 George St.) Monday through Friday, and take less than
3 hours. Buses usually leave in the afternoon, but call for details as times change.
From Bicheno catch a local bus run by Bicheno Coach Services (& 03/6257
0293, or 0419/570 293). Tickets cost A$7.50 (US$4.90) each way. Buses meet
every coach from Launceston, but you need to book in advance. There are no
direct buses from Hobart. Tassielink (& 1300/300 520 in Australia, or 03/
6272 6611; www.tigerline.com.au) runs buses from Launceston to Bicheno on
Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday leaving at 8:30am. Tasmanian Tours &
Travel Tigerline (& 1300/653 633 or 03/6272 6611; www.tigerline.com.au)
offers a day trip to Freycinet with an optional walking trip to Wineglass Bay (see
below) from Hobart in summer only, on Friday and Sunday. It costs A$59
(US$38) for adults and A$40 (US$26) for children. Car entry to the park costs
A$10 (US$6.50) per day.
From Hobart it’s about a 3-hour drive to the park.
VISITOR INFORMATION The Visitor Information Centre, on the Tasman
Highway, Bicheno, TAS 7215 (& 03/6375 1333; fax 03/6375 1533), can arrange
tour bookings. Otherwise, the Tasmanian Travel and Information Centre at 80
Elizabeth St. (corner of Davey St.), Hobart, TAS 7000 (& 03/6230 8383) can
supply you with maps and details. Daily entry to the park costs A$9 (US$5.85)
per vehicle.