Without new experiences, something inside of us sleeps.
The Bay of Fires had been good to us. Too good. We enjoyed perfect weather while unforgettable sunsets just kept getting better every single night. The best of which we experienced on the final night, a perfect au revoir before continuing on down the East Coast.
We’d spent ages this week planning and pinning the best hiking trails, waterfalls and attractions to document on our trip around Tasmania. In terms of hiking, there aren’t too many long trails between St Helens and Freycinet National Park.
However, there were a couple of highlights including Evercreech Falls and the Apsley Gorge Track.
Epic Secluded Campsite at Evercreech Forest
Following unsealed loggers roads, we took a detour from St Helens and headed towards Evercreech Forest. Initially, Evercreech was just going to be a brief visit to check out the waterfall and the famous White Knights, Australia’s tallest white gums.
However, once we arrived, we knew we had to stay at least a night. The entire reserve is a small clearing beside the Evercreech rivulet with man ferns and towering gums on all sides. Best of all, we were completely alone and didn’t see another soul for the entire length of our visit.
There was also no internet connection out here, which meant no distractions and allowed us to appreciate the moment just that little more.
Winding Down in Bicheno
After Evercreech, we completed a short hike in Douglas Apsley National Park before stopping in Bicheno. This place is perfect for van-lifers and Tassie-tourers as it offers all of the facilities you need whilst on the road. This included hot showers, a beach to swim at, dump points, petrol stations, free drinking water, supermarkets and a bakery.
We actually spent a full day just winding down, getting some work done and taking care of all of the inevitable chores that living in a van demands.
The one thing Bicheno doesn’t have is a free camping site. So far on our two weeks around Tasmania, we hadn’t paid for camping once. We built our van to be fully-self contained and off-grid. So naturally, we were going to take advantage of our newfound self-reliance to the fullest.
So, instead of stealth parking in Bicheno, we parked under a bridge just near the start of Coles Bay Road. This wasn’t just a random bridge we found, but a suggested free camping area on the Campermate app.
Freycinet National Park
The next big destination on our list was Freycinet National Park. This is home to Wineglass Bay, perhaps one of Australia’s most iconic beaches. What interested us more though was the epic hiking opportunities on offer.
First off the ranks was Mount Amos, which is arguably the best viewpoint in the area. Unfortunately, though, we had heavy cloud coverage on our first day in Freycinet so we waited until the second day for a sunrise mission to the summit.
We certainly weren’t disappointed with this one. A perfect sunrise morning gave light to spanning views across the peninsula. We made the decision at the summit to commit to a full week exploring Freycinet in attempts to get the most out of this incredible destination.
Escaping the Easter Crowds
After living and working on the road for all these years, we see public holidays differently from most. Long weekends, especially in Australia, means thousands of people are out and about taking advantage of their well-earned days off.
For us, we usually take the time to lay low and dodge the crowds. While we could be out on the trails, our ill-timing in choosing perhaps one of Tasmania’s most popular parks meant that we’d rather just wait out the Easter rush than queue up for mountain views.
So, for the next few days, until Easter’s over, we will be lying low and working on publishing some long-overdue content on this blog.
Next week, we’re planning on tackling our first multi-day hike in Tasmania on the Freycinet Peninsula Circuit which we’re super excited for.
