Lodge Review: BIG4 Iluka Freycinet Holiday Park

Posted on November 7, 2014 by Tara

BIG4 Iluka on Freycinet sits opposite Muirs Beach at Coles Bay on the beautiful East Coast of Tasmania. It’s an ideal location from which to explore world renowned Freycinet National Park and Wineglass Bay. The area is rich in stunning natural beauty, great walks and history. Birds are all over the area but by the time we got there we only got a few fly-bys as they headed back to their roosting grounds.

I thought the cabin was great, just a short walk from a small hill where I could see various birds flying past but too far away to identify. Blowing up the photos, I couldn’t see any colour. The cabin can hold up to 4 people in the usual double room and bunk bedded room. You can either cook in the well-equipped kitchen or walk to a cafe nearby.

Freycinet National Park

Posted on November 6, 2014 by Tara

Sticking out into the sea on Tasmania’s mild east coast is the rugged and beautiful Freycinet Peninsula. Freycinet National Park consists of knuckles of granite mountains all but surrounded by azure bays and white sand beaches. The dramatic peaks of the Hazards welcome you as you enter the park. The main town in Freycinet, Coles Bay is easily reached from Hobart or Cradle Mountain. If you are coming from Cradle Mountain, be careful as some of the roads can be dodgy.

Only a small part of Freycinet is accessible by car. This is a walker’s paradise and you will get the most out of a visit by spending several days here and doing some of the walks. Even if you only have one day (as we did), there are still a lot of birds to see in the driveable part of the park and in the Coles Bay area. Details of walks, fees and facilities are on their website.

ACCOMMODATION

Pitch a tent or stay in one of Australia’s greatest luxury resorts – the Saffire, it’s all here in Freycinet! Coles Bay is the closest town to the park entrance. Although Swansea looks close, since there is a strip of water leading into a lagoon Bicheno is actually closer if you can’t get Coles Bay. We stayed at Iluka Holiday Park, review is here. It’s easy to comapre your options on Wotif.

I’ll cover birding highlights on the next post.

Green Rosella (Platycercus caledonicus)

Posted on November 4, 2014 by Tara

The Green Rosella or Tasmanian Rosella (Platycercus caledonicus) is endemic to Tasmania and Bass Strait islands. At 37 cm (14.5 in) long it is the largest species of the rosella genus, Platycercus. Its diet is composed of seeds, fruit, berries and flowers, as well as insects and insect larvae.

Green Rosellas are endemic to Tasmania and are commonly seen throught the island. I saw them best on Bruny Island and Freycinet National Park.

LEARN MORE ABOUT GREEN ROSELLAS

Tasmania Parks & Wildlife

VIDEO

Mike Grant has some nice close up footage on YouTube.

Birding Freycinet National Park

Posted on November 3, 2014 by Tara

Freycinet has a pretty decent bird list which includes Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos, Green Rosellas and Yellow Wattlebirds. Unfortunately most of my photos were out of focus. I got decent shots of the Yellow Wattlebird, some female Superb Fairy-wrens, Green Rosellas in flight.