How to get to Wineglass Bay in Tasmania

To get to Wineglass Bay in Tasmania, you either need to go on a cruise or walk from the Freycinet National Park car park.

Wineglass Bay in Tasmania is one of the most visually stunning spots in Australia. Its highly photogenic curve of white sand is the sort of thing that features front and centre in tourist brochures.

Wineglass Bay cruise boat in Wineglass Bay, Tasmania. Photo courtesy of Wineglass Bay Cruises.

Wineglass Bay is just outside the small town of Coles Bay in Eastern Tasmania, 192km north-east of Hobart and 169km south-east of Launceston. That’s not a massive distance by Tasmanian standards. It’s part of the Freycinet National Park, and cannot be accessed by car. So pull your hire car up in the car park at the entrance to the National Park. Then prepare to walk.

How to get to Wineglass Bay Lookout

It’s the lookout over the beach that most will be coming for, and this is a 3km return walk from the car park. It’s along a gravel path, and it is steep in places. The truly unfit might do a bit of puffing and panting, but most should be able to make it.

To get to the beach itself, it’s another half hour or so’s steep descent down the Wineglass Bay Track. Be warned, if you’re planning to swim when you get there, that the water can be a lot colder than it might look. Even in the Tasmanian summer.

Of course, going down to the beach means you’ve got to tackle the steep ascent back up to the lookout. In total, the walk from car park to beach and back should take two-and-a-half to three hours.

How to get to Wineglass Bay: Freycinet National Park cruises

The other, less strenuous option is to visit on a cruise boat instead. Wineglass Bay Cruises offers a four-and-a-half hour cruise around the Freycinet National Park’s waterways. This takes in sea caves, blowholes, waterfalls and hopefully little penguins on the way into Wineglass Bay. Tickets cost from $145.