The Freycinet Peninsula is a large

peninsula A peninsula (; ) is a landform that extends from a mainland and is surrounded by water on most, but not all of its borders. A peninsula is also sometimes defined as a piece of land bordered by water on three of its sides. Peninsulas exist on all ...

located on the eastern coast of

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

, Australia. The peninsula is located north of Schouten Island and is contained within the Freycinet National Park. The locality of Freycinet is in the local government area of Glamorgan–Spring Bay in the south-east region of Tasmania. The locality is about north-east of the town of

Swansea Swansea (; cy, Abertawe ) is a coastal city and the second-largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Swansea ( cy, links=no, Dinas a Sir Abertawe). The city is the twenty-fifth largest in ...

Features and location

The peninsula is a large, dramatic land formation carved into Tasmania's eastern coastline. Known for its pink

granite Granite () is a coarse-grained ( phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies unde ...

mountain range, The Hazards, and its sheltered, white sand beaches, the peninsula is the location for Freycinet National Park, the first

national park A national park is a natural park in use for conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individua ...

to be declared in Tasmania, along with Mt Field National Park. Also on the peninsula is the village of Coles Bay, the Friendly Beaches Reserve, and Wineglass and

Honeymoon A honeymoon is a vacation taken by newlyweds immediately after their wedding, to celebrate their marriage. Today, honeymoons are often celebrated in destinations considered exotic or romantic. In a similar context, it may also refer to the phase ...

bays. It covers an area of 65 square kilometres. Two sandpits connect the peninsula to the mainland. It is surrounded by Schouten Passage and Island on its southern tip and Oyster Bay on its western side.

Early history

The "Vanderlyn Island" was the last sighting of Australia by

Abel Tasman Abel Janszoon Tasman (; 160310 October 1659) was a Dutch seafarer, explorer, and merchant, best known for his voyages of 1642 and 1644 in the service of the Dutch East India Company (VOC). He was the first known European explorer to reach New ...

in 1642 before turning east to New Zealand. The first landing by Europeans was by Captain Weatherhead of the transport ship on 27 July 1791. Due to the narrow northern

isthmus An isthmus (; ; ) is a narrow piece of land connecting two larger areas across an expanse of water by which they are otherwise separated. A tombolo is an isthmus that consists of a spit or bar, and a strait is the sea counterpart of an isthmu ...

, Weatherhead and Tasman mistook it for an island. Nicholas Baudin named the peninsula after French explorer

Louis de Freycinet Louis Claude de Saulces de Freycinet (7 August 1779 – 18 August 1841) was a French Navy officer. He circumnavigated the earth, and in 1811 published the first map to show a full outline of the coastline of Australia. Biography He was born at M ...

. Baudin also named Cape Baudin, Cape Faure, Cape Forestier and Thouin Bay, although that bay is now known as Wineglass Bay. Shore-based bay whaling stations operated on the peninsula in the 1820s and 1830s at Wineglass Bay, Refuge Bay, Bryans Beach and Coles Bay.

References

External links

Coles Bay Website
{{East Coast Tasmania , state=autocollapse Climbing areas of Australia Peninsulas of Tasmania Coastline of Tasmania Freycinet National Park Whaling stations in Australia Localities of Glamorgan–Spring Bay Council

Features and location

Early history

See also

References

Further reading

External links