F4
EZ EE
KLMNO
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2010
0 MILES
Coral Sea
AUSTRALIA Melbourne
Indian Ocean
Detail Bass Strait
TASMANIA (AUSTRALIA)
Hobart
Indian Ocean
0 MILES M.K. CANNISTRA/THE WASHINGTON POST 75
Freycinet Nat’l Park
Schouten I.
Tasman Sea
Sydney Canberra
1000
PHOTOS BY NATHAN BORCHELT FOR THE WASHINGTON POST
Left, at Bluestone Bay, the hikers clean their boots before venturing onto Aboriginal land. Above, a curl of seaweed on Friendly Beach.
Tasmania’s sole-cleansing experience tasmania from F1 Jess was a spunky 20-some-
thing Tasi native from the capital city ofHobart. And though it was her first season working with Freycinet ExperienceWalk, a tour operator that runs guided treks along the national park’s back- bone, her enthusiasm for the lo- cale was contagious. Her face bloomed with joy whenever she got excited, which was often, whether it was from finding a blooming bush orchid, preparing for a quick dive into the brisk ocean, or talking rapturously about wombat droppings, which (in case you didn’t know) emerge in nearly perfect cubes and typi- cally are left perched on a rock, as if on display. I'd never heard of Freycinet —
to say nothing of cubic wombat poo—beforemy visit toAustralia. But over the past three days, I’d hiked just under 20 miles with Jess, two other guides and five guests over orange-lichen- stained granite, through dense bush land and across deserted beaches with sand that squeaked underfoot. I’d peered over vertigi- nous cliffs to watch rock climbers tempt gravity,hoppedfrom a fish- ing boat onto a gravel beach and swum in Wineglass Bay, a super- lative-inspiring, U-shaped beach off ice-blue waters with a gentle froth of surf. After each day, we returned to
the lodge for mammoth feasts of locally sourced cuisine, eating by candlelight before retiring in front of the massive fireplace for hours-long conversations and, eventually, a blissful night’s sleep. Jess’s lifelong obsession with Freycinet wasn’t merely justified. It was prescient. That’s the rub about life-list
traveling. It might get you to Machu Picchu and Angkor Wat and the Grand Canyon and all the other must-see hot spots. But en route, you sometimes feel as if you’ve bypassed that mythical road less traveled. Freycinet National Park offers
one such path. The 65-square- mile park — the oldest in Tasma- nia — may be modest compared with Australia’s banner attrac- tions, such as the monolithic Ulu- ru (a.k.a. Ayers Rock) in the Red Center or the Great Barrier Reef lining the country’s eastern coast. But Tasmania has always flown beneath the radar. Even in Aus- tralia, this island just below the mainland’s southeastern tip in- spires the same stereotypes that the uninformed bestow upon Tennessee or West Virginia. But that backwater rep can’t obscure the legion of outdoor adventures available in Australia’s smallest state.
The park itself is an easy 21/2
hours fromHobart. About half an hour into the 76-mile drive, with the road paralleling the rugged coast of Great Oyster Bay, the expanse of the Freycinet Peninsu- la comes into view. When I was there, the park
silhouette stood out in dense re- lief against an overcast sky: two massive knuckles of rock separat- ed by a narrow isthmus of sugary sand. The northernmost section, the Hazards, carved a jagged line across the gray sky, while mounts
Graham and Freycinet—the tall- est peaks in the park, dominating the lower section — jutted defi- antly out of the clouds. Granite anchors almost the en-
tire peninsula, with patches of black mica and white quartz and massive deposits of feldspar col- ored a creamy-pink by the iron oxide impurities in the rock. Or- ange lichen completes the earth- tone tapestry. Visible from the water are dry eucalyptus forests with towering whitegums,Oyster Bay pine, banksia, wild orchids and wattle. A menagerie of wild- life resides within, including pos- sums, wombats, wallabies, echid- nas — an Aussie take on the porcupine — and more than 130 bird species. Of course, knowing about
Freycinet—that it was named in 1802 by French explorer Nicolas Baudin after his navigator, Louis deFreycinet, for instance—is one thing. To really find that path less traveled,youhavetohookupwith Freycinet ExperienceWalk. Founded in 1992, the outfit was
the brainchild of former town planner Joan Masterman, a sus- tainable-tourism pioneer who founded the first hut-based guid- ed walk along Tasmania’s Over- land Track, one of the world’s most revered multi-day treks. But rather than staggering huts across Freycinet, scarring indige- nous flora and fauna in the pro- cess,Mastermandecided to struc- ture thewalkaroundthe centrally located Friendly Beaches Lodge. The secluded main building is
nestled on 300 acres of bush land, roughly 100 yardsfromthe beach. An obscured path leads from the sand to an expansive main porch, where an wall-sized sliding-glass door leads to the main eating area. To the left is a lounge, an- chored by a massive fireplace of faded red brick. Off the lounge, another wall-length sliding-glass door leads to a second porch. Follow the three steps leading off the lounge, and you find the li- brary, a cozy room filled with books on Aboriginal and contem- porary art, nature and history. A corrugated-tin roof crowns the building, sounding a steady tap- tap during a drizzle and a thun- derous drumbeat during a rain storm. The kitchen stretches the
length of the dining room, where meals for up to 10 guests are prepared with food sourced local-
ly from the region’smany farmers and butchers. An elevated wood- plank path leads from the back door to two guest houses nestled in the forest.They boast wood-ov- en heaters, baths, showers, huge porches, compost toilets and soft beds. True to its eco-roots, the lodge isn’t connected to nearby Coles Bay’s electrical or water grids; solar panels power every- thing, from the kitchen lights to the heaters for the rainwater used for bathing.
DETAILS
GETTING THERE United and Qantas offer connecting flights to Hobart, with fares starting at about $1,550 round trip.
Freycinet ExperienceWalk 011-61-3-6223-7565
www.freycinet.com.au Weekly starting Nov. 5 and ending in April. The $2,000-per-person price includes morning transport from Hobart, park passes, all food and beverages, three nights’ accommodation at the Friendly Beaches Lodge and guides for four days. Discounts available for groups of six or more.
IN HOBART
WHERE TO STAY Henry Jones Art Hotel 25 Hunter St. 011-61-3-6210-7700
www.thehenryjones.com On the city’s main harbor. Once the factory for IXL Jams, and much of the original brick- and woodwork has been retained. More than 300 artworks are scattered throughout the property; most are for sale. Standard rates from about $190.
WHERE TO EAT Cargo Bar Pizza Lounge 47-51 Salamanca Pl. 011-61-3-6223-7788 Hip establishment in the
Salamanca neighborhood offering gourmet pizza as well as pasta and other dishes made with local ingredients, alongside Tasi beer and wine. Pizzas start at $11-$14.
Jackman&McRoss Bakery 57-59 Hampden Rd. 011-61-3-6223-3186 Delicious fresh-made meat pies, salads and sandwiches from about $5.
WHAT TO DO MountWellington Descent 011-61-3-6228-4255
www.mountwellingtondescent.
com.au Mountain bike down nearby 4,000-foot MountWellington. Three hours about $76, $71.50 for children 8 to 15, about $280 for a family of four.
Freycinet Adventures 011-61-3-6257-0500
freycinetadventures.com.au Sea kayaking in the waters surrounding the city. A two-hour tour with a lunch of fish and chips is about $67.
BonorongWildlife Park 593 Briggs Rd., Brighton
www.bonorong.com.au See Tasmanian devils, quolls, wombats and other native fauna. $17, about $8.50 children 4-15.
—N.B. The buildings themselves were
constructed on existing clearings, and because the site is obscured from the coast, the locals have dubbed it the Invisible Lodge. Before she worked here, Jess
told me, she would run along Friendly Beach, “and I’ve always knownthat there was a lodge. But it was this secret thing, knowing that there’salodgeuptheresome- where and maybe one day I’ll see it. Thatmystique is really beauti- ful. It felt like home when I first
walked in.” I felt much the same when I
saw the lodge the day we arrived in Freycinet. Our group — an elderly Swiss doctor, a German expat artist, a family of threefrom the capital and I — started in Hobart, joining Jessandthe other two guides on the bus that would take us to Freycinet. The itinerary dictated that
we’d take a boat from the park down the western length of the peninsula to the undeveloped Schouten Island, where we’d hike or fish for the first night’s dinner. But Mother Nature had other plans; weather conditions pro- duced rollers that made boat pas- sage impossible. So we lit out for the lodge,
walking along the deserted white sands of Friendly Beach. By now the weather had cleared and the water was a tantalizing aqua that could almost fool you into think- ing it was warm enough to swim in.
Twohourslater,wereachedthe
lodge, the sun kaleidoscoping off the still-wet trees of the bush. Soph and Dan, two gentle souls who work as lodge caretakers, greeted us with warm smiles, lo- cal flathead oysters, fresh cheese, crackers, Tasi beer and pinot noir. Over the next four days we’d be
transported by boat, bus and our own two feet throughout the park. And at trip’s end, we’d have hiked the entire length of Freyci- net’s 23-mile spine before return- ing to the real world via the same beachside path we’d just tra- versed. But untilHobart’s skyline came into view, each night we’d drop our day packs on the porch, feast by candlelight and try to forget that we ever had to leave. The second day was the big-
gest. Guests chose either a five- hour hike across Bryans Beach through dense evergreen forests or a slog up 2,490-foot Mount Graham, the park’s second-tallest peak, to traverse Quartzite Ridge. Both routes would start with a boat ride from Coles Bay, with separate drop-offs on gravel-cov- ered beaches, and terminate on the sands of postcard-perfect Wineglass Bay. The voice of my inner George
Mallory (“because it is there”) dictated that I take the summit. Jess squelched those ambi-
tions. It seems that when they say
“ankle boots required” in the bro- chures, they mean it. My hiking shoesweren’tenough.Iwasleft to cursemy liberal interpretation of footwear while she hopped off the boat with a properly attired guest and they disappeared into the bush. Any irritation I felt evaporated
the moment the rest of us disem- barked at the adjacent cove. The day played out blissfully: rock- hopping on coastal boulders, dip- ping into the bush just as the heat of the day started to spike, nap- ping in the shade during lunch. Whenwefinally reached Wine-
Above, staff members prepare dinner at Friendly Beaches Lodge. Food served there is sourced from local farmers and butchers. Top, a viewof Wineglass Bay from the Freycinet Peninsula ridgeline.
glass Bay, I ditched my inade- quate footwear and sankmy toes into the warm sand. In the dis- tance a couple kayaked across the glassy blue water. At the tree line, a wallaby patiently waited for tourist-proffered fruit. And when Jess and theGerman expat joined
us,my dismay atmy lack of ankle boots was a thing of the past.
If the second day was the most
rigorous, the third day was decid- edly the most original. The van transported us to BluestoneBay, a seldom-visited inlet of Visine- clear water with a smattering of colorful rock formations, where the guides told us that it was time to cleanse our souls. Aftermy footwear rebuff of the
day before, I should have known to take that literally. The sole- cleansing meant that we had to clean our hiking shoes with wire- bristle brushes to remove a root- rot fungus collected from the southern part of Freycinet so that it would not infect this less-visit- ed stretch of the park. Then we followed as Jess and
another guide disappeared into a wall of foliage on the other side of the inlet. Unlike the rest of the park, this final stretch didn’t fol- low a trail on any map.The opera- tor had received permission from the Oyster Bay Tribe, the Aborigi- nal community that has lived on the peninsula for more than 20,000 years, to access their an- cient track. The route carved up the ridgeline, passing giant grass trees, rare flowering plants and Aboriginal artifacts before drop- ping back onto the southern headlands of Friendly Beach. Hours later, when we reached
the water, Dan and Soph were waiting with hot tea and coffee and fresh scones, jam
andwhippedcream. Inthe basket on the bicycle were a wet suit and snorkeling gear. The German expat and a guide
headed into the water while the rest of us kicked off our sole- cleansed boots. Soon, the divers returned with a cache of abalone mollusks they’d harvested from the submerged rocks. Each shell was larger thanmy fist. We had them as appetizers,
cooked with garlic, lemon and butter. Dinner would go long into the night, and at dusk, we walked to the beach to watch the light fade into star-scattered darkness. Tomorrow we’d wake up when
our bodies decided they were ready. A soft drizzle would fall. Coffee would be served at the beach, and brunch would be late and expansive. We’d eventually repack and return for the final time toFriendly Beach.We’d walk for 31/2
miles in a staggered line.
I’d take countless photos of the sea grass that had washed ashore, in awe of its intricate, ribbonlike folds. Eventually we’d reach the van and start the drive toHobart. But for now, eating a cream-
slathered scone, I was at peace. Jess enthused about bush tucker (an edible plant she’d found on the trail), another guide counted the abalone and everyone was smiling. Where we were going the next
day or the next hour didn’t mat- ter. Our small group of travelers, guides and lodge hosts had found a little slice of home.Even if itwas a world away from where we lived.
travel@washpost.com
Borchelt is aWashington-based travel writer and photographer looking for another excuse to return to the Southern Hemisphere.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152 |
Page 153 |
Page 154 |
Page 155 |
Page 156 |
Page 157 |
Page 158 |
Page 159 |
Page 160 |
Page 161 |
Page 162 |
Page 163 |
Page 164 |
Page 165 |
Page 166 |
Page 167 |
Page 168 |
Page 169 |
Page 170 |
Page 171 |
Page 172 |
Page 173 |
Page 174