Freycinet is similar to Cradle Mountain in that it's another one of those must-see tourist destinations with beautiful mountains and scenery. Also, we stayed at Freycinet Lodge and Cradle Mountain Lodge which are owned by the same company. The main reason we went to Freycinet was to climb Mount Amos.
"3 hours return - Mt Amos is part of the range of granite mountains, known as the Hazards, which dominate Coles Bay. The track to the summit is steep and strenuous, but walkers are rewarded with panoramic views. This walk is not recommended for the elderly or young children. Walkers must be equipped with robust walking shoes or boots as the track climbs steeply over sheets of bare rock and can be slippery, especially after rain. Caution should be exercised on this track." -Parks & Wildlife Service Tasmania
We left Hobart on Saturday morning and reached Freycinet in the afternoon, stopping by the Freycinet Marine Farm for fresh oysters and scallops on the way! We went straight to climb Mt. Amos even before checking in to the lodge - Wallace didn't want us to be climbing after sunset. Even though climbing up and down Mt. Amos took a shorter time, it was MUCH more difficult than the 10km trek we did at Cradle Mountain. Wallace did it with Elvine and Darren 3 years ago, and I think they thoroughly enjoyed themselves, even though it was "hard" (according to Wallace). But he wanted to bring me there because he thought it would be "fun", and also because it's so beautiful. Before we went, he was telling me how difficult it was - very steep cliffs, scrambling on boulders, jumping over cracks - and it made me really scared. What if I accidentally slipped and fell down a cliff?!
Well, I think I'll let the video speak for itself. Enjoy! :)
The lookout along the drive to Freycinet.
Stopped by the Freycinet Marine Farm for fresh oysters and scallops. Super super delicious.
I'm usually not in the best of moods when woken up. Lol.
Even though I don't eat oysters, I know these must be pretty good. After all, fresh Tasmanian oysters are one of the best right?
My turn - garlic scallops!
Like Wallace said, they're probably the best scallops he has ever had. They might not be big, but the garlic butter is CRAZY good.
We couldn't get enough of the delicious food so we ordered the special - 6 kilpatrick oysters with 4 garlic scallops.
We are happy people after all that good food!
Then we made our way to climb Mt. Amos *deng deng deng*
At the carpark, there was a wallaby with her baby joey in her pouch. Both not scared of humans one!
"I can't believe we are climbing all the way up there!"
Mt Amos walk, or rather climb.
Do I look like an experienced and well-equipped walker to you? Lol.
And off we go!
The start of the track - pfft this is nothing!
Ok, now some rocks are starting to appear. Walking in flat ground is fine. It's when you have to start climbing uphill that it gets really tiring.
Then, we get to the big rocks.
The view from halfway up a boulder.
Too tired - gotta sit down and rest.
Btw, gloves were absolutely essential in climbing Mt Amos, because of all the boulder scrambling, pulling yourself up onto rocks, shimmying down the boulders on your hands and butt, etc.
We were mostly climbing on rock faces - still have so much to go in this photo! We had to be careful not to step on wet patches, because once you do or your shoes get wet, your risk of slipping is a lot higher.
When you look down, you go "wow, have we really climbed that high?" and then you see how steep it is and you go "uh, how on earth are we gonna get down?"
Yes, I am strong enough to lift that humongous boulder.
Check out this photo of Wallace when he was there 3 years ago! More of that later.
Climbing higher and higher...
The peak is in sight!
Gosh what if I had slipped here??
And finally, we make it to the peak!
What beautiful scenery - makes the climb all the more worthwhile.
So proud to say we did it, together! :)
Overlooking Wineglass Bay.
And check out the photos of when Wallace, Elvine and Darren climbed Mt Amos in 2008! I wouldn't dare stand on that rock man.
Back to the present, I think this might be taken at roughly the same spot as above!
Taking in the awesome view.
And then updating Facebook status. Lol. Technology really spreads far and wide.
Didn't take any photos on the way down because it was just. so. tiring. And our hands were occupied anyway. Because it was so steep at some parts, we had to sit down on our butts and put our weight on our hands to shimmy down the rocks. If it wasn't so steep, you'd still have to walk down inch by inch with your knees bent constantly. Seriously my arms and legs were like jello and I was so tired that Wallace offered to carry me when I couldn't take it. Lol. I was so glad and relieved and exhausted when we finally made it down!
After that we checked in at the Freycinet Lodge for a much needed rest.
Our cabin. No firewood this time, but got heater and air con!
The inside has a more modern and clean feel compared to the Cradle Mountain Lodge, but still very similar in design. I will mention though that Freycinet Lodge won the Best Lodge Accommodation in the Australian newspaper’s Travel and Tourism Awards second year running.
Lightbulbs!
We had a jacuzzi! The towel rack on the right is heated so it heats up your towels to make them nice and warm when you come out of the shower. :)
After washing up, we headed to The Bay Restaurant for a well deserved dinner.
We ordered the seafood platter for 2, which turned out to be huge!
All kinds of seafood - fish, salmon, prawns, clams, mussels, oysters, scallops, all cooked in different ways. Unfortunately I don't eat certain types of seafood so Wallace had to eat ALOT!
And just to give a 3D view of how much food there was...
We spent a good amount of time at the bar before checking into our room in the afternoon, as well as after dinner, and even made friends with the bartender. I can't remember his name anymore but he was really friendly! Works there everyday.
We were more than happy to sit at the bar for over an hour, letting dinner digest. Haha.
If I'm not wrong, Wallace had 4 drinks. A mojito, a wine, some apple alcohol, and a beer.
I had a lemon lime bitters. No alcohol for me!
Oh yes, in the afternoon while we were at the bar, I had a mocktail called Wombat's something (ah can't remember) which was like a thick chocolate milkshake with banana. It was pretty awesome. The bartender recommended Wallace a Tasmanian beer called Hazard's Ale, and it was apparently very nice. Wallace even went to hunt for it when we went back to Hobart.
Anyways that was our first day at Freycinet Peninsula and it was incredible! I felt very accomplished after successfully climbing Mt Amos, seeing as how tough it can get. It's not something many people can say they've done. Wallace told me after the climb that he was actually quite scared for me, that something might happen to me, but we made it unscathed nonetheless! I told Wallace, see, I happily climb mountains with you, go fishing with you, could you ask for a better girlfriend? Haha. But seriously, conquering Mt Amos was arguably one of the peaks of my trip to Tasmania. Literally. :)
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