Wineglass Bay & The Hazards
Guide updated · verify Parks Tasmania
The busy core: Walking Tracks Car Park, Wineglass Bay Lookout, the Hazards Beach circuit, and Mount Amos. This is where most first visits succeed or fail.
- Best for: First-timers, the Wineglass view, the full-day circuit, dry-weather Amos
- Time: 2 hours for the lookout; 4–5 hours for the circuit; a full morning for Amos
- Sealed road through Coles Bay to the Walking Tracks Car Park at the end of the main park road. About 28 km from the A3 turn-off, plus 2.5–3 hours from Hobart or Launceston.
Verify conditions on Parks Tasmania → · Park alerts
Wineglass Bay & The Hazards — Wineglass Bay Lookout
JJ Harrison (jjharrison.com.au) · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Why this is the default first stop
If someone says “I’m doing Freycinet,” they usually mean this car park and the Wineglass view. The Hazards sit over Coles Bay; the saddle platforms give you the crescent beach the park is known for. You get the view, and you share the car park with everyone who left Hobart the same morning.
Treat this precinct as one decision, not four walks. Lookout only, lookout plus beach, the full Hazards Circuit, or Mount Amos. Pick one main walk. Two hard options plus a late drive is how Freycinet days go sour.
Cape Tourville and Friendly Beaches live on other area pages for a reason. They are the backup when this car park is full or the group cannot manage Grade 3 gravel — not extra “while we are here” add-ons after a 4-hour circuit.
Walking Tracks Car Park
Everyone starts here: lookout, circuit, Amos and the Peninsula Circuit overnight. Toilets and a drinking-water tap sit at the trailhead. Refill here. Parks Pass on display. Peak summer (December–February school holidays) and Easter fill early. Check official pages for any current shuttle notes rather than inventing roadside parking.
Overnight walkers and day-trippers mix at 8am. Be civil, keep food sealed (possums investigate packs), and do not leave bags visible. There is no kiosk at this car park — the Visitor Centre shop and filtered water are back toward the park entrance.
From Hobart or Launceston still budget 2.5–3 hours each way plus the last 28 km of sealed C302 after the A3 turn-off. A “half-day on the ground” is a full house-to-house day once you count driving and a dusk wildlife buffer on the A3.
Lookout, beach, circuit or Amos
Wineglass Lookout is the usual first walk: official notes give 2.6 km return, Grade 3, 1–1.5 hours. Steep formed gravel and granite, resting seats on the climb, platforms at the saddle. Most first-timers should turn around there. The view is the point.
Continuing down the stairs to Wineglass beach is a separate decision. It adds a steep descent and a harder climb back unless you already committed to the 11 km Hazards Circuit (lookout, beach, isthmus, Hazards Beach, rocky return around Mount Mayson — Grade 4, 4–5 hours). Carry a full day of water. Swim only if conditions and the group agree — unpatrolled, often cooler than the photo.
Mount Amos is the short, serious scramble from the same car park. Grade 4 exposed slabs. Official-style advice is that it is extremely dangerous when wet or when rain is likely. It is not a second lookout. Do not stack Amos after the circuit. Deeper notes live on the lookout, circuit and Amos trail pages.
When the car park fails
A full Walking Tracks Car Park is a planning problem, not a parking puzzle. Cape Tourville (about 7 km from the Visitor Centre, 600 m Grade 1 lighthouse circuit) and Friendly Beaches (gravel northern spur) are the honest Plan B. Do not park on vegetation or road verges.
If you arrived late from Hobart, start at Cape Tourville and treat the lookout as tomorrow’s job — or accept that you came for one view and leave with daylight in hand. Wildlife strike on the C302 and A3 after dusk is a real constraint, not a footnote.
January and Easter platforms are shoulder-to-shoulder at midday. Take the photo you can get. Forcing a beach descent you did not pack water or time for is how groups miss the dusk buffer.
When to stay, and when to leave
Stay in this precinct if the lookout is the walk you came for, if the circuit was the plan and you started early, or if Amos is dry and that was the one hard choice. Leave for Cape Tourville, Honeymoon Bay or Friendly Beaches if the car park is full, if anyone is cooked at the first rest seat, or if the rock is wet and Amos was the idea.
Fuel-stove only in this park. On Total Fire Ban days even gas and fuel stoves are banned. Day visitors should eat cold and skip the cooker. Drones are prohibited in Tasmanian national parks. No pets.
Pair this area with the half-day lookout + Cape Tourville plan, the full-day Hazards Circuit, or the honest Hobart day-trip itinerary. Do not invent a peninsula overnight as a surprise add-on after lunch.
Highlights at a glance
- Wineglass Bay Lookout platforms (2.6 km return, Grade 3)
- Wineglass Bay beach via the stairs after the saddle
- Hazards Beach circuit (11 km, Grade 4, 4–5 hours)
- Mount Amos panorama (Grade 4 scramble — dry rock only)
- Shared trailhead toilets and drinking-water tap
- Same car park starts the Peninsula Circuit overnight
Practical tips
- Start earlier than feels polite in January and at Easter. Midweek mid-morning is quieter.
- Grip shoes even for “just the lookout.” Fashion sneakers fail on steep gravel.
- Fill 2 L per person at the car-park tap. More for the 11 km circuit. There is no reliable water on the walk.
- Cape Tourville is the backup if this car park is full. Friendly Beaches is the other.
- Screenshot the official lookout and circuit pages on home or Visitor Centre Wi-Fi.
- Set a hard “leave Coles Bay by” time. Wallabies on the C302 and A3 after dusk are a planning item.
Facilities & services
- Toilets at the Walking Tracks Car Park
- Drinking-water tap at the car park (refill here)
- Formed lookout track with resting seats
- No kiosk at the trailhead — Visitor Centre is back toward the entrance
- Parks Pass required — buy online or at the Visitor Centre
- Same trailhead starts the Peninsula Circuit overnight
Confirm toilets, parking and open facilities on the day via official sources and on-site signage.
Walks & lookouts nearby
Grades, times and open/closed status change — open each guide and verify on Parks Tasmania before you go.
Wineglass Lookout
moderateThe walk most people come for: a steep 1.3 km climb each way through coastal woodland to saddle platforms with the classic Wineglass Bay and Mount Graham view. Not a wheelchair path, and not a long trek — a short, steep climb that fills early in peak season.
- Grade
- Some bushwalking experience recommended
- Time
- 1–1.5 hours
- Distance
- 2.6 km return
View guide →
Hazards Circuit
hardThe best full-day Freycinet walk: lookout, stairs to Wineglass Bay beach, isthmus, Hazards Beach, then a longer rocky inland return around Mount Mayson. Not a casual add-on after a late start.
- Grade
- Bushwalking experience recommended
- Time
- 4–5 hours
- Distance
- 11 km circuit
View guide →
Mount Amos
hardSteep rock scrambling on exposed granite slabs to the best panoramic Wineglass Bay view in the park. Extremely dangerous when wet. Not for children, older walkers or anyone who treats “3.6 km” as easy.
- Grade
- Experienced, fit walkers only
- Time
- About 3 hours
- Distance
- 3.6 km return
View guide →
Itineraries that use this area
4–5 hours on the ground (+ drive time)
Half-day: Wineglass Lookout & Cape Tourville
One climb to Wineglass Lookout, then the easy Cape Tourville lighthouse circuit — without pretending you can add the 11 km Hazards Circuit or Mount Amos after lunch.
6–8 hours on the ground (walk 4–5 hrs + beach + buffers)
Full day: Wineglass & Hazards Beach Circuit
The best single Freycinet walking day: lookout, Wineglass beach, isthmus, Hazards Beach and the rocky return. Early start, full water, no Amos, no Hobart dinner booking.
12–15 hour house-to-house day
Hobart day trip (realistic timing)
It is doable. It is not casual. 2.5–3 hours each way, one primary walk (usually the lookout), Cape Tourville only if time remains, and a hard exit before dusk wildlife.
Map
Orientation only — confirm trailheads and road status before you drive.
Interactive map — pin may be approximate. Confirm trailheads and road status before you drive.
FAQ — Wineglass / Hazards
Tap a question to expand the answer.
Can I see Wineglass Bay without the steep climb?
The classic saddle view is a Grade 3 climb (2.6 km return). Cape Tourville is the easy coastal alternative — a different view (ocean and granite, not the crescent). Commercial boat or walk-and-boat trips exist; they are not Parks Tasmania walks. Confirm current options yourself.
Is the lookout the same as walking to the beach?
No. The platforms are at the saddle. The beach is a steep stair descent after that, and a harder climb back unless you continue the 11 km Hazards Circuit. Decide at the car park, not at the platforms when you are already tired.
Is Mount Amos suitable after rain?
No. Official-style advice is that Amos is extremely dangerous when wet or when rain is likely. Do the lookout or Cape Tourville instead. Do not treat Amos as a second lookout after the saddle.
Can I do the Hazards Circuit and Amos on the same day?
Usually a poor first-visit plan. The circuit is 11 km / 4–5 hours Grade 4. Amos is a separate Grade 4 scramble. Pick one hard walk. The lookout is still there if the rock is slick.
What if the Walking Tracks Car Park is full?
Do not park on verges or vegetation. Drive to Cape Tourville (easy 600 m circuit) or Friendly Beaches (gravel northern access). Check official pages for any current shuttle notes rather than inventing a third car park.
Is there water on the Hazards Circuit?
Treat the circuit as dry. Fill at the Walking Tracks Car Park tap. Seasonal creeks are not a plan. Carry 2–3 L per person on a full circuit day.
Stays, tours & gear near Wineglass / Hazards
Optional next steps after you plan this area — park fees and official Parks Tasmania bookings are never affiliated.
Nearby stays
Coles Bay (primary) · Bicheno · Swansea
- Stays in Coles BayImmediate park-edge gateway — closest to Visitor Centre and Walking Tracks Car Park
- BichenoLarger services 40 minutes north — groceries, fuel, more beds
- SwanseaSouth along the east coast — useful if you are driving the Hobart–east-coast loop
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Guided tours
Optional — useful for first visits from Hobart without a car
A tour does not replace checking Parks Tasmania alerts, weather, or cliff safety yourself.
What to bring
Practical kit for granite walks, scarce water and coastal sun
- Grip hiking shoes / bootsSteep granite and loose gravel on the lookout, circuit and Mount Amos — fashion sneakers fail here
- Day pack 20–30 LWater is the bulk of the pack on Freycinet — carry more than you think
- Water bottles or bladder 2–3 LWater is scarce on tracks; refill at Visitor Centre, Honeymoon Bay and Walking Tracks Car Park only
- Sun hat + high SPFWhite sand, granite and open heath reflect UV; shade is limited on many sections
- Mosquito protectionRoss River virus risk is published for the area — take repellent, not just a hat
- Fuel stove (no open fires)Park is fuel-stove only. On Total Fire Ban days even gas/fuel stoves are banned — confirm on the day
- Light rain / wind shellCoastal weather flips; summit and lookout platforms get windy even on a “fine” Coles Bay morning
- PLB or satellite messengerSensible for Peninsula Circuit and remote sections; 000 needs mobile reception
- First-aid + blister kitGranite slabs and long beach sand punish hot spots — treat them early
- Power bank + offline mapsScreenshot Parks Tasmania pages and carry offline maps; in-park reception is patchy
- HeadlampCircuit and peninsula days run long; dusk wildlife driving is a real risk
- Spare socksBeach sections and creek crossings soak feet; dry socks keep the return civil
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Other park areas
Freycinet is one peninsula with four different days. Open another area only if time, parking and energy still match.
Coles Bay / VC
Gateway township, Freycinet Visitor Centre, Richardsons Beach / Honeymoon Bay / Ranger Creek camping, Cape Tourville and Sleepy Bay. This is where you buy a pass, refill water and sleep if you are not in a walker camp.
Open area →
Friendly Beaches
The long white-sand northern section of the park — gravel access, dunes, space, and low-key Isaacs Point camping. The usual answer when Wineglass is full.
Open area →
Peninsula Circuit
Multi-day walking country south of the Hazards: Hazards Beach, Cooks Beach, Wineglass walker camp, optional Mount Freycinet. Self-sufficient, fuel-stove only, water-critical.
Open area →