Wineglass Bay Lookout

How to get there

1. Drive the sealed Coles Bay Road (C302) through Coles Bay township, past the Visitor Centre, to the signed Walking Tracks Car Park at the end of the main park road. No 4WD required.
2. From Hobart or Launceston allow about 2.5–3 hours in light traffic plus the last 28 km from the A3 turn-off. Do not plan a dusk return as your only buffer — east-coast wildlife strike risk is high after dark.
3. Parking: toilets and water at the trailhead. Peak summer and Easter fill early. Have a Plan B (Cape Tourville, Friendly Beaches, or wait) rather than inventing roadside parking.
4. A valid Tasmania Parks Pass is required. Buy at passes.parks.tas.gov.au or the Freycinet Visitor Centre.

How to do it (step by step)

1. Refill water and use toilets at the car park. Put on grip shoes — granite and loose gravel are the surface, not a boardwalk.
2. Climb the signed track ~1.3 km uphill through coastal woodland and granite boulders. Resting seats are spaced on the climb. Stay on the formed path.
3. At the saddle, use the viewing platforms. Stay behind barriers. This is a cliff-edge view — supervise children.
4. Most first-timers turn around here. Continuing down the stairs to Wineglass Bay beach is a separate decision (adds steep descent and a harder climb back, or commits you to the longer circuit).
5. Return the same way to the car park. Do not cut corners on granite slabs.

What to expect

This is a short, steep climb, not a lookout you step out of the car onto. Official notes give 2.6 km return and 1–1.5 hours, Grade 3. The saddle platforms look over the white sand crescent, turquoise water and Mount Graham. Occasional whale or dolphin sightings from the platforms are a bonus.

The climb is through coastal woodland past granite boulders with resting seats. Surfaces are formed but steep. If your group’s picture of “Wineglass Bay” is a beach picnic, that is a different walk — you still have a long stair descent after this saddle, and a harder climb back unless you continue the circuit.

Start, finish and logistics

Everyone starts at the Walking Tracks Car Park — the same trailhead as the Hazards Circuit, Peninsula Circuit and Mount Amos. Toilets and a water tap are here. There are no intermediate facilities on the climb. Parks Pass required. Fuel-stove rules do not matter for a day lookout, but the car park still fills.

Bail-out is simple: turn around at any point. There is no side exit. If the climb is already too much at the first rest seat, that is your answer — do not promise the beach from there.

Hazards that actually matter

Steep loose gravel and granite; cliff edges at the platforms; heat with limited shade in summer. Official notes flag the walk as not suitable for people with restricted mobility or health issues. Supervise children at the saddle.

Tides, crocodiles and snow are not the issue here. Steep granite and a peak-season car park are. Wet rock after rain is slick — still usually walkable with care, unlike Mount Amos, which becomes dangerous when wet.

What not to stack

Do not add Mount Amos after the lookout on a first visit. Amos is a separate Grade 4 scramble on exposed slabs. Do not start the 11 km Hazards Circuit at 2pm because the lookout felt “easy.” Protect a dusk wildlife buffer on the drive out of Coles Bay.

If platforms are shoulder-to-shoulder, take the photo you can get, then go to Cape Tourville or Friendly Beaches rather than forcing a beach descent you did not pack water or time for.

Map (orientation)

Pin may be approximate. Confirm trailheads, parking and track status on Parks Tasmania before you drive.

Extra tips

• Start early in December–February school holidays and Easter. The car park and platforms are the busiest places in the park.
• If anyone in the group cannot manage a steep Grade 3 climb, do Cape Tourville (Grade 1, 600 m) instead of forcing the lookout.
• Pair with Cape Tourville the same morning only if you still have legs and the car park exit is civil. Do not add Mount Amos on a first lookout day.
• Fill 2 L per person at the car-park tap even for “just the lookout.” Heat and white-sand glare at the saddle surprise people.
• Printable half-day: Wineglass Lookout & Cape Tourville itinerary on this site.