Freycinet National Park

Sticking out into the sea on Tasmania’s mild east coast is the rugged and beautiful Freycinet Peninsula.   Freycinet National Park consists of knuckles of granite mountains all but surrounded by azure bays and white sand beaches. The dramatic peaks of the Hazards welcome you as you enter the park. The main town in Freycinet, Coles Bay is easily reached from Hobart or Cradle Mountain.  If you are coming from Cradle Mountain, be careful as some of the roads can be dodgy.

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Only a small part of Freycinet is accessible by car.  This is a walker’s paradise and you will get the most out of a visit by spending several days here and doing some of the walks.  Even if you only have one day (as we did), there are still a lot of birds to see in the driveable part of the park and in the Coles Bay area.  Details of walks, fees and facilities are on their website.

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ACCOMMODATION

Pitch a tent or stay in one of Australia’s greatest luxury resorts – the Saffire, it’s all here in Freycinet!  Coles Bay is the closest town to the park entrance.  Although Swansea looks close, since there is  a strip of water leading into a lagoon Bicheno is actually closer if you can’t get Coles Bay.  We stayed at Iluka Holiday Park, review is here.  It’s easy to comapre your options on Wotif.

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I’ll cover birding highlights on the next post.

Green Rosella (Platycercus caledonicus)

The Green Rosella or Tasmanian Rosella (Platycercus caledonicus) is endemic to Tasmania and Bass Strait islands. At 37 cm (14.5 in) long it is the largest species of the rosella genus, Platycercus.  Its diet is composed of seeds, fruit, berries and flowers, as well as insects and insect larvae.

IMG_7667a IMG_7687 IMG_7666aGreen Rosellas are endemic to Tasmania and are commonly seen throught the island.  I saw them best on Bruny Island and Freycinet National Park.

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LEARN MORE ABOUT GREEN ROSELLAS

Wikipedia

World Parrot Trust

Birdlife

Birds in Backyards

Tasmania Parks & Wildlife

VIDEO

Mike Grant has some nice close up footage on YouTube.

Birding Bruny Island

Bruny Island is on the bucket list of many birders for its rich and varied birdlife.  Inala has a good list of birds and mammals found here.  They can also provide accommodation and guided birding tours.

Being budget travelers, we birded independently as we drove south from the ferry dock.  Here are some of the best birds we saw (that I got pics of).

We saw our first Tasmanian endemic bird – Green Rosellas a few km before the Cheese shop.

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A small flock of Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos were in the trees surrounding the Cheese Shop.IMG_7496a IMG_7527a IMG_7539a IMG_7549a

Assorted sparrows, LBJs and Fairy-wrens were at the Penguin Cafe hoping to snatch up leftover food.IMG_7569a IMG_7575a IMG_7579 IMG_7590 IMG_7591

The bright blue Superb Fairy-wrens are male, the brown ones are female.IMG_7594a IMG_7596a IMG_7599a IMG_7600a IMG_7644a IMG_7642a

We saw a Scarlet Robin in the Captain Cook Caravan Park grounds.IMG_7624a IMG_7617a

Moving down to the beach opposite Captain Cook’s we saw some black swans.IMG_7639 IMG_7637

Tasmanian Native Hens were in the grounds at Captain Cook’s.IMG_7614 IMG_7681 IMG_7659

These Green Rosellas were foraging at the entrance to Captain Cook’s.IMG_7666a IMG_7667a IMG_7683 IMG_7685 IMG_7687

We had almost given up hope for the Swift Parrots when a lady said she saw some near her cabin which was one of the cabins nearest the beach.  Sure enough, there was a Swift Parrot living up to his name by flying swiftly from one tree to another.  I did my best to get a good shot but he wasn’t going to make it easy!IMG_7703 IMG_7710a IMG_7716a IMG_7736 IMG_7739a IMG_7745a IMG_7746a IMG_7766a IMG_7770a

Lodge Review: Captain Cook Caravan Park

Captain Cook Caravan Park has something for everyone whether you just need space for a tent or caravan or want to relax in a fully equipped cabin.  Prices are pretty good so we went for the cabins and really enjoyed them!  Of course the biggest draw was the fact that Captain Cook’s is known for having Swift Parrots hanging around the grounds!

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There’s a good variety of cabins, some have 1 or 2 bedrooms, some have full kitchens and some have views of the beach.IMG_7610 IMG_7601 IMG_7609 IMG_7584

Kitchen and dining areaIMG_7585

Master bedroomIMG_7586

Extra bedroom with bunk bedsIMG_7587

BathroomIMG_7588Green Rosella near our cabin

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Swift Parrot flying swiftly through the grounds.

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Green Rosella (Platycercus caledonicus)

The Green Rosella or Tasmanian Rosella (Platycercus caledonicus) is endemic to Tasmania and Bass Strait islands. At 37 cm (14.5 in) long it is the largest species of the Rosella genus. The male and female are generally similar in plumage, being predominantly black, green, and yellow in colour with a red band above the beak and blue cheeks; however, some females have red-orange colouration on the front of their necks. Its diet is composed of seeds, fruit, berries and flowers, as well as insects and insect larvae.

Green Rosella

If you would like to see this beauty in the wild, first you need to fly to Hobart in Tasmania.  You can use your airline miles to get to Australia.  Once there, hire a car and drive to one of these national parks.  More information about Freycinet, Mole Creek, Cradle Mountain and all of Tasmania’s national parks can be found on the Parks & Wildlife website.  Freycinet has a very impressive bird list!  Green Rosellas are also seen in parks in Hobart and Launceston.

Green Rosella habitat

LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS PARROT

World Parrot Trust

Birdlife Australia

Parks & Wildlife

Wikipedia

Birds In Backyards

VIDEO