- The State of Tasmania is made up of 334 islands. The Furneaux Islands, named after the English navigator Tobias Furneaux, lie in Bass Strait between ‘mainland’ Tasmania and Victoria. Flinders Island is the largest of the Furneaux Group.
- It takes one hour in a 20-seater propeller jet to fly from Hobart to Whitemark, the main settlement on Flinders Island. We picked up a hire car from the airport, had lunch in the pub at Whitemark then did some grocery shopping before driving towards our accommodation at West End, in the north west corner of Flinders Island.
- On the way we took the turnoff to Marshall Bay (just after the Palana Road turns from bitument to gravel) and visited the amazing Castle Rock. It’s best seen at low tide. (N.B. Paying attention to the tides is quite important on Flinders Island, with numerous experiences much better when the tide is right, either low or high as the case may be.)
- We spent a lovely evening exploring the coastline around West End, visiting the lookout at Mt Tanner, and watching the sunset over Roydon Island.
- Next day we toured the north of Flinders Island.
- Drove to Palana and walked along its lovely sandy, surf-kissed beach, backed by sand dunes and dotted with rocky outcrops. The Sisters Islands (Inner Sister and Outer Sister) filled our horizon.
- Headed across to North East River which has it all – headland, estuary, beach, and birdlife. We stopped for a picnic lunch to soak it in.
- Then headed south to Killercrankie. Walked its beautiful beach with views out to Old Man’s Head, then spent some time fossicking for ‘Killercrankie diamonds‘ in Diamond Gully. This is definitely something to do at low tide.
- We didn’t stike it rich but the whole day was a gem.
- The following day we toured the south of Flinders Island.
- We’d read that Blue Rocks was a good spot and it did not disappoint. The views to Mt Strzelecki were sensational. We stopped there a couple of times and it’s better at high tide, especially for a swim. The turnoff to Blue Rocks isn’t marked. Coming from the north along Palana Road, after passing the Sawyers Beach turnoff you’ll eventually see a driveway with a white anchor on the right and the track to Blue Rocks is about 75 metres past this. If you reach the Long Point Road turnoff you’ve gone too far.
- We then drove further south into the Mt Strzelecki National Park, stopping at Trousers Point and walking along Trousers Beach.
- The interior of Flinders Island is largely rural and it was interesting to see fields of hay bales and grazing cattle juxtaposed against the protected mountain environment, which rises sharply to 756 metres above sea level. A national park was established on Flinders Island in 1967, although it wasn’t until 1972 that it was named after the Polish scientist and explorer Count Paul Edmund Strzelecki.
- From there we drove further south to the township of Lady Barron for lunch, checking out Yellow Beach on the way.
- After lunch we headed north, turning off at Emita to explore some interesting sites.
- Visiting the chapel and cemetery at Wybalenna was a sobering experience for us as an Anglo-Australian couple. Its place in the history of British colonial efforts to exterminate Tasmanian aborigines is infamous. The way in which traditional owners have reclaimed this land seemed forgiving, generous, and hopeful. As a nation we’ll be forever diminished if we can’t find a way to respect traditional owner wisdom, and embed it into all of our political and legal frameworks.
- The road to Wybalenna leads out to Port Davies, Settlement Point, and Lillies Beach. We lingered at Lillies Beach which has a picturesque old jetty. We were there at low tide, but it’s probably more photogenic at high tide.
- On the morning of our last day we headed east to Patriachs Inlet. It provided a lovely contrast to the rocky west coast, with impossibly long beaches backed by sand dunes and interspersed with tidal estuaries and mudflats. A great place for bird-watching and beachcombing…
- We then drove back to the west coast, stopping for a picnic lunch at the beautiful Allport Beach.
- After lunch we visited the Furneaux Museum (only open from 1-4 PM on Saturday and Sunday when we were there).
- Drove down to Sawyers Beach which is yet another beautiful spot. Lots of rocky outcrops in the foreground as we gazed south to Mt Strzelecki. We were there at low tide.
- From Sawyers Beach we drove up to Walkers Lookout which provides great views of the Darling Range including the very pointy Pillingers Peak, and the distant Mt Strzelecki. DO NOT, as I did, stand on a jackjumper nest when framing your shot of this gorgeous vista.
- Finished the day on the wharf at Whitemark before an early pub dinner then drive ‘home’ to West End.
- The following morning we packed up, drove to the airport, dropped off the car, and flew back to Hobart. Discussing how and when we’d next visit the oasis called Flinders Island…
