Wineglass Bay is beautiful. It’s also the most photographed beach in Tasmania, which means you’re sharing it with busloads of day-trippers from Hobart. The 90-minute return walk to the lookout is lovely. The beach itself is often too crowded to feel peaceful.

Here’s the thing though - Tasmania’s east coast is lined with beaches that are just as stunning, easier to access, and mostly empty. I’ve been exploring this coastline for years, and I’m still finding new spots where I’m the only person there.

Coles Bay Area (Beyond Wineglass)

Most people visit Freycinet National Park solely for Wineglass Bay. If you’re there anyway, walk past the crowds.

Hazards Beach is a 4km walk from the Wineglass Bay car park, continuing past the turnoff everyone takes. Same white sand, same turquoise water, fraction of the people. The track passes through coastal bush and over a small saddle before dropping down to a long, empty beach. Budget 4-5 hours return.

Sleepy Bay, 5 minutes drive from Coles Bay, has giant granite boulders scattered along the shoreline. It’s more dramatic than pretty, and the water’s usually too rough for swimming. But sunrise here is spectacular - the boulders glow orange and pink as the light hits them.

Honeymoon Bay (also called Muirs Beach) sits between Coles Bay and the national park. It’s a tiny crescent of sand protected by headlands. Calm water, good for kids, free access, barely anyone there. The kind of place locals use and tourists miss because it’s not signposted on the highway.

Bicheno to St Helens

Bicheno’s known for the penguin tours, which are worth doing. But the beaches here are underrated. Waubs Bay, right in town, has a protected lagoon perfect for swimming. The Blowhole and Diamond Island walks are short coastal trails with ocean views and rock platforms.

North of Bicheno, the coast gets quieter. Seymour has a long, straight beach that goes on for kilometres. I’ve walked the whole length and seen maybe three other people. The surf can be rough, so check conditions, but on calm days it’s perfect for long beach walks.

Douglas-Apsley National Park doesn’t get the attention of Freycinet, but the walking is excellent. The Apsley Waterhole track takes you through dry eucalypt forest to a swimming hole in the Apsley River. It’s 2.6km return and mostly flat - accessible without being boring.

St Helens itself is a working fishing town without much tourist polish, which I appreciate. The Bay of Fires starts just north of here, but even St Helens Bay (the town beach) is lovely - clear water, white sand, view across to the headland.

Bay of Fires

This gets marketed heavily now, so it’s not exactly unknown. But it’s a 50km stretch of coastline - there’s room to spread out.

The name comes from the orange lichen on the granite boulders that line sections of the beach. Combined with white sand and blue water, the colour contrast is striking. Every tourism campaign uses photos from here.

Binalong Bay, at the southern end, is the most accessible and therefore busiest section. The Bay of Fires Lodge Walk is a guided multi-day hike that’s supposed to be excellent (expensive though - $3000+ per person).

But you can access quieter sections by car. The Gardens is a day-use area with picnic facilities and a beautiful beach. Swimcart Beach, Cosy Corner, and The Gardens are all signposted off the main road and all have parking and beach access.

For total solitude, the northern sections past Eddystone Point Lighthouse are remote and barely visited. You’ll need decent clearance (some sections are unsealed roads) but you’ll have pristine beaches entirely to yourself.

Maria Island

This requires a ferry from Triabunna (30 minutes crossing), but it’s worth the logistics. Maria Island is a national park with no cars, no shops, no accommodation except camping. Just walking tracks, wildlife, and empty beaches.

Painted Cliffs, near the ferry landing, are the most photographed feature - sandstone cliffs with wave-cut patterns in orange, yellow, and grey. They’re genuinely impressive and only a short walk from the jetty.

But Shoal Bay, Haunted Bay, and Riedle Bay on the island’s eastern side are quiet beaches with good swimming. You’ll share them with wombats (the island’s full of them, and they’re remarkably unbothered by humans).

The Fossil Cliffs walk takes you to sections of coast where you can see 300-million-year-old fossils embedded in the rock. Not exactly beach lounging, but geology nerds will love it.

Practical Details

Water Temperature: Tasmania’s east coast water is cold. Summer (Dec-Feb) it might hit 18-20°C in sheltered bays. That’s swimmable if you don’t mind cold water, but most people don’t last long without a wetsuit.

Weather: East coast is Tasmania’s sunniest region, but it’s still Tasmania. Weather changes fast. Bring warm layers even in summer.

Where to Base Yourself: Coles Bay for Freycinet access. Bicheno for central coast. St Helens for Bay of Fires. Each is small but has accommodation, cafes, and supplies.

Driving Times: Hobart to Coles Bay is 2.5 hours. Coles Bay to Bicheno is 40 minutes. Bicheno to St Helens is 1 hour. The coast road is scenic but slower than you’d expect - lots of curves, and you’ll want to stop at viewpoints.

When to Go: December to March for warmest weather and water. April-May for autumn colours and fewer tourists (but cooler water). Winter (June-Aug) is too cold for beach time unless you’re very hardy.

Why It’s Better Than the Mainland

Tasmania’s beaches have something most mainland beaches don’t - clean water and minimal development. You won’t find high-rise apartments or commercial beachfronts here. Most beaches have a small car park, maybe a toilet block, and that’s it.

The east coast particularly benefits from facing away from the prevailing westerly winds. While the west coast gets hammered by Southern Ocean swells and weather, the east coast sits in relative shelter and gets more sunshine.

Plus the granite boulders and headlands give each beach distinct character. Mainland beaches can blur together after a while - long stretches of sand that all look similar. Here, every beach has different rock formations, different colour lichen, different headland views.

Final Thoughts

If you only do Wineglass Bay, you’ve seen about 2% of Tasmania’s east coast beaches. Which is fine - it’s a beautiful 2%. But if you’ve got a few extra days and a car, exploring the rest of this coastline is deeply rewarding.

The beaches here don’t have the subtropical warmth of Queensland or the surf culture of the NSW coast. What they have is space, clean water, dramatic scenery, and the feeling that you’ve found something most people miss.

Bring a wetsuit, allow time for spontaneous stops, and don’t be in a rush. The east coast reveals itself slowly.