Freycinet National Park is a national park on the east coast of Tasmania, Australia, northeast of Hobart. It occupies a large part of the Freycinet Peninsula, named after French navigator Louis de Freycinet, and Schouten Island. Founded in 1916, it is Tasmania's oldest park, along with Mount Field National Park. Bordering the national park is the small settlement of Coles Bay, and the largest nearby town is Swansea. Freycinet contains part of the rugged Tasmanian coastline and includes the secluded Wineglass Bay. Features of the park include its red and pink granite formations and a series of jagged granite peaks in a line, called "The Hazards".
Because of the range of rare and endemic flora and fauna species present, as well as the diversity of landscapes and communities at Freycinet National Park, its role in conservation is particularly significant. The area within the park is also of cultural importance, with many Aboriginal and European sites protected, though deeper investigation into human history within the park still needs to be undertaken. Large sections of the park remain undisturbed by humans, including parts of the catchment and the landscape.
Tourism at Freycinet forms a significant component of the economy for the eastern part of Tasmania, with visitors drawn to the region by the natural environment, weather and recreational activities available in the area. Every year thousands of people are attracted to the coastal environments and the area's rural and isolated setting.
Geology
Devonian granite is the dominant rock type at Freycinet. Orthoclase, a pink feldspar, gives the mountains and coastline their characteristic pink tint. Black micas and white quartz are also found. The western side of Schouten Island is composed of Jurassic dolerite.
Ecology
Forty-nine endemic species to Tasmania are found at Freycinet.
Mammals found include the brushtail possum, ringtail possum, sugar glider, eastern pygmy possum, little pygmy possum, echidna, wombats, New Holland mouse, swamp rat, water rat, Tasmanian bettong and the long-nosed potoroo.
The Tasmanian devil was once common at the park, but has seen a significant drop in density due to the devil facial tumour disease. Cetaceans such as southern right whale, humpback whale, and bottlenose dolphins are known to use the bay to feed, calve or to take rests.
Flora
The vegetation in Freycinet National Park is indicative of temperature ranges and precipitation, just as it is through the rest of Tasmania. In this part of the state it is dominated by dry sclerophyll forests and woodlands, with black peppermint (Eucalyptus amygdalina) growing over an understorey of varying heaths such as Banksia spp., Leptospermum spp., Thryptomene spp., Melaleuca spp. and Calytrix spp. in the area of Hazards Lagoon. West of the lagoon the coastal scrub consists of Acacia longifolia with a thick forest of Allocasuarina verticillata, and to the east Eucalyptus ovata and Eucalyptus obliqua dominate the dry woodlands.
More than 500 plants have been recorded within the park, with over 80 species of orchids being sighted. Several species have a restricted distribution and numerous species, such as Melaleuca pustulata, Cyphanthera tasmanica, Epacris barbata and Westringia brevifolia var. raleighi are listed under the Tasmanian Threatened Species Protection Act 1995 (TSP Act).
Fauna
Mammals
The red-necked wallaby, also called Bennett's wallaby (Macropus rufogriseus), is one of the most commonly seen animals within the park and can be spotted grazing on low lying vegetation such as grass, they are also known to gather around people. Another common species seen is the eastern quoll (Dasyurus viverrinus), a marsupial carnivore which was previously sighted on the mainland of Australia but is now only found in Tasmania. Also extinct on the mainland, the Tasmanian pademelon (Thylogale billardierii) is still common in Freycinet National Park but they are rarely seen during the day, coming out at night to feed.
Echidnas (Tachyglossus aculeatus) can be seen during the day foraging through litter on forest floors, or among coastal vegetation, searching for ants or other food sources. The eastern pygmy possum (Cercartetus nanus) and the little pygmy possum (Cercartetus lepidus) are listed as vulnerable in several mainland Australian states but are not listed in Tasmania, and although they can be found at Freycinet, sightings of them are uncommon. The New Holland mouse (Pseudomys novaehollandiae) is listed as endangered under the Tasmanian TSP Act and sightings are rare, but it is known to be present within Freycinet National Park.
