Freycinet National Park
| Freycinet National Park Tasmania | |
|---|---|
|
IUCN category II (national park) | |
 Wineglass Bay | |
  Freycinet National Park | |
| Nearest town or city | Swansea |
| Coordinates | 42°07′31″S 148°17′54″E / 42.12528°S 148.29833°ECoordinates: 42°07′31″S 148°17′54″E / 42.12528°S 148.29833°E |
| Established | 1916 |
| Area | 169 km2 (65.3 sq mi) |
| Visitation | 200,000 [1] (in 2008) |
| Managing authorities | Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service |
| Official site | Freycinet National Park |
| See also | Protected areas of Tasmania |
Freycinet is a national park on the east coast of Tasmania, Australia, 125 km 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 close town is Swansea. Freycinet contains part of the rugged Tasmanian coastline and includes the secluded Wineglass Bay, voted by several travel authorities as one of the world's ten best beaches. Famous features of the park include its red and pink granite formations and a series of jagged granite peaks in a line, called "The Hazards".
Geology
Devonian Granite is the dominant rock type at Freycinet.[2] Orthoclase, a pink feldspar gives the mountains and coastline their characteristic pink tint.[2] Black micas and white quartz are also found.[2] The western side of Schouten Island is composed of Jurassic Dolerite.[2]
Flora and fauna
Forty-nine endemic species to Tasmania are found at Freycinet.[2]
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.[2]
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.
Climate
The park receives on average 600 mm (23.6 in.) of rain per year. It has a climate similar to that of France with on average more than 300 days of sunshine.[3]
| Climate data for Friendly Beaches | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 36.4 (97.5) |
37.0 (98.6) |
37.0 (98.6) |
31.4 (88.5) |
24.0 (75.2) |
21.0 (69.8) |
19.0 (66.2) |
23.5 (74.3) |
27.0 (80.6) |
32.7 (90.9) |
35.0 (95) |
37.0 (98.6) |
37.0 (98.6) |
| Average high °C (°F) | 22.8 (73) |
22.6 (72.7) |
21.4 (70.5) |
18.6 (65.5) |
16.1 (61) |
14.1 (57.4) |
13.7 (56.7) |
14.7 (58.5) |
16.7 (62.1) |
18.0 (64.4) |
19.5 (67.1) |
21.8 (71.2) |
18.3 (64.9) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 13.1 (55.6) |
13.2 (55.8) |
11.8 (53.2) |
9.6 (49.3) |
8.3 (46.9) |
6.4 (43.5) |
5.7 (42.3) |
6.1 (43) |
7.5 (45.5) |
8.6 (47.5) |
10.0 (50) |
11.6 (52.9) |
9.3 (48.7) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 6.0 (42.8) |
7.2 (45) |
5.3 (41.5) |
1.0 (33.8) |
−1.1 (30) |
0.0 (32) |
−0.5 (31.1) |
−0.1 (31.8) |
1.2 (34.2) |
1.2 (34.2) |
3.0 (37.4) |
5.5 (41.9) |
−1.1 (30) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 61.2 (2.409) |
60.3 (2.374) |
53.7 (2.114) |
50.3 (1.98) |
47.0 (1.85) |
36.2 (1.425) |
48.5 (1.909) |
48.7 (1.917) |
33.3 (1.311) |
65.2 (2.567) |
58.8 (2.315) |
36.6 (1.441) |
601.7 (23.689) |
| Source: Bureau of Meteorology [4] | |||||||||||||
See also
References
- ↑ "Independent, tourism-related Web site for Tasmania". Michael Lichon. Retrieved 2009-05-09.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 TASMAP - Freycinet National Park. DPIW.
- ↑ Hema Maps (1997). Discover Australia's National Parks. Milsons Point, New South Wales: Random House Australia. p. 364. ISBN 1-875992-47-2.
- ↑ "Climate Statistics for Friendly Beaches". Australian Government. Bureau of Meteorology. Retrieved 2 June 2009.
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Freycinet National Park. |
-
Freycinet National Park travel guide from Wikivoyage - Official site
- Coles Bay information website
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