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[Mystic]

From Hobart, head south through Huonville and Dover, reaching the beginning of the Recherche Bay region around one & a half hours from Hobart. The roads are well signposted, and fully sealed, with the exception of the last section starting just south of Southport. This unsealed road is usually in good condition, the only thing you need to be careful of are some of the local residents who tend to travel a little too fast through this stretch.

The Recherche Bay series of camping areas begin around 5 miles north of Cockle Creek, which is at the very end of the road, and is the most southern point of any formed road on the planet. As you travel through the Recherche Bay area you will find numerous camping areas on the right hand side of the road. Each area has a pit toilet, fireplaces, but no other facilities. You will need to bring your own firewood and water. We found that a house opposite the hardware store at Dover sold small bags of firewood of good size and quality at $5 each or 3 for $10.

The camping grounds in this beachside section are large, some open, others quite well sheltered, all quite beautiful, and directly across the road from an isolated section of beach. The area can get quite busy during the December-January period, but would be reasonably lonely at other times of year. We arrived in late October and found very few campsites to be occupied.

Our selected site was at Finns Beach, around 100 metres before you see the sign announcing you have arrived in Catamaran. Although quite a large area, with room for numerous campers, we were lucky enough to have the site to ourselves. We pitched our tent with a clear view of the ocean beach and a great sunrise the next morning. Firewood is not easy to collect here, so we were glad to have brought our own. The pit toilet surprised us, as did most around Tasmania, in that it was kept very clean and a pleasure to use.

Finns Beach was a great, isolated stretch of beach offering fantastic views across the bay and forest lined beaches. The best part of this location though was the night sky. I had never seen anything quite so spectacular in my life, and still have not found anywhere quite like this. Emerging from the tent for a middle of the night call of nature I was absolutely struck by the sheer number and brightness of the stars filling the sky overhead. Unfortunately, whether it was because I was still half asleep, or just struck down by the majestic night show, I did not manage to take any photographs. We plan to return to this location during winter, and hope to bring back some spectacular night sky shots then.

A very peaceful location with plenty of bird life and scenery, and long beaches to stroll through. A great place to stay if you want to explore Cockle Creek but wish to avoid the restrictions (more about these shortly) and popularity of Cockle Creek itself. Another campground can be found between here and Cockle Creek only a mile or so down the road at Catamaran. Although we did not stay here, we did drop in and take a look around. The Catamaran ground was very open, with a couple of secluded little sites, ideal for tents and those seeking a little privacy away from others. Quite a pretty bayside location with a boat ramp.

From here it is only a couple of miles to Cockle Creek, an area contained within the South West National Park, and therefore requiring park entry passes. (Rechereche Bay campgrounds are free to access, and can be found all along the road to Cockle Creek, right up to the bridge over the creek itself. Once you cross the bridge though, you are now inside the National Park area.

Whereas you are able to bring your vehicle right to your site at the other areas, here you must park your car and walk a very short distance (100 yards) into the campsites. You must use only fuel stoves within this park as no open fires are permitted.

A number of great walks start out from here and it is possible to explore the southern coastline if you are fit and so inclined. This is generally considered the ending point for the South Coast Track, which starts at Maleluca (a place where access is only by air), though you can do the track in reverse, starting from Cockle Creek. This is usually not advised as weather conditions through the south east can be changeable and extreme, making it difficult for a flight to reach Maleluca, and walkers can be stranded there for quite a while. A number of shorter walks exist around the area, including a trek taking in the final (and some say best) stretch of the aforementioned trek.

The beaches around here are stunning, and you will find numerous photographs of them, the mountainous backdrop of Mt La Perouse (aften snow capped), and the crystal clear waters of Cockle Creek itself, within our gallery. This is an idyllic location, pure, white sands, clear blue water, forested beaches and spectacular scenery. Well worth the trip to visit, though you should avoid peak periods of the year as this can be an exceptionally popular destination during school holidays, particularly in summer.

A couple of tips, if you are heading to the far south east:

• Huonville offers the last major shopping centre where you will find large supermarkets. It is a good idea to pick up any supplies you will require for your stay whilst passing through.
• Dover is definitely the last chance you will have to purchase reasonably priced supplies. Here you will find an IGA store (small supermarket), and a hardware that sells camping supplies.
• Firewood is very hard to find once inside the Recherche Bay region, though you may spot a few locations where forests have been felled during the drive in. We were able to purchase good quality firewood at very reasonable prices from a house opposite the hardware store in Dover.
• If you like to have some alcoholic refreshments during your stay... Dover Hotel is your last chance to buy it. While you can purchase alcohol and other supplies at Southport, please be aware that this is a very small convenience store, and you are likely to pay quite a high price.
• There is no fresh water throughout the Recherche Bay campgrounds, though tank water is available at Cockle Creek. Please make sure you have adequate water for your stay.

I give Finns mainly because of the night sky, but also due to the general location of our site, the sunrise, and the surrounding bush. I really enjoyed this location

Our campsite at Finns Beach

Location map

Map supplied by Tasmap, for more mapping information
please see www.tasmap.tas.gov.au

[Shane V]

The campsite at Finns Beach was spectacular. I saw this one from the road and thought, "wow this would be a fantastic place to stay." When we pulled in to the site proper and got out of the car it definitely lived up to expctations.

I looked over towards the beach and the water was calm and had a gorgeous blue colour. The campsite was green and had shade,which was good. The ground felt stable underfoot but also soft.

Pitching the tent was easy. The pegs went into the ground very easily, except where there was a tree root and then the hatchet came out. It didn't take long for the campsite to look like it was lived in.

We sat that night in front of a campfire looking out over Recherche Bay, with the sound of the water gently lapping the beach...a lovely sound to go to sleep to. Anna got up in the middle of the night and when she got back into the tent she woke me up and said, "take a look outside". At first I thought there might have been a wild animal of sorts out there, so I was looking around the ground. Then I turned my gaze upwards. I could not believe the stars could put on such a beautiful show. There were so many and they were the brightest that I have ever seen.

Overall I would give this site a rating. It is quiet, scenic and just a great place to get away from it all.