Book your accommodation early
The Freycinet Challenge is a weekend event on Saturday 5 October and Sunday 6 October 2024. The race starts early on both days, so you'll definitely want to be staying at Coles Bay, or somewhere on the East Coast of Tasmania. Book your accommodation now!
If you're planning to do the 2-day race, you'll want to be at staying somewhere on the East Coast for 2-3 nights from Friday. If you're planning to do the 1-day race, you'll want to be staying on the East Coast for 1-2 nights from Saturday.
This event does attract many people to the area, so our recommendation is to book your accommodation as early as possible. If you're finding it hard to find available accommodation at Coles Bay, there are other paces to stay in nearby towns and localities:
Coles Bay
The town of Coles Bay is on the edge of the Freycinet National Park. This is a holiday destination for many Tasmania residents, so there are many homes available as short-stay rentals. Coles Bay is one of the major tourist destinations in Tasmania, so there are numerous hotels, resorts, caravan sites and camping grounds in the area. The town also has a pub, a bakery, a cafe, restaurants, a supermarket, a petrol station and a general store.
Swanwick
5 minute drive to Coles Bay (6 kms)
Swanwick is a small seaside village that is just up the road from Coles Bay. The village is a settlement of holiday homes, with many of them available as short-stay rentals.
Friendly Beaches
15 minute drive to Coles Bay (19 kms)
Friendly Beaches is a rural locality with stunning beaches, and is located on the main road leading into Coles Bay. Basic camping is available at Isaacs Point on a first-in, first-served basis which is suitable for tents, camper vans, and caravans.
Bicheno
30 minute drive to Coles Bay (38 kms)
Bicheno is a seaside town on the east coast of Tasmania, which is 185 kilometres north-east of Hobart on the Tasman Highway. The town was awarded Tassie’s Top Tourism Town for 2022. Bicheno has a supermarket, restaurants, petrol stations, takeaways, a pub and cafes, with hotels, hostels, camping grounds and short-stay rental homes available for accommodation. This is a great place to stay when availability at Coles Bay is limited.
Dolphin Sands
45 minute drive to Coles Bay (57 kms)
Dolphin Sands is a seaside and rural locality which is just outside of Swansea (see below). Here you will find numerous short-stay homes nestled behind the sand dunes in coastal bush settings.
Swansea
47 minute Drive from Coles Bay (59 kms)
Swansea is a town in the heart of Tasmania's east coast, on the north-west shore of Great Oyster Bay and overlooking Freycinet National Park. The busy town has a supermarket, a general store, a hardware store, petrol stations, restaurants, takeaways, a pub, a bakery and cafes, with hotels, hostels, camping grounds and short-stay rental homes available for accommodation. This is a great place to stay when availability at Coles Bay or Bicheno is limited.
