Bicheno

512 votes

Sunny Bicheno mixes glass-bottom boat tours, a nightly little-penguin parade and Tasmania’s most Instagrammed blowhole. Café strips and seafood shacks frame the protected gulch, while new mountain-bike trails and wine bars draw year-round visitors. Holiday homes here enjoy enviably high winter occupancy thanks to the mild, east-coast micro-climate.

2

Coles Bay

498 votes

Coles Bay sits beneath the pink-granite Hazards, acting as the adventure base for Freycinet hikes, sea-kayak tours and Tassie’s best fish-and-chips straight off the pier. Sunrise coffee on the sand quickly becomes a daily ritual for residents and investors alike, with Airbnb bookings spilling out of peak months now.

3

Freycinet National Park

462 votes

Dramatic pink granite peaks, white-sand coves and crystal-clear water make Freycinet Tasmania’s postcard park. Walks range from 20-minute lookouts to multiday circuit hikes, and the eco-campground books out months ahead. Proximity underpins Coles Bay property values and fuels steady demand for guided adventure experiences.

4

Wineglass Bay

438 votes

Regularly ranked among the world’s top beaches, Wineglass Bay rewards a short but steep saddle climb with that iconic hourglass view. Catamarans anchor in turquoise shallows, hikers cool off in squeaky sand, and proposal photos flood social feeds—making the bay a priceless marketing asset for the entire coast.

5

Bay of Fires

382 votes

Up the coast, orange-lichen boulders meet ice-blue water at the Bay of Fires. Free beachside camp spots, luxe eco-lodges and a celebrated guided walk cater to every budget. Low-light nights reveal stellar Milky Way displays that boost winter visitation and strengthen off-season rental yields.

6

Maria Island

275 votes

Car-free Maria Island pairs convict ruins with wombat-lined clifftop cycles and the fossil-rich Painted Cliffs. Day-trippers ferry across from Triabunna, while campers share star-filled skies with Tasmanian devils. The island’s growing wildlife reputation supports charter-boat operators and eco-tour guides on the mainland.

7

Swansea

250 votes

Seaside Swansea lines Great Oyster Bay with heritage cottages, a nine-hole golf course and cafés serving Tassie’s sweetest scallop pies. Express coaches link to Hobart in 90 minutes, making the town a viable remote-working option. Waterfront land releases are snapped up quickly by retirees seeking relaxed luxury.

8

Great Oyster Bay

240 votes

Dolphin pods, sailing regattas and oyster punts pepper Great Oyster Bay’s sheltered expanse. Locals launch tinnies at dawn, while sunset cruises deliver sparkling wine against the Hazards’ fiery glow. Waterfront homes enjoy calm-water playgrounds and commanding Freycinet vistas impossible to replicate elsewhere on the coast.

9

Friendly Beaches

213 votes

Part of Freycinet, Friendly Beaches offers wild surf breaks, squeaky white sand and free, first-come bush camps hidden behind dunes. Early risers share dawn light with hooded plovers, and whales cruise past in winter—rewarding photographers and reinforcing the coast’s pristine wilderness reputation.

10

Devil’s Corner Winery

190 votes

Devil’s Corner pairs award-winning pinot with a stylish lookout tower framing the Hazards. Gourmet pizza, oyster bars and live music keep the cellar-door lawns humming, while Instagram exposure gives the broader East Coast wine trail a distinct millennial edge.

11

Douglas–Apsley National Park

165 votes

Often overlooked, Douglas–Apsley shelters dry sclerophyll forests, deep dolerite gorges and refreshing swimming holes just inland from Bicheno. Short family walks, overnight wilderness treks and turquoise Apsley Waterhole provide uncrowded alternatives when coastal carparks overflow in peak summer.

12

St Helens

152 votes

Tasmania’s game-fishing capital has reinvented itself with world-class mountain-bike networks, food trucks on the wharf and chic gin bars in renovated warehouses. Strong short-stay demand sees ex-fisherman’s cottages reborn as trendy, bike-friendly Airbnb pads.

13

St Columba Falls

142 votes

One of Tasmania’s highest waterfalls thunders 90 metres through lush myrtle rainforest near Pyengana. A five-minute stroll rewards travellers with mist-cooled viewing decks—an essential leg-stretch between St Helens oysters and Launceston wine bars.

14

Spiky Bridge

125 votes

Built by convicts in 1843, this quirky roadside bridge near Swansea features upright field stones designed to keep sheep from toppling over the edge. The photogenic spikes and interpretation panels turn the quick highway pull-out into a memorable history lesson for self-drive tourists.

15

Moulting Lagoon

118 votes

Ramsar-listed Moulting Lagoon hosts Australia’s largest black-swans flock each spring. Bird hides, kayak tours and evening pelican fly-pasts delight nature lovers, while surrounding vineyards thrive in the lagoon’s moderating maritime breezes—proving conservation and viticulture can co-exist beautifully.

16

Cape Tourville Lighthouse

110 votes

A wheelchair-accessible boardwalk circles this cliff-edge beacon, granting 360-degree views over Freycinet, Wineglass Bay and migrating humpbacks. Ten-minute effort, billion-dollar outlook—perfect for time-poor travellers and an unbeatable sunset picnic spot for lucky locals.

17

Little Swanport

92 votes

Oyster punts, riverside camps and farm-gate freshwater cray signify laid-back Little Swanport. Hobby farms with water frontages tempt tree-changers chasing estuary sunsets, while the nearby distillery’s malt-smoked salmon attracts gourmet detours off the Tasman Highway.

18

Richardson’s Beach

85 votes

Just steps from Coles Bay village, Richardson’s Beach offers calm paddling waters by day and starlit campground vibes by night. National-park tent sites frequently sell out six months ahead, underpinning off-park holiday-home demand during the busy summer season.

19

Tasman Highway

80 votes

The scenic Tasman Highway ribbons 300 kilometres from Hobart to St Helens, linking oyster sheds, vineyard lookouts and lavender fields. Road-trip traffic underpins many coastal cafés and keeps fuel stations, B-and-Bs and farm-gate stalls trading strongly outside peak holiday windows.

20

Spring Bay

75 votes

Anchored by Triabunna’s marina, Spring Bay offers sheltered sailing, booming abalone exports and easy ferry access to Maria Island. Seafood festivals, quirky tiny-home stays and proposed marina expansion point to a bright future for this underrated working-waterfront community.

Area Hotlist — South East Coast TAS