Coles Bay is an Australian town on the east Coast of

Tasmania Tasmania (; palawa kani: ''Lutruwita'') is an island States and territories of Australia, state of Australia. It is located to the south of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland, and is separated from it by the Bass Strait. The sta ...

192 km north-east of

Hobart Hobart ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the island state of Tasmania, Australia. Located in Tasmania's south-east on the estuary of the River Derwent, it is the southernmost capital city in Australia. Despite containing nearly hal ...

and 173 km south-east of Launceston, being the main entrance point for visitors to the

Freycinet National Park 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 has a population of 515 people including the surrounding area, but many tourists visit the area for its scenery and outdoor activities, which include

hiking A hike is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century. Long hikes as part of a religious pilgrimage have existed for a much longer time. "Hi ...

biking Cycling, also known as bicycling or biking, is the activity of riding a bicycle or other types of pedal-driven human-powered vehicles such as balance bikes, unicycles, tricycles, and quadricycles. Cycling is practised around the world fo ...

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment (Freshwater ecosystem, freshwater or Marine ecosystem, marine), but may also be caught from Fish stocking, stocked Body of water, ...

boating Boating is the leisurely activity of travelling by boat, or the recreational use of a boat whether powerboats, sailboats, or man-powered vessels (such as rowing and paddle boats), focused on the travel itself, as well as sports activities, suc ...

and

Sea kayak A sea kayak or touring kayak is a kayak used for the sport of Watercraft paddling, paddling on open waters of lakes, bays, and oceans. Sea kayaks are seaworthy small boats with a covered deck and the ability to incorporate a spray deck. They t ...

ing. The town is on the northern end of

Great Oyster Bay Great Oyster Bay is a broad and sheltered bay on the east coast of Tasmania, Australia which opens onto the Tasman Sea. The Tasman Highway runs close to the West Coast of the bay with views of the granite peaks of the Hazards and Schouten Island ...

with views of the red and pink granite peaks known as

The Hazards The Hazards are a mountain range located in the Freycinet National Park on the east coast of Tasmania, Australia. The range is positioned between Coles Bay and Wineglass Bay and are said to be named after a local whaler, African-American Captai ...

, on the

Freycinet Peninsula The Freycinet Peninsula is a large peninsula located on the eastern coast of Tasmania, Australia. The peninsula is located north of Schouten Island and is contained within the Freycinet National Park. The locality of Freycinet is in the local g ...

. It is in the area of the

Glamorgan Spring Bay Council Glamorgan (), or sometimes Glamorganshire ( or ), was Historic counties of Wales, one of the thirteen counties of Wales that existed from 1536 until their abolishment in 1974. It is located in the South Wales, south of Wales. Originally an ea ...

. Each Easter the town is one of the three locations for the

Australian Three Peaks Race The 'Australian Three Peaks Race'' is a short-handed offshore sailing and endurance mountain running event that was held in Tasmania, the southernmost state of Australia, over the Easter long weekend. The first race was in 1989 and the race was ...

, a continuous sailing and running event starting at Beauty Point just north of Launceston and ending at Hobart with runners scaling three mountains including Mount Freycinet (33 km run; 620 m ascent).

History

Whaling parties, tin and coal miners and pastoralists are some of the many people who have lived and worked on the Freycinet Peninsula since European settlement. Old mine shafts and abandoned farmers' huts remain today and attract tourists. A shore-based whaling station was established by

George Meredith George Meredith (12 February 1828 – 18 May 1909) was an English novelist and poet of the Victorian era. At first, his focus was poetry, influenced by John Keats among others, but Meredith gradually established a reputation as a novelist. '' ...

in 1824. It only ever operated in the winter months and had been abandoned by the 1850s. In 1916 the area along with Mount Field became Tasmania's first national park. Coles Bay Post Office opened on 21 December 1953.

Population

In the 2021 Census, there were 515 people in Coles Bay. 54.0% of people were born in Australia and 62.7% of people spoke only English at home, The most common response for religion was No Religion at 42.5%.

Plastic shopping bag ban

The town became one of the first in the world to ban

plastic shopping bag In use by consumers worldwide since the 1960s, shopping bags made from various kinds of plastic, are variously called plastic shopping bags, carrier bags, or plastic grocery bags. They are sometimes referred to as single-use bags—referring to c ...

s in April 2003, after a two-year campaign. Local bakery owner and Coles Bay Tourism Association president Ben Kearney organised all the Coles Bay retailers to stop using plastic bags and worked with

Planet Ark Planet Ark Environmental Foundation is an Australian non-profit environmental organization founded in 1992. Planet Ark aims to partner with organizations in the public and private sectors to help find ways to reduce impact on planet Earth. The f ...

to introduce alternatives including recycled paper bags which can be purchased for a small fee and reusable calico shopping bags. On Australia Day 2005 Ben Kearney was declared ''Australia's Local Hero for 2005'' for his commitment to the environment. The Tasmanian Government awarded Coles Bay an Environmental Excellence Award for banning use of plastic bags. OysterBay

References

External links

Coles Bay Website
{{authority control Towns in Tasmania Bays of Tasmania Localities of Glamorgan–Spring Bay Council Whaling stations in Australia