“Hi, I'm Shannon, during the summer of 2011 as a bursary student with Forestry Tasmania, I took the challenge to visit Forestry Tamania's 52 visitor sites.
If you are on the West Coast, Swan Basin Picnic Area is a great secluded spot to have some lunch or stretch your legs after the drive to Strahan. To get there, you head through Strahan (coming from Queenstown), and follow the signs which direct you to Macquarie Heads. The picnic area is located only 7km along the road to Macquarie Heads.
The road here is gravel, and is used by log trucks, however if you keep to your left and drive carefully, it is suitable to take any vehicle. You will see a sign warning you that the picnic area is coming up, and only a further 200m will bring you into the centre of Swan Basin Picnic Area.
You can park on the left hand side, near the boat ramp, then there are several BBQ’s and picnic tables available for use. I also located two walks which leave from either side of the main road. They are only short, and would be a great way to burn off your lunch, or just take in the scenery. The first walk, on the water side on the road is the Coastal Walk loop, only 10 minutes return. This takes you along the waters edge, and through the different tree species, in particular the coastal tea tree that has been so resilient in this area. The walk then winds back on itself, through ferns and pops out just above the starting point.
If you head over to the other side of the road, the Swan Basin Lookout, takes only 5 minutes return and provides spectacular views over the Swan Basin area. The track is uphill, and quite narrow in spots, then toward the top are a few stairs so be careful as it can get slippery.
If you continue along the road in, it goes along to camping grounds, and there are also some 4WD tracks, for the adventurous type. I didn’t test these out, as I wasn’t in an appropriate vehicle, but if you try them, I’d love to know what they are like.
So, if you are looking for a quite spot for lunch, or just somewhere to escape from the crowds, I highly recommend Swan Basin Picnic Area. There wasn’t another sole in sight when I went, and the minimal road traffic made it very peaceful.
GPS Coordinates :
LAT : 42°11'14.30"S
LON : 145°16'34.31"E
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52 Places to Visit
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