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Swansea
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From Triabunna it's a fairly uneventful drive north to
SWANSEA
, overlooking
Great Oyster Bay
, with views across to the Freycinet Peninsula. If you're lucky, you might see dolphins frolicking in the bay from Franklin Street, the main street that runs along the waterfront. One of Tasmania's oldest settlements, Swansea is an administrative centre, fishing port and seaside resort, with well-preserved architecture dating from the 1830s to the 1880s. The focus of town has always been
Morris's General Store
, on Franklin Street, run by seven generations of the family since 1868. Further evidence of Swansea's past can be found at the
Community Centre
(Mon-Sat 9am-5pm; $3), also on Franklin Street, a former school now housing a miscellaneous collection including a billiard table built from a single log of blackwood ($2 for a game), and at the restored
Swansea Bark Mill & East Coast Museum
, 96 Tasman Highway (daily 9am-5pm; $5), once used to produce leather tanning agents from native blackwattle bark.
Accommodation options include the comfortable Swansea YHA , at 5 Franklin St (tel 03/6257 8367; under $20), with a piano in the common room; and the Swansea Motor Inn , at 1 Franklin St (tel 03/6257 8102, fax 6257 8397; $50-115), a fine old hotel with a pricier red-brick motel addition and a bistro. Freycinet Waters , at 16 Franklin St (tel 03/6257 8080, fax 6257 8075, www.freycinetwaters.com.au ; $90-115), is a light, refreshingly uncluttered seaside B&B in the old post office building; each en-suite room has its own private verandah overlooking the bay. Other B&B options include the Oyster Bay Guest House at 10 Franklin St (tel & fax 03/6257 8110; $70-150), and Meredith House , 15 Noyes St (tel 03/6257 8119, fax 6257 8123; en suite $115-150), an antique-filled guesthouse on a hill overlooking the bay. On the waterfront are two caravan parks with excellent facilities: Swansea Holiday Park on Shaw Street, opposite the Old Bark Mill (tel 03/6257 8177; cabins $50-70), and the friendly Kenmore Caravan Park , 2 Bridge St (tel 03/6257 8148; cabins $70-90, on-site vans $35-50).
As for
food
, Swansea has a wide choice. The
Shy Albatross Restaurant
(daily from 6pm; licensed), downstairs at the
Oyster Bay Guest House
, serves reasonably priced Italian food and local seafood. There's a very smart, award-winning restaurant specializing in seafood and game in the atmospheric 1846
Schouten House
, 1 Waterloo Rd (tel 03/6257 8564), with alfresco dining in summer. The
Left Bank Coffee & Food Bar
, behind the red door on the main street (closed Tues), has a great atmosphere, outdoor dining, excellent coffee and fresh, simple food. A prime spot for dolphin-watching is
Just Maggies
, a relaxed cafAŠ at 26 Franklin St (daily 9am-5pm), while
Kabuki By the Sea
(open daily for morning and afternoon tea and lunch; May-Nov Fri & Sat dinner, Dec-April Tues-Sat dinner; bookings essential on 03/6257 8588) is a fine Japanese-style restaurant 12km south on the Tasman Highway with stunning views; it also has some Japanese-style guest cottages ($70 and upwards). Other useful information
for tourists (each section contains more specific sub-sections): |
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Australia,
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