Coles Bay is the village bordering Freycinet National Park on Tasmania’s east coast. The area, encompassing Freycinet Peninsula, was charted by Nicolas Baudin’s expedition in 1802, hence the retention of many French names. Freycinet’s a Lovely Place Imagine the tranquillity of drifting morning mist Watching as the Hazards are by rising sunshine kissed The solitude of gently paddling in a drifting kayak Setting out from Muirs ‘round the Coles Bay shore and back Imagine cruising the Peninsula, to beaches wild and free Down to Schouten Island, through the Passage, out to sea All the way to Wineglass or the monster Taillefer Rock Before returning home, passing seals on Ile des Phoques Imagine climbing up the Saddle; special views of Wineglass Bay Or flying high to see it all on a blue, blue, sparkling day And guided nature walks for those, who feel they should know more Aboriginal middens and sea-life along the shore Freycinet’s a lovely place! Imagine touring coastal vineyards to savour tasty wine With local oysters, mussels, crays; seafood really fine From take-away to silver service, it’s all a special treat Sharing meals by candlelight with friends that you may meet Imagine quiet games of golf or tennis by the hall And a playground for your children, while you hit a ball Then relaxing on the beach, a quick dip would be fun Before Happy Hour with friends, as you watch the setting sun Imagine fishing down the Bay; bonza relaxation And catching lots of flatties; prone to exaggeration! Whether camping by the beach or in a home away from home Where e’er you stay in Freycinet, the views are all your own Then when it’s time to go at last; you can no longer stay Maybe you will contemplate while travelling far away Freycinet’s a lovely place! Molly Greaves. 2nd July, 2008 Honeymoon Bay Greg Alomes, Echidna Corner, Executive Commissioner, 1 Florence Street, Tasmanian Planning Commission Coles Bay 7215 144 Macquarie Street, 6th April, 2019 Hobart 7000 Dear Mr. Alomes, I’m a resident of Coles Bay and am extremely concerned about the effect, which the proposed Cambria Green development would have on our village. Already, at peak times here we find that an array of vehicles (cars, RVs, large buses, motorbikes) pedestrians and cyclists, is endangering life and limb; parking is often impossible; accommodation is bursting at the seams and septic systems are inadequate for the ever-increasing number of visitors - just to mention a few problems. Similar difficulties afflict Freycinet National Park, resulting for instance, in the once delightful walk to the Wineglass Bay Lookout, now being so crowded at busy times, it could be likened to Pitt Street in Sydney. The Cambria Green complex, has the probability of housing, in excess of one thousand guests at any one time - calculated on two persons per room/unit/apartment etc. I surmise that Management would aim to have the resort full to capacity, as often as possible and with the whole Chinese population on which to draw, such occupancy would be easily achievable, especially with guests flown in and out. Noise pollution from flights over Freycinet would have to be banned. The following statistics are outlined in a report by Tasmanian-based urban planners Ireneinc and include: an 18-hole golf course; a nine-hole golf course; a runway for light aircraft; a 120 room “Cambria Sky Hotel” with associated gourmet bistro; 70 villas; 240 accommodation units; 80 more apartments set off the golf course; and an 80-bed health retreat. Consequently, the influx of constant, massive numbers of tourists from Cambria, right on Freycinet’s doorstep would exacerbate pressure on infrastructure and the limited facilities of the area. Quality of life for residents would be compromised as there’d be little ‘down time’, from being overwhelmed by tourists. Such constant activity, would also affect wildlife, resulting in wallabies, possums and echidnas not feeling safe enough to visit the village, which happens now in quiet times, much to the delight of locals. Often, I’ve had visitors express their surprise, that this beautiful place of ours is so undeveloped! Imagine if it were in Queensland – the mind boggles! I believe Freycinet has been fortunate that it’s not near a highly populated area, where people could commute to and from work. Another sentiment often expressed, is that coming to Tassie is like stepping back in time; how delighted they are to find a Tassie, which reminds them of life 20/30/40 years ago; somewhere under- developed and with a slow, tranquil lifestyle. This and its unspoiled villages, land and sea-scapes, wildlife and wilderness regions, is what brings visitors here – to escape ‘Gold Coast’ environments. I am not opposed to development per se, but it needs to be sensitive and low-key – in keeping with the ambiance of Tasmania. I am opposed to large foreign developments, which degrade our environment and where profits and benefits go off-shore. If one such resort is permitted, then it sets a precedence and opens a virtual Pandora’s Box. On 22nd February, the ABC 4 Corners programme aired Project Dragon, about illegal Chinese money-laundering in Australia. Could this be possible with Cambria? Even if it is not so, I beg of you - please, don’t allow large, foreign investors, who are only interested in profit, to corrupt our beautiful east coast! Yours sincerely, Molly Greaves I live at Coles Bay on the edge of Freycinet National Park, Tasmania. Pink, granite mountains called The Hazards, form part of Freycinet Peninsula. There are many beautiful walks in the area. To the Top of the Hill Two steps away from my front door there’s a track that winds up hill An early morning bush track with little birds that trill Laughing kookaburras Contented croaking frogs Then sometimes when it’s really quiet An echidna snuffling logs Where wallabies thump through the bush Disturbed while feeding early Bees swarming in the wattle blooms A buzzing hurly burly In the dewy, scraggy Coles Bay bush Where nothing’s neat and tidy There’s a deep, dark hole dug in a bank A perfect wombat hidey The crunch of gravel underfoot And early morning freshness Sunlight filters through the trees The scent of eucalyptus Sags and bracken by the track; she-oak, gums and ti-tree Share my solitude each day and the joy of feeling free While across the bay The Hazards rise from the restless sea And watch me on my morning walk Lucky, lucky me! st Molly Greaves 1 April 2003 Richardson’s Beach and the pink granite Hazard Range, Coles Bay from the veranda of Echidna Corner SLEEPY COLES BAY What’s gunna happen to sleepy Coles Bay? I listen to rumours I hear what they say The developers are coming They’re coming to stay What’s gunna happen to sleepy Coles Bay? The rustic Chateau was the first thing to go And Freycinet Lodge then started to show The world, what we have here – a jewel by the sea And tourists flowed in to see what they could see They came and they marvelled; they climbed and they walked But a five-star resort was not what they sought They wanted no glitz. They wanted no glamour They loved what was natural, away from the clamour New developments mean that hundreds will stay What’s gunna happen to sleepy Coles Bay? Beware big ideas and big wallets to match Rich people, who’ll look at Coles Bay with its shacks See a small sleepy village, that’s not up to scratch Want it to be like their up-market patch! What’s gunna happen to sleepy Coles Bay? Will units be built where our children now play And be high-rise apartments whatever we say? Will loud noises resonate all night and day? Will the town be restructured, reformed, rearranged Kerbed and channelled, concreted, shops exotic and strange Boutiqued and five-starred for the jet-setter set Shaped into a mould that is just like the rest? Will wildflowers, the bush and tracks up the back Be lost to suburbia? Will they go for a zac? Let’s limit development. Limit the sprawl Draw a line near the town and say, ‘Now that’s all!’ So our wallabies, still will be bounding around So echidnas can still come snuffling through town So possums will still climb about on our decks And won’t all be lost, to the development hex We must keep what we have, relaxed and low-key That’s what the lifestyle of Coles Bay must be Improvements so sensitive, we won’t have to say ‘I wish we had done it some other way!’ Brushtail possum What’s gunna happen to sleepy Coles Bay? Tucked in a corner of Great Oyster Bay Rubbing soft shoulders with loved Freycinet Just over the Saddle from pure Wineglass Bay Peacefully sleeping the years away What’s gunna happen to sleepy Coles Bay? Molly Greaves Sleepy Coles Bay .