Coles Bay, the hub of Tourism on Tasmania's east coast, is an Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

n town on the east Coast of Tasmania

Tasmania

Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...

 located 192 km (2hrs 20min drive) north east of Hobart

Hobart

Hobart is the state capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Founded in 1804 as a penal colony,Hobart is Australia's second oldest capital city after Sydney. In 2009, the city had a greater area population of approximately 212,019. A resident of Hobart is known as...

 and 209 km (2hrs 30min drive) south east of Launceston

Launceston, Tasmania

Launceston is a city in the north of the state of Tasmania, Australia at the junction of the North Esk and South Esk rivers where they become the Tamar River. Launceston is the second largest city in Tasmania after the state capital Hobart...

, being the main entrance point for visitors to the Freycinet National Park

Freycinet National Park

Freycinet is a national park on the east coast of Tasmania, Australia, 125 km northeast of Hobart. It occupies a large part of the Freycinet Peninsula, named after French navigator Louis de Freycinet, and Schouten Island....

. It has a population of about 470 people including the surrounding area, but a large number of tourists visit the area for its scenery and outdoor activities, which include hiking

Hiking

Hiking is an outdoor activity which consists of walking in natural environments, often in mountainous or other scenic terrain. People often hike on hiking trails. It is such a popular activity that there are numerous hiking organizations worldwide. The health benefits of different types of hiking...

, biking, fishing

Fishing

Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....

, boating

Boating

Boating is the leisurely activity of travelling by boat, or the recreational use of a boat whether powerboats, sailboats, or man-powered vessels , focused on the travel itself, as well as sports activities, such as fishing or water skiing...

 and Sea kayak

Sea kayak

A sea kayak or touring kayak is a kayak developed for the sport of paddling on open waters of lakes, bays, and the ocean. Sea kayaks are seaworthy small boats with a covered deck and the ability to incorporate a spraydeck...

ing. In December 2010 the post office and little store burnt down so fewer supplies are available locally.

The town is on the northern end of Great Oyster Bay

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 spectacular views of the rugged granite peaks of the Hazards and Schouten Island of the Freycinet Peninsula which...

 with stunning views of the red and pink granite peaks known as The Hazards

The Hazards

The Hazards are a rugged mountain chain in the Freycinet National Park on Tasmania's east coast. They are positioned between Coles Bay, Tasmania and Wineglass Bay and are said to be named after local whaler, African-American Captain Richard Hazard....

, on the Freycinet Peninsula

Freycinet Peninsula

Freycinet Peninsula is a large peninsula in eastern Tasmania, Australia. It is located north of Schouten Island, at . It is the site of Freycinet National Park....

. It is in the area of the Glamorgan Spring Bay Council. Each Easter the town is one of the three locations for the Australian Three Peaks Race, 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 pastoralists are some of the many people who have lived and worked on the Freycinet Peninsula since European settlement. These old mine shafts, old farmers huts and whale shafts remains today attract many tourists.

In 1916 the area along with Mount Field became Tasmania's first national park.

Plastic shopping bag ban

The town became one of the first in the world to ban Plastic shopping bag

Plastic shopping bag

Plastic shopping bags, carrier bags or plastic grocery bags are a type of shopping bag made from various kinds of plastic, and are common worldwide. These bags are sometimes called single-use bags, referring to carrying items from a store to a home...

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

Planet Ark is best known for its high profile recycling campaigns including, 'Cartridges 4 Planet Ark' and 'Cards 4 Planet Ark'. It is also the organiser of Australia's 'National Recycling Week' and the country's biggest annual community tree-planting event, 'National Tree Day', founded by Olivia...

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.