Bay of Fires

The Bay of Fires is not one bay but a run of coast in northeast Tasmania, from Binalong Bay north towards Eddystone Point. The name comes from a European navigator recording fires burning on the shore in 1773, though what visitors remember is the colour: granite boulders piled along the sand, coated in a bright orange lichen that intensifies in strong light against very white sand and clear shallow water. There is no single viewpoint or entrance. You drive the road north, stop at each pull-off, and walk the sand between boulder clusters. Basic free campsites sit right behind the dunes at The Gardens and Cosy Corner, with no facilities beyond a pit toilet in most of them.

History

The coast, larapuna in palawa kani, was a meeting place for Aboriginal family groups such as the Panpe-kanner, Leener-rerter and Pinter-rairer, and in 1773 Captain Tobias Furneaux of the Adventure named it the Bay of Fires after the fires of Aboriginal people he saw on the beaches; bay whalers worked here in the 1840s (Wikipedia, Bay of Fires).

What you'll find

• Orange lichen boulders - the granite formations that give the coast its colour, strongest in bright sun.
• Binalong Bay - the accessible southern end with a beach and small settlement.
• The Gardens - the road's northern end past a string of coves and campsites.
• Beach walking - long open stretches of white sand between the boulder clusters.

When to go

December to March is warmest and gives the strongest light on the lichen, which looks dull under cloud. That is also when the free campsites fill, sometimes early in the day. Spring and autumn are quieter and often clear. Any time of year the wind off the ocean can be cold enough to end a beach day early.

Things to know

Facilities are almost non-existent: no shops, no drinking water and limited toilets along most of the coast, so you carry what you need. The water is cold even in midsummer and there are no patrolled beaches. Campsites are first come first served and busy over summer. Under grey skies the famous colours largely disappear.

Nearby

St Helens is the service town, with Mount William National Park north and Freycinet down the coast.

Key facts