Bay of Fires, Tasmania

The Bay of Fires is located approximately 15 minute drive North of St Helens, which is on the Eastern coast. Known for it’s beautiful orange lichen-covered granite boulders, white sandy beaches and turquoise water. But many people are mistaken when they think that the Bay of Fires is named like this because of the orange/red coloured rocks. It was actually named Bay of Fires by Captain Tobias Furneaux when he sailed past in 1773. He saw fires which were in fact Aboriginal camps, and this is how the name came about.

We stayed at Cosy Corner (North), which in our opinion was the pick of the areas. We were limited with number of campsites we could stay at due to the size of our caravan. We scouted out the area before hand by leaving the caravan in a safe spot. We wanted to find a good spot without the hassle of having to turn the van around in tight spots, lucky we did, as some of the areas we were lucky to get 4×4 in and out, let alone with the caravan on.

When you get to the campsite, there are plenty of places to set up, we stayed here in the low season (August/September) and didn’t have to fight for a spot as I’m sure you would in summer. The camp is free, and with that, as one would imagine, the facilities are basic. Pit toilets, no water and dirt/sand campsites.

If you plan to have a fire, you must bring in your own firewood. As this is a National Park, it is illegal to gather your own firewood from the park. Water can be an issue also, make sure that you are well prepared before you get to the campsite. We had both tanks full before we got to the campsite and put another 20L in the tanks, and when we left, we were basically empty. You can fill up your tanks etc on the way to Bay of Fires, as there is a tap where you are encouraged to use just outside St Helens on your left. We found that we could only get very limited phone reception whilst standing on the beach, at the campsite we basically had none.

The campsites are flat and some are tucked away in behind some trees and parking bays to give you some privacy if you so desire.

If you are into fishing or surfing, you may be able to catch a wave and your dinner like our neighbours were lucky enough to do. We went hungry that night.

If you love your photography like I
do, well this is the place is amazing to capture. Make sure that you get up early to catch the sunrise, as it casts some beautiful colours over the area and can even make the amatuer photographer like me, look somewhat professional.

 Be careful when climbing the rocks, as there is no path to get over the rocks and explore the area, it can be slippery and steep in some areas, just be cautious and you will be fine.

If you are travelling around Tassie, this is definitely a place to put on your list. You can base yourself here and explore the area, there is plenty to see and do, with the St Columba falls, Pub in the Paddock and Pyengana cheese factory not too far away. St Helens is a beautiful little town that has a strong heritage to Oyster farming and seafood and has everything that you need to restock your supplies.

For more information on Bay of Fires, click here – Bay of Fires

For more information on St Helens click here – St Helens