Bay of fires
Pinch me moment! We really did keep the best to last. And the best part is that this place was a free camp!
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We woke with the kookaburras and left Wineglass Bay just after sunrise to try and snag a spot at Cosy Corner South at Bay of Fires. This was a highly anticipated place on our itinerary so we were pretty pumped to get going! So much so was a little town that we were going to drive through and that was Bicheno. We had heard amazing things about the Blue Edge Bakery, famous for their yummy pies particularly their scallop pies. They didn't disappoint! It made for the perfect warm treat on a drizzly cold morning. We continued on with a drive past farmlands and stopped at St Helens for fuel and some groceries at the local IGA. There is also a dump point and rubbish bins near the Bendigo Bank Community Stadium, and a water taps on Quail Street near The Panorama Hotel to fill up your tanks.St Helens is 15mins from Bay of Fires which is super handy for longer stays!
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Our plan to arrive around 9:30am when people would possibly be leaving worked! We managed to grab the last beachfront site out of four sites! We must admit, we did miss a little sign driving into the campground that said the campground was tight for larger vehicles as it was raining on arrival. Be sure to take the first right once you are driving down the entry road as it will save you some tight turns. The beachfront sites do require some crafty reversing and maneuvering for a van our size, but patience availed! We were pinching ourselves that we found a spare bay for our last two nights in Tassie! The drizzly weather was exactly what we needed, time to get cosy and relax after the massive mileage that we had smashed over the past two weeks. Just laying in bed watching the surf and bird life, very content.
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The beachfront sites are secluded and look directly over the white sand and out towards the boulders. There are also larger grassy campsites under the trees as you come in. If you can’t snag a spot here, there is also Cosy Corner North and Swimcart Beach campgrounds, both are more favorable for bigger vans. You can have campfires at all campgrounds, and there is a maximum stay of 28 days, making us wish that we could stay there for that long. They are all free camps so bring along your own water.
The next morning, we stepped outside our van and explored what is on our doorstep! These boulders with the famous orange lichens were stunning, and how we thought the Bay of Fires (palawa kani: larapuna) originally got it’s name. It turns out, Captain Tobias Furneaux in 1773 saw many campfires along the beaches created by the local Aboriginal people, and so named this place Bay of Fires.
The next morning, we stepped outside our van and explored what is on our doorstep! These boulders with the famous orange lichens were stunning, and how we thought the Bay of Fires (palawa kani: larapuna) originally got it’s name. It turns out, Captain Tobias Furneaux in 1773 saw many campfires along the beaches created by the local Aboriginal people, and so named this place Bay of Fires.
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Our last night in Tassie was spent relaxing by the fire while watching the surf. We shared what our fave memories of our trip were and apart from seeing the penguins at Stanley whom where the top of all of our lists, Bay of Fires was equally debated. We definitely left the best to last! Being by the ocean, having the waves being the first and last thing we heard each day, sinking our feet into the sand, made us all feel at home. The 28 days was looking more tantalising, but when we saw if we missed the Spirit of Tasmania, we wouldn't be getting home for another 5 months! We had a jam packed day of adventure planned for the next day before we sailed back to the mainland night on a night sail.
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Hold onto your hats, we did not waste a single minute of our time left in Tassie! We packed everything up, ready for a sunrise departure to head from the east coast all the way back to Devonport via Launceston for lunch.
Peace + love,
Peace + love,