In the last two weeks of January 2022, a group of my friends and I were fortunate enough to travel to Tasmania. We had cancelled our trip a couple times due to COVID, so one can imagine just how relieved we were to be finally flying across the strait. We were all full of enthusiasm and ready to experience the sites of a less familiar landscape. Hiking boots. Check. Itinerary. Check. Negative RAT test. Check. That last one was a nail biter. We were all COVID negative and holiday positive. Bring on Tasmania!
Soon enough, we were in Launceston and packing our luggage into the tour bus which would cart us around over the next four days to the Bay of Fires Conservation Area, St. Helens, Mount William National Park and neighbouring sites. Until now, the Bay of Fires had only existed as far as Google images and my imagination. I couldn’t wait to get to The Gardens and witness all the beauty for myself. The fiery orange and ochre lichen-blanketed boulders, the white sand, and the crystal-clear blue waters. I was prepared to be overwhelmed by awe so hypnotic that I might forget to take any photos.
Our first day was spent marvelling at The Gardens and hiking from Skeleton Point, near Binalong Bay to Dora Point. The Gardens were just as magical as the internet imagery I had become familiar with prior to the trip’s departure. The saturated oranges and blues were so intense and moving I could almost taste them and the sparkle from the sun’s rays hitting the calm and clear ocean were tantalising on such a beautiful warm day. Although, it wasn’t long until we were on our hike from Skeleton Point to Dora Point, where we had time to bask in the glorious sunshine and take a dip in the salty sea. The beach at Dora Point was stunning and surprisingly quiet, but I wasn’t complaining. It felt like paradise! If this was only day one, I was in for a real treat over the next four days.
We soon learnt how the bay garnered its name from Captain Tobias Furneaux in 1773, after spotting fires lit by Indigenous Australians along the coastline, and the traumatising nature of Tasmania’s colonial past. I didn’t have to be reminded of how little we as a nation value our Indigenous people, their culture and knowledge systems, we do not do enough to honour and respect their connections to country and history. I again felt a deep sadness and wave of frustration listening to our shameful past. Their culture and stories are rich with kinship to land, sea and sky and over 60,000 years of experience living with this land. This is a history we don’t acknowledge often enough and one that we can be proud of. Things must change.
Day two saw us travel further north to Mount William National Park. We spent the day hiking the hilly sand dunes and long sweeping coastline along Cod Bay and Cobler Rocks. The sand was so fine and white I could have sworn I was walking on bi-carb soda as it squeaked beneath each foot step. After our morning hike, we enjoyed a beautiful picnic lunch before jumping into our swimmers and taking another refreshing dip. This time we stuck to the beach lagoon, having spotted several blue bottles earlier along the shoreline. Despite their nasty sting, blue bottles possess a mystic quality. Simultaneously, captivating and threatening, they remind you of your place in nature, which always has a way of revealing unforeseen beauty and inspiring awe. After our swim it was back to the bus for a couple more site stops and an ice cream break before heading home to St Helens for a delicious fish and chip dinner at Skipper’s.
Our third day exploring this beautiful corner of the world took us to Anson’s Bay and Eddystone Point. We hiked the Picnic Point loop and along the Bay of Fires beach, settling at Abbotsbury Beach for our picnic lunch and yet another marvellous beach swim. This time no blue bottles to be seen! By this stage I was well and truly head over heels in love with coastal hiking and the Bay of Fires. It hadn’t taken me long to adopt this pattern of hike, sweat, stop, eat, swim, and do it all again. There is nothing like this place nor the satisfaction of spending full days exploring the outdoors and soaking up moments you wish could last for eternity, absolutely nothing. ‘I am addicted’, I told myself. After our beach swim we hiked back to the bus and made a visit to Eddystone Point lighthouse before detouring to Beerbarrel Beach, St Helens Conservation Area for our last beach stop and swim of the trip. After savouring this last beach visit, we drove back to St Helens for a beautiful dinner at The Wharf.
Our last day, we checked out of St Helens and drove west towards Blue Tier Forest Reserve, adjacent to the Bay of Fires Conservation Area to hike Mount Michael. Blue Tier Forest felt like something from The Hobbit or a Lord of the Rings. Funnily enough, our first small hiking loop was in Goblin Forest, which was very fitting. We then drove to another parking spot to jump onto the Mount Michael track. Up the mountain we went! The damp air and leafy shade was a welcome change from the warm and bitey sun we had both enjoyed and endured over the last few days. I could feel my sunburnt patches embracing the relief. I enjoyed noticing the vegetation become shorter and stumper as we inclined further and further up the mountain, the way sunlight would seep through the rainforest canopy and spotting flora and fungi along the way. The view at the top was stunning, we had been spoilt with yet another breathtaking experience. We then headed back down the mountain and drove to Halls Falls for lunch by the waterfall. The remainder of our last afternoon was spent indulging in delicious treats at the Pyengana Dairy Company and trekking back to Launceston for our final evening together as a group.
It was sad to leave the Bay of Fires, but I had a wonderful time, an unforgettable experience that has encouraged me to go back and visit. It has also instilled in me a very real and fabulous obsession with coastal hiking!
CIAO Travel did a fantastic job of organising our Intrepid tour to the Bay of Fires, our accommodation in Hobart and additional logistical and recreational endeavours. They were reliable, thorough and creative across all elements of planning the trip. I would highly recommend their expertise and services.
