Binalong Bay and the Bay of Fires

 8th Feb 2023

One of the features of this area is the picturesque Binalong Bay, where rugged shores of granite boulders are "painted" with orange lichen.

It is only a 12 km drive North of St Helens following the coast, so we were there in around 15 minutes.

There is an easy walk along the foreshore where you just can't stop taking photos of the stunning scenery and crystal clear water.





From Binalong Bay, we continued along the coastline, through the area known as the Bay of Fires until we reached the end of the road at a place called The Gardens. It is about a 15 minute drive to the gardens and it is not particularly scenic, but there are many beaches along the road popular with locals.

The beach at the gardens is quite pretty, with very white sand and  cable system running out over part of the bay that looks like it may be used by boats but there was no apparent explanation. It adjoined by private land so it may also be a private beach.


On the way back to St Helens we stopped at an Oyster lease, called Lease 65, where you could buy fresh oysters direct from the farm. We picked up a dozen oysters and the went on to St Helens township to buy some fish and chips to with them for lunch.

There were a couple of cafes just near the wharf where the fishing fleet operates from so we selected one and bought some scallops and fish, but there were no chips !!! It seems there is a potato famine in Tasmania at the moment and we were offered potato cakes as an alternative. Not a great choice as it turned out.


                                                      Fishermans wharf at St Helens


                                            Disturbing sign on the window- NO CHIPS !!!!!


                                They tried to compensate with the daily special

Despite the lack of chips, the oysters, fish and scallops were excellent. We then needed some exercise so went for an afternoon walk along the shores of Georges Bay and an excellent walkway that has been constructed along the shoreline.


                                Georges Bay is a popular spot for Black Swans

For dinner tonight, I had taken a bit of a risk, and booked a Japanese Restaurant in town, only about a 10 minute walk from our motel. It turned out to be a good choice, with excellent sashimi and a number of other nice Japanese dishes.

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