Bay of Fires

We had been on the road for the best part of two weeks… so it was with some weariness and cynicism that we continued our drive up the east coast to St Helens and the Bay of Fires, believing we has seen so many fantastic areas - how could this continue?

We drove via the St.Marys track up and down some steep narrow gorges, including Mt Elephant Pass. As usual, the driver thought it was fantastic. The passengers were less impressed. St. Marys sits at the top of the range and has an unusual sense of isolation. Like all of Tasmania, it is very clean, small, picturesque and tidy.

The name Bay of Fires was given to the area by Captain Tobias Furneaux, in 1773, when he noticed numerous fires along the coast. This led him to believe that the country was densely populated. Abundant evidence of this occupation by Aboriginal people can be seen along the coast today. The long sweep of deserted beaches with dazzling white sand makes the area attractive for tourists. We remained intrigued with the red moss on the rocky outcrops that adds another vivid colour to the landscape… reason enough to call the coastline the Bay of Fires (because of the firey red moss).

Driving into St.Helens we noted the large number of ‘tinny’ fishing boats carrying two fishermen each standing in the boat with lines cast from short rods. Johnny is an expert in all things fishy … but even he was at a loss to explain the unusual fishing style by so many anglers. We made enquiries in the town and learned that a fishing club was holding an inter-city competition and the stand-up style was the most efficient way to catch the type of fish running in the estuary at that time.

We called in at the Information Centre and listed a few cottages/motels that could accommodate us. We found a suitable place, dropped our belongings before heading out for a closer look at the Bay of Fires. We drove to Binalong Bay where the rocks and formations were similar to that found at Bicheno. It’s a great way to pass time walking along cliff face tracks seeing one beautiful inlet after another. The wind was cold and strong… the sunlight was sparkling on the ocean. Johnny climbed down one of the cliffs and was intrigued by noises that sounded like a seal located on a rock around the ledge. He went off to investigate and we lost sight of him. And after rising tensions and ten minutes of calling, he re-emerged unaware of the stress being felt by the rest of us.
I’m not sure if it would add to scenic beauty, but each of those headlands would be ideal sights for energy windmills.

Next we drove up the coast to The Gardens… the end of the road in the Bay of Fires. There is a four-day walk further up the coast that emerges at the next road access. There is no fresh water on the walk so you need to be somewhat keen. One of the friends in our Tuesday walking group did this walk… went for a swim… was dumped on his shoulder and had to phone an Air Ambulance for evacuation to Hobart Hospital. This proved quite an expensive holiday for him. Worst of all, his golf handicap deteriorated  and has never recovered.  

After a relaxing day, we retreated to St. Helens for the night. On the way we watched an abalone fishing boat at work. There appeared to be two divers under the surface and one man on board. The skill and energy applied to collect the abalone was remarkable. The man on-board had to keep his boat circling in the correct position at the same time as he gave signals to his divers as well as pull up and the empty the nets. 

The next day we drove back to Launceston. We were keen to see Columba Falls and the Pub-in-a-Paddock. We kept our coffee urges in check until we reached the Pub-in-a-Paddock only to find the place shut! We continued to Columba Falls were we did our daily exercise up and down a steep track to the base of the falls. 

Columba is one of the tallest waterfalls in Tasmania and is the prettiest. Driving back to the Pub, we saw another echidna and saved its life by pointing it away from the road (that carried one vehicle every hour). The Pub was open so we pulled in. We looked at their alcoholic pig where the pub encourages visitors to delay recovery treatment by buying it more beer. Apparently, the father of the family originally owning the farm died and the children were hopeless farmers who spent all their time in Pubs. The mother analysed her options and decided her best future lay in converting the farm into a Pub… hence the Pub-in-a-Paddock. There are some great historic photos from the 1880s when the Pub first opened. Unfortunately, the Pub still does not have espresso coffee… so we went to a cheese farm/factory up the road.

A stopover at Derby proved worthwhile. The granite intrusions that had occurred in Tasmania’s turbulent geological history were eroded and left alluvial deposits of Cassiterite (SnO2) that is refined into tin… a very precious metal in the early days of the industrial revolution. Early settlers found signs of Cassiterite that geologists later confirmed to be in large deposits. In 1874-75, the gold rush in Bendigo (Victoria) was coming to an end and thousands of prospectors flocked to Derby to try their luck on this new site. Large quantities of water are needed to mine tin and the locals constructed an elaborate viaduct to carry water from adjoining valleys. The world tin market went into recession and finally the individual prospectors sold to the Briseis Tin Mining Company. After the recession, the company decided to build a larger dam upstream from Derby to allow expansion of mining operations. The dam was built and everyone was making money. Then in 1929, there were torrential rains upstream from Derby. The dam burst and washed some of the township away resulting in about 8 deaths. There is a first-class museum at Derby depicting this dramatic history.   

One last curiosity encountered on our way to Launceston occurred at Ledgerwood.  This is a very small farming community who like so many, sacrificed its young men to fight in World War I. The village planted a row of trees to commemorate the sacrifice made by the brave fellows. They grew, matured and with the onset of old age represented a risky liability to people from falling branches and perhaps even outright uprooting. Rather than pull out the trees and re-plant another commemorative grove, the community decided to hire a chain-saw sculpturist who carved branches of the tree into scenes from the war depicting each one of the young men who perished in the encounter. This decision has put Ledgerwood on the tourist map. What great imagination, empathy and foresight.

The last day was taken up with visiting the City Park to see the Japanese macaques, the Design Centre and the terrific Queen Victoria Museum and Art gallery. This has some great hands-on activities, [designed for kids but we tried them out] and huge machinery in the now disused railway buildings. Before we arrived at the airport we had time to visit Wolmers Estate [already mentioned] and refresh our memories of Evandale.

We left Tasmania most satisfied with our two-weeks of touring.