Bay of Fires
A 50 Kilometre Stretch Of Tasmania'S North East Coast Where Orange Lichen Covered Granite Boulders Meet White Sand And Clear Turquoise Water, Running From Binalong Bay North Through The Bay Of Fires Conservation Area With Almost No Development Along Most Of Its Length · Binalong Bay, Tasmania
The Bay of Fires runs for about 50 kilometres up Tasmania's north-east coast from the small settlement of Binalong Bay, and takes its name not from any historical fire but from the burnt-orange lichen that covers the granite boulders along most of its length. That lichen, white sand and clear turquoise water make for a striking coastline, and most of it sits inside the Bay of Fires Conservation Area with almost no development at all once past Binalong Bay itself - no shops, no fuel and very little phone reception for long stretches. That remoteness is the point for most visitors and a genuine planning constraint for others; this is not a destination with a town centre to fall back on if plans change. The Gardens, a cluster of especially vivid lichen-covered boulders a short drive north of Binalong Bay, is the most photographed single spot and also the easiest to reach. Further north the coast turns genuinely wild and is reached mostly by 4WD tracks or a multi-day walk, not a casual drive-up visit. Eddystone Point lighthouse marks the bay's northern end.
Tasmania's north-east coast, running north from Binalong Bay for about 50 km, Binalong Bay, Tasmania, Australia
The Bay of Fires has no gate and is open around the clock, with its beaches and lookouts accessible at any hour, though walking the rougher tracks after dark is not recommended given the lack of lighting or phone coverage. Binalong Bay's small general store and the handful of cafes nearby keep limited daytime hours and some close entirely outside the busier summer months - there is no guarantee of an open shop further along the coast at any time of day. Camping within the conservation area is on designated sites only, some bookable and some first-come, and fire bans apply on declared high-risk days, when any campfire or fuel stove use is genuinely prohibited, not just discouraged. The unsealed northern tracks toward Eddystone Point are far easier and safer to drive in daylight.