A visit to the Bay of Fires was one of the things that I was most excited for in Tasmania. Ok, so I was super excited for pretty much everything, but I was uber excited for Bay of Fires. In 2009, Lonely Planet rated Bay of Fires as the top place to visit. The top place to visit in Tasmania? No.
The top place to visit in Australia? No.
The top place to visit in the world? Yes.
A hidden gem with sparse population nearby and even fewer tourists, the 29 kilometre long coastline along the Bay of Fires features beautiful beaches with powder white sand – and peace and quiet. Great for swimming and trekking, this place is one of the world’s best kept secrets (at least until Lonely Planet went and spilled the beans about it!)
The Bay of Fires is said to have received its name from Captain Tobias Furneaux in 1773. As he sailed along the coast aboard his ship, he saw numerous Aboriginal fires on shore – hence the name. Another theory is that the Captain didn’t see fire at all, but rather the red rocks that make Bay of Fires so stunning:
The colour on the rocks is formed by a lichen which produces an orange-red hue. When the sun is out, the blue water and the red rocks collide to produce some magnificent photos. Unfortunately for us, the sun didn’t want to cooperate, but we still had time for a photo shoot. Vince and I swapped cameras and went to town:
And look closely in the background – Cade and Michael are having their own photo shoot!
It wasn’t until after we arrived back in Sydney and did a big photo swap that I realized what Cade and Michael had done. They got all artsy – and didn’t give the tip to me or Vince. How rude! But how incredible are these photos? They aren’t mine but I just have to share (with Cade’s prior permission, of course!)
And they just keep getting better!
Why didn’t I think of this??? Ugh. Woe is me. I need to go back.
When they finished up with their photo shoot for Vogue or Details or GQ or whatever, they at least had the decency to inconspicuously snap a shot of me and Vince. Look at us staring out into the water. We’re deeply thinking about something very important – like Einstein’s theory of relativity or the meaning of life. Or maybe we’re just quietly plotting your demise.
Probably the latter. And yes – I mean you.
Actually, we were most likely thinking about pancakes as lunch was our next stop. But before that, we stopped by another portion of the beach on the way out. I had wanted to go for a swim, but with the weather, I thought it just best to put my feet in only.
But then I thought again. I was at the Bay of Fires – the top place to visit in the entire world – and I was going to let some clouds stop me from diving into this amazing beach? Hell no! And off I went!
And it was freezing. Seriously freezing.
My mother ain’t getting grandchildren out of me anytime soon after that.
Not that she was anyway.
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