Bay of Fires

View along the highway to Launceston.

Beach and coloured rocks at the Bay of Fires.

Wonder what they are talking about...

Natalia, Michael and our host Keith

Saturday, March 26^th.

When I woke up I found out the jacket had slipped during the night and landed on the face of the guy in the berth below, oops. The ferry arrived at Devonport at 8 instead of 6. I went to the tourist office and bought a pass to the national parks of Tasmania.

When I disembarked I drove to Launceston. This is where I have booked a bed and breakfast for the night. I decided to drive to the north east corner of Tasmania and go to see the Bay of Fire. This is a highly advertised area. The original European explorer named it that because of all the Aboriginal fires along the shore. I drove along some winding roads that traversed a small mountain range and then along a long dusty dirt road before reaching the Great Eastern Drive. I drove along the coast and stopped at a couple of beautiful beaches before I arrived at Binalong Bay, where there is a white squeaky sand beach and a section of coast littered with large boulders that are stained red and yellow, 

which is produced by a lichen. It reminded me of Georgian Bay.

From there I drove further south before turning west and driving back to Launceston. My phone had died and I didn't know the address of the b and b I had booked. So I drove around town fruitlessly with my computer on looking for free wi-fi. I tried my phone one more time. It started with only 1% power and thankfully stayed on long enough for me to find the address.

When I got there my host Keith met me at the door. He is a retired teacher who taught adults at a school for chefs. He is originally from Manchester England and his ex-wife lives a block away from where I live in Chelsea! He made me a roast chicken dinner and we talked about teaching, Tasmania and travels to other countries. He is an avid traveler and told me about some other places in India that he thought I should check out. While we were eating two other people arrived: Michael who is attending Maritime College of Australia here in Launceston to become a first mate on international ships and his girlfriend Natalia from Columbia, who lives in Sydney. Keith who is 72 met Michael at a pub on St Patrick's Day a week ago and invited him to come by, so he did. We all sat and talked until about 11 before retiring.

Drove a total of 550 kms today.