Day 7

To start today's report, here is one of the photos I took yesterday in the forest west of Swansea. Yesterday was a good day, but it doesn't compare with today.

Pools in a stream in the forest

Last night was very cold and the wind howled. When I looked out this morning the sky was clear, but it was windy. I went to the beach for another amazing sunrise, but didn't stay very long because my feet and hands were so cold.

Sunrise over Great Oyster Bay this morning

Once breakfast was over, I packed up and headed north along the Tasman Highway. Bicheno was my first stop, a pretty town on a sweeping stretch of white sand, with turquoise waters beyond. I took a lot of photos here because somehow I feared this would be the last of the pristine coastal scenery. I needn't have worried.

From Bicheno the highway hugs the coast, with plenty of opportunities to catch the view. Last time I passed this way, in 2002, it rained all the way and I saw nothing. This time I ambled along at my own pace and drank in the beauty of this magical place. I ate lunch at Falmouth and stopped at Scamander to take shots from the sand dunes.

Four Mile Beach, just one of many stops I made along the way

My plan was to skip St Helens and stay at Binalong. In the past I've seen beautiful photos of The Bay of Fires, and Binalong was the closest town. Binalong has a breath taking beach, but no camping ground. So I drove back to St Helens where I'd earlier passed a camping ground.

Binalong Beach, picture postcard perfection

The camping ground at St Helens is another outstanding facility, and it's $10 a night cheaper than at Swansea, but they don't have the amazing view. The lady in reception gave me directions to The Bay of Fires, and showed me some photos to spur me on.

What can I say: The Bay of Fires was absolutely beautiful. I spent about three hours there exploring and taking photos.

The Bay of Fires, what you don't see here is the red rocks
and the beautiful formations on the coast - I can't show you everything

As I returned to St Helens I kept an eye on the sky, always hoping for a brilliant sunset. The sunset didn't eventuate, but I got back to St Helens a little before dusk and on the off chance, stopped at the water front. What I saw was beyond my wildest dreams, the water was still as glass, and the reflections were perfect. I'll let the attached photo speak for itself.

Dusk on St Helens water front 

This is another magnificent place, already I have decided to stay a second night at St Helens; it's wall to wall picture postcard beautiful.