Bay of Fires Walk | Hidden Gem on a Budget

Being told “no,” can motivate Jeff to pursue a hidden deal. When we find one from our personal travels, you can expect us to occasionally break away from our Hawaii deals and share with you. A case in point is this hidden beach gem, an Australian travel deal on the spectacular island of Tasmania. Total savings: almost $3,000. This also answers the question of where in the world was Beat of Hawaii.

Bay of Fires Walk | Hidden Gem on a Budget

Tasmania in brief: Twenty-sixth largest island in the world (the size of West Virginia), Tasmania is south of the Australian continent and offers world heritage sites, outstanding cuisine, white sand beaches, glorious mountains and the city of Hobart. This community created a buzz in 2013 as a top destination in the world (Lonely Planet) with its new and provocative MONA museum. If you love Hawaii, likely you’ll love Tasmania.

Spectacular Beaches of Bay of Fires: With miles of pristine beaches only accessible by foot, the Bay of Fires is becoming a hidden destination the world is quickly discovering. Located on Tasmania’s upper northeast coast, we shared a picture of it last March on our Facebook page to see if anyone knew where we were. No one came close to answering right. Score on being remote, undiscovered and world class. You’re hearing about it early. If you love Hawaii, Tasmania is likely for you. One surprise, in summer you can swim in the relatively warm waters heated by currents from the tropical north.

Deal Breaker: Doing the organized Bay of Fires Lodge Walk will set you back $4,000 for three nights. It includes two guides, all gourmet meals, glam camping the first night and then two at Bay of Fires Lodge. This secluded architectural masterpiece is only available to members of the tour. Beat of Hawaii found a way to do the walk independently for $1,000 staying in an ocean view cottage. We’ll share how and compare both options in today’s post.

Controversy: After we were told by the local tourist authority that the organized tour was the only way to walk the Bay of Fires, Jeff decided to find another way. We later learned from other sources that people are discouraged from walking independently. This is to protect the remote experience for those paying premium prices. While the tour starts at the north end, we looked at the map and found the charming community of Binalong Bay at the southern most point. From there it would be a short 10 minute drive to the trail head where we could walk as far as Ansons Bay.

Beat of Hawaii Bay of Fires for $1,000. We booked at Bay of Fires Character Cottages for three nights with a million dollar ocean view. Price: $180 nightly. From there we drove our rental car to the trail head which was 10 miles away. Packed with food and water we began our trek and only passed two people during the 9 hour hike. When we returned we feasted on local Tasmanian oysters we purchased for $12, local cheese from the Pyengana Dairy and other local delicacies. Foodies take note!

What did we give up? No personal chef so we did the cooking and prepared our own backpack. We also walked without the safety net of an organized tour. What we didn’t realize was how remote the area would be. There were miles of empty beaches we had to ourselves and no cell phone service if there were problems. Our advice if you go is to alert someone of your hiking plans. The Bay of Fires Walking Tour starts north and ends south at Ansons Bay. We started south and walked north. We still saw similar scenery of those paying the higher price.

What we gained: One of the most spectacular hikes of a lifetime.

Suggestions: Both options provide a world class experience. Be in good walking shape for both and comfortable climbing over rocks and through bush between beaches. Wear hiking boots, bring food, water and sunscreen, and don’t forget if you go alone to advise someone of your plans.

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