Australia
Bay of Fires
Boulders stained vivid orange by lichen against turquoise water on a beach entirely to yourself.
The boulders are stained the colour of fire — vivid orange lichen, Caloplaca, spreading across granite that meets turquoise water with no transition between warm rock and cold sea. Bay of Fires looks like someone painted the coastline. No one did. The lichen has been doing this for thousands of years.
The Bay of Fires stretches along Tasmania's northeast coast from Binalong Bay to Eddystone Point, named not for the lichen but for the Aboriginal fires that Tobias Furneaux observed burning along the coast in 1773. The orange-stained boulders — caused by the lichen Caloplaca — are the area's visual signature, creating a colour contrast with the turquoise water that is endlessly photographed but never quite captured. The four-day Bay of Fires Lodge Walk, operated by a single company, ends at an architect-designed eco-lodge perched above the beach. Rock pools between the boulders hold small fish, sea stars, and anemones — tidal aquariums refreshed twice daily.
Solo
Walking the coastline alone, hopping between rock pools and orange boulders — Bay of Fires is the kind of coast that rewards aimless wandering.
Couple
The four-day lodge walk ends at a private eco-lodge above the beach — Bay of Fires turns coastal walking into a luxury for two.
- Boulders stained vivid orange by lichen sit against turquoise water — the colour palette is surreal.
- The four-day Bay of Fires Lodge Walk ends at an architect-designed eco-lodge above the beach.
- Rock pools between the boulders hold small fish, starfish, and anemones — tidal aquariums at your feet.
- Most of the coastline is accessible only on foot — the absence of roads preserves the emptiness.
Bay of Fires Lodge walk — multi-day guided trek with gourmet meals prepared at the cliff-edge lodge.
Fresh crayfish and local scallops from Binalong Bay, eaten on the orange boulders as the sea pounds.
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