St. Helens is a picturesque coastal country town, the last large town among the little villages scattered around the Bay of Fires. The town is encircled by forest reserves and perched on Georges Bay. Use this spot as the perfect base for picturesque hikes, boating trips to Wineglass Bay and four-wheel driving through the Peron Dunes.
Historically St. Helens was a whaling town and a shipping port for locally mined tin. Hear stories of the 19th-century Chinese tin miners at the St. Helens History Room and Visitor Information Centre.
Take a lesson at the St. Helens surfing school or head out on a charter boat fishing adventure to wrestle with tuna and marlin. Dive through kelp forests and underwater caves or just relax on Beer Barrel Beach and enjoy the view. Watch the horizon for humpback and southern right whales which migrate along this coast.
Walk to St. Helens Point on the peninsula. Cross the huge expanse of sand known as the Peron Dunes by foot or four-wheel drive and test your balance sandboarding down the steep dunes.
Select a spot to enjoy freshly caught seafood and local produce in St. Helens, from oysters and cheeses to stone fruit and wines. You can even eat your fish and chips on the water in the old Paddle Wheeler boat, now a floating restaurant.
Beyond St. Helens, find coastal hiking trails in the Bay of Fires. At the sea’s edge, photograph the unusual bright orange boulders which create a sharp contrast with the piercingly clear water.
Visit the old Anchor Tin Mine stamper battery on the drive to Pyengana. While you’re in the area, hike through the lush rainforest at the nearby St. Columba Falls Reserve to see the waterfall. Platypuses are sometimes spotted in the pool below.
Drive to St. Helens is just over 2 hours from Launceston. Coaches and buses also serve St. Helens from Hobart or Launceston and south along the coast to Bicheno.
