We continued our journey along the Great Eastern Drive which was only about 80km from Bicheno, but still took us 6 hours with the stops along the way. The first stop was Douglas-Aspley National Park, 7km off the main road down a gravel track, where we were going to do a short walk through the forest to a waterhole. However, when we got out of the car we were attacked by hundreds of mosquitoes, so decided to give it a miss.

The drive along the coast was picture postcard scenery every corner we turned. A slight detour took us through Elephant Pass and the windy roads and rainforest, before joining the coastal road again. Before we arrived at our destination of St. Helens we spent a couple of hours at St Helen's Point conservation area with more crystal clear waters and white sandy beaches. We enjoyed a walk to the top of Peron Dunes with views across the ocean and the mountains behind us and nobody else around. A picnic lunch on the way back at Georges Bay estuary and then checked in to our motel.

We only had one night here and the main attraction was the Bay of Fires - a region of white beaches, blue water and orange-hued granite produced by lichen. The bay stretches for 50km and was given its name in 1773 by Captain Tobias Furneaux who saw the fires of Aboriginal people on the beaches. We spent some fun time clambering over the granite rocks, enjoying the view and the peace and quiet, only coming across a handful of other people.

After all the fresh sea air we finished our day with fish and chips sitting at the harbour in St Helens.