Touring Tasmania – Bicheno to St Helens

East Coast of Tasmania

Following the coastal road north of Bicheno there are quite a number of interesting places to stop en-route as you make your way to the larger town of St Helens.

Douglas Apsley National Park
Just a short distance north of Bicheno is Douglas Apsley National Park. You could well spend several days here, enjoying the trails, the flora and the fauna, or, like us, pop by for a quick visit. Just at the southern edge of the park is the Apsley River Waterhole where, on a hot day, you can take a dip to cool off in the clear waters, whilst enjoying the scenery surrounding you.

If you don’t have much time to spare, take the trail to the Lookout, just a ten to fifteen minutes round trip, which gives you a lovely view of the waterhole from above. Alternatively, if you can spare three to four hours, the walk to Apsley Gorge is said to be a worthwhile experience, though should only be attempted in dry weather when the water levels are low otherwise you’ll find yourselves in difficulty.

Chain of Lagoons
Back out on the main coastal road you reach Chain of Lagoons. Just the name conjures up images of something tropical and to be honest, the scenery around the Chain of Lagoons area does not disappoint!

This also marks a point in the road where we have a choice to venture inland a little or continue along the coastal road. However, we’ve heard far too many things about some great pancakes at the top of Elephant’s Pass that we just had to investigate!

Elephant’s Pass, Pancakes and St Marys
The narrow, winding road which heads inland is called Elephant’s Pass and this seems like such a strange place to set up a pancake parlour, but the pancakes are legendary and we certainly enjoyed them! After gorging on pancakes there’s a short walk you can take from the craft shop to some pretty falls.

The road passes through the rural settlement of St Marys before heading back towards the coast on St Marys Pass, another narrow, yet pretty road.

Scamander and Beaumaris
Back on the coast, the beachside towns of Scamander and Beaumaris invite you to spend more time relaxing on beautiful white beaches. It’s easy to sit back and forget about the passing time, though it’s only another 18 kilometres (11 miles) to travel on to St Helens, our finishing point for today.

For all you Tasmania accommodation needs on route and St Helens Accommodation, visit Book it Now.

‘Touring Tasmania – Bicheno to St Helens’ by Claire Bolgil