The sun was shining brightly this morning when the alarm went off at 8:30am. The temperature, however, was another matter entirely registering 4.3 degrees with a feels-like temp of minus 2.2 degrees. Very nippy indeed. 

We were packed up and leaving the Bicheno caravan park at 10:15am. It was a slower drive than usual due to the narrow and winding road – mostly on a good surface – and with many interruptions for roadworks. We reckon that at least 5 kilometres of the journey was through roadworks at a speed of 40 kilometres per hour. 

St Helen’s Caravan Park is a Big4 and is really quite big and well set out. The joint would be hopping during summer. One of the locals the other day estimated that the area along this part of the east coast would swell by 14,000 people during Easter and Christmas, and there are many major trail bike events held around here also. 

St Helen’s itself is one of the larger business areas along the coast although it doesn’t have a Coles or Woolworths, only the IGA. It sits on Georges Bay. It is the largest town on the north east coast and Tasmania’s second largest fishing port and is known as the game fishing capital of Tasmania. It caters for everyone from deep sea fishing to rock lobster, two sorts of tuna, oysters and abalone. It is also the gateway to the Bay of Fires.