Heading north along the Great Eastern Drive, you will find Binalong Bay. It is the southern end of the Bay of Fires and is easily one of the most beautiful parts of the coastline; the lichen on the rocks seems to have reached peak colour, the fine white sand makes for great walking and joyous lounging, and the perfection of the crystal clear water takes our breath away every single time. It is stunning. Also, it is cold! (But well worth it)
To get there, turn right at the top of our street and follow the road. You will go past Nature World and the Golf Club on the edge of town, the outskirts will have you passing the Denison (another fantastic beach!) and then just keep on going. Just south of Falmouth there is a beach we love called Mariposa – great for shell collecting. And there are some ruins on some private land at the northern end of the beach we would love to know more about.i
Soon after that you will reach a T-Junction, turn right and follow the signs through to St Helens, once there you might like to stop and grab a bite, or a coffee to go forward with. There are some fantastic bric-a-brac shops, and galleries to tempt you. If you just want to get to the beach, drive through and turn right at Quail street, it turns into Binalong Bay Road – just follow the signs.
Once you’ve had your fill, you can could continue north from St Helens to meet Priscilla the Pig at the Pub in the Paddock, and taste some cheese at the Holy Cow Café – they’re both in Pyengana about 25 minutes north of St Helens.
You might like to return home via St Mary’s Pass, a windy and narrow road cut into the side of a mountain that will lead you to a quaint little town called St Mary’s. We like to stop in at the Purple Possum Café, it’s a wholefoods store, café and they have a delightful range of candy.
Take a left at the St Marys Hotel corner, again following the Great Eastern Drive signs, and you’ll find the both the Purple Possum Café and the road back to Bicheno – you be driving over Elephant’s Pass, (home of the famous Mount Elephant Pancakes), it is another windy, narrow road – do take care when it’s wet – but don’t miss it. If you are watching for the view, you will find your self driving through deep, almost rainforest – looking out at the ocean – It’s really something special. St Mary’s to Bicheno is only about 35 minutes.
Drive Times:
Scamander: 53km 40m
St Helens: 74km 1h
Binalong Bay: 84km 1h 15m
St Marys: 40km 35 m
Image Courtesy of @sideprjct & ECRTO
