NORTH EAST
The northeast is a palette of changing tones and hues of the land, the sky and the sea. It is a land of fertile red soil nourishing onions, peas carrots and potatoes, in the dark green valleys traditional cloth wrapped cheeses are still produced. In summer, fields of poppies splash the landscape, and lavender bushes grow in tidy, purple stripes, and the long coastline stretches before you, unspoiled and unpeopled.
On the coast from the Chain of Lagoons to Bay of Fires and beyond to Mt William National Park you can explore the white gold of long sandy beaches, the bright orange of lichen-splashed granite and the clean, clear turquoise of the sea. Safe inside Georges Bay at St Helens, the fishing fleet sits snugly against the pier.
Beyond the sand bar, the ocean teems with game fish. This is a region of surprising variety - from neat croplands of Scottsdale and Ringarooma to the natural habitats of Mt William, where forester kangaroos graze; from tall, tumbling waterfalls in deep rain-forest to warm sunshine on white sand; from the rugged summits of Ben Lomond and Mt Barrow to the dairy pastures of Winnaleah; from the exciting offshore fishing at Bridport and St Helens to the rows of green-blossoming hops in Tonganah and Springfield.
Each place has its own surprises - sapphires panned from old mines near Branxholm and Derby; farm cheese at Pyengana; skiing and walks on Ben Lomond's craggy heights; echoes of a mining heritage at Derby and the Blue Tier; a desert of golden sand dunes at St Helens; rough-cut local granite in the towering Eddystone Point lighthouse; sweeping views of forests and farmlands as the Mathinna road descends to Fingal Valley.
St Helens is located near the northern end of Tasmania's east coast. It is the largest town on the east coast and is well known for wonderful beaches, huge sand dunes, good fishing and lovely scenery, both on the coast and inland. The town, a fishing port, is sheltered by Georges Bay.
The bay is formed by St Helens Point, a long headland, 1,066 hectares of which is reserved as a recreation area. The other side of the bay - Humbug Point - is also a recreation area. The history of the town and the region is told in displays in the St Helens History Room.
