Aurora australis St Helens tonight

One of Tasmania's most distinctive coastlines - white beaches, turquoise water, and orange lichen-covered granite boulders. The Bay of Fires faces east over the Tasman Sea. Aurora australis appears in the south to southeast from beach positions. At night the bay has no artificial light visible. Bortle Class 2-3 conditions. The Eddystone Point lighthouse at the northern end gives the furthest south-facing position in the bay. Anson's Bay and Binalong Bay at the southern end are more accessible and still face south-southeast over open water. The beaches are dark and quiet at night - no towns within 20 km to the east or south.

A small bay at the southern end of Bay of Fires, easily accessible from St Helens. The beach faces east and south-east with granite headlands. At night the bay is quiet and dark - minimal lighting from the small cluster of holiday houses. The southern horizon is open across George Bay and beyond. Position on the beach south of the houses for the best sky. At Kp 4, aurora australis is visible to the south-southeast from this position during a clear night. The lichen-covered boulders give distinctive foreground options for aurora photography.

A remote national park at the northeastern tip of Tasmania. Eddystone Point within the park has a lighthouse on a granite headland facing north and east over open Tasman Sea. The southern headlands of the park give south-facing positions across open water. Bortle Class 2 conditions - no towns within 50 km to the east or north. The park road is partly unsealed and requires a standard vehicle in good condition. Forester kangaroos are common on the road at night - drive carefully. The combination of coastal position, open horizon, and Bortle Class 2 sky makes this the highest-quality dark sky site directly accessible from St Helens.