You may have seen a few previous stories and pictures I’ve posted of my birthday in fun and unusual locations; a tree top stand in Botswana with a herd of elephants, swimming with wild dolphins on the coast of Mozambique, and Le Jules Verne restaurant at the Eiffel Tower in Paris, are a few.

I spent this birthday at the Tasmanian Walking Co. Eco Lodge on the northeast coast of Tasmania. But you can’t book a room and drive to the lodge. You have to earn your stay by walking here.

The Tasmanian Walking Co Signature Bay of Fires Walk started for us on Saturday morning March 2nd. We were picked up from the Quamby Estate where we spent the night, and driven to the meeting point at the Red Feather Inn. There we packed what we would need for the next four days into backpacks, each person carrying their own.

After a briefing we climbed into a van and drove a few hours to our starting point of the walk, Stumpys Bay in the Mount William National Park (Bill’s Hill).

Day One of the walk was southbound along the coast. We walked along the beach, climbed boulders, strolled through marsupial lawns, and occasionally picked our way through scruby forest.

We stopped for lunch on some boulders.

In total, we covered around 8 or 9 miles on our first day. We carried a pack lunch and water, and all our gear.

At the end of the day we spent the night in a semi permanent camp, named Forester Camp, just south of Cod Bay.

We carried sleeping bag liners and a pillow case with us, and used the bags and blankets provided. It was quite peaceful, with the sound of the waves. The guides did a wonderful job of making dinner. We even had cheese and crackers with wine, but no hot showers.

On Day Two we headed southbound out of camp along Purdon Bay.

Day Two iPhone steps total was around 27,000 steps, somewhere around 11 or 12 miles. The final hill climb to the lodge was the toughest part.

Day Three of the hike was a walk and ride to our kayak point on the Anson River, and kayaking out to Anson Bay. We saw two Tasmanian wedge tail eagles and five yellow tail black cockatoos. One of our Australian co-walkers told us that when you see a black cockatoo, each one you see means one day of rain. No word on when the rain is supposed to start, as we’ve had no rain since arriving in Australia.

After the paddle we walked back to the lodge through sand dunes, beach, and rocks. Today was especially nice because we didn’t have to carry our backpacks.

Day Three was my birthday and upon our return to the lodge, we had birthday cake. And I had the best tub soak and view I’ve ever had and a lovely massage at the lodge spa.

Day Four was a leisurely morning. At noon we strapped on our packs one last time for a 1 1/2 hour walk out to the road for pick up. A few hours drive and we were back in Hadspen at the Red Feather Inn. Our wonderful and kind hearted guides Celeste and Charlie popped a few bottles of sparkling Tasmanian wine and we toasted four great days of hiking, scenery, food, and comradery.