Larapuna/Bay of Fires Community Weekend 2025
The twenty-third of August, 2025, was a bad day to be a euphorbia paralias plant, more commonly known as sea spurge.
Sea spurge is an invasive weed that covers coastal areas and grows rampant in dunes that house the nests of coastal birds, leading to mass displacement and decreasing population numbers. Break the stem of a sea spurge and you’re in trouble; you’ll find a white sap oozing out that’s a nasty irritant to the eyes and skin.
There’s not much good to be said about sea spurge, but plenty of good comes from the group that bands together each year to pull out the weeds that plague Larapuna/Bay of Fires, dubbed Australia's best beach by Tourism Australia in 2025.
This year, several of the Tas Walking Co team joined the Larapuna Wildcare Community Group for their annual clean-up weekend – and boy was the sea spurge purged!
Fuelled by complementary scroggin bags and lolly dinosaurs, our team took to the beach from the Deep Creek Campground and wandered towards Eddystone Point, checking the dunes for sea spurge.
The Tas Walking Co team
Thanks to previous years' efforts, sea spurge was initially sparse and well hidden amongst saltbush – a valuable plant whose roots help the dunes keep their shape.
Sea spurge seeds travel by ocean currents and can survive for several years before reaching land. One mature plant can produce up to 5,000 seeds per year, leaving coastal areas with an exponential problem to deal with.
On our section of coastline, the focus was on eliminating the juveniles before they had the chance to germinate. Eliminate them, we did.
As the march continued, we encountered larger patches of sea spurge and grew to appreciate how quickly this weed could spread – small patches took at least 20 minutes of digging and documenting to remove.
But when you’re walking along white sandy beaches of the Bay of Fires, no amount of sea spurge could wipe a grin off our faces. Following a hearty meal and comfy sleep in the Bay of Fires Lodge the previous night, we were more than ready to tackle any number of weeds that dared grow in our path.
Purging the Spurge
As stated by Tasmanian Walking Company’s Sales Manager, Rose, “Trading my desk for one of the best beaches in Australia was amazing. I would do this every day if I could”.
Sales Representative Bec summed up her highlight of the day as “The turnout of the people - to see that many willing faces ready to commit to a day of weeding. And what a day it’s been so far, sharing it with a good crew of people with many friends around, and hopefully some new friends by the end of the day.”
After weeding six kilometres of beach between Deep Creek and Eddystone Point and filling five bags with rubbish found on the beach, we arrived at Eddystone Point Lighthouse for a victorious barbecue expertly cooked by Tas Walking Co’s incredible Bay of Fires Lodge host and guides.
Conversations and sausages were enjoyed before the event ended with a talk from the clean-up weekend organisers, scientists, Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Services representatives and a visitor from Birdlife Australia.
When Rose was asked what inspired her to join the clean-up, she summed up the thoughts of each TWC member at the event perfectly: “I chose to volunteer at this event because we walk the Bay of Fires regularly with our guests, and being able to give back to the local environment and the communities in the places that we walk is really important to me. And being able to spend some time in nature is a great bonus as well.”
To any sea spurge reading this, be warned: we’ll be back next year for more walking, weeding, barbecuing and catching up with the Larapuna community!
See you next year!
Where is the Bay of Fires, Tasmania?
The Bay of Fires is on Tasmania’s northeast coast, stretching from Binalong Bay to Eddystone Point. It’s famous for its white sand beaches, clear waters, and orange-hued granite boulders.
How do you get to the Bay of Fires?
Most guests fly into Launceston. From there, it’s about a 2.5 hour journey to the area. The Bay of Fires is about a 3.5 hour drive from Hobart.
What do you do at the Bay of Fires?
With Tas Walking Co, you’ll explore the coastline on foot, enjoy beachside lodge accommodation, share chef-prepared meals, and take time to swim, relax, and connect with nature along one of Tasmania’s most stunning landscapes.
Last updated 1 September 2025.
