In a spellbinding venture into the uncharted wilderness of western Tasmania, ABC TV and ABC iview are set to premiere the eight-part Tassie-noir thriller, “Bay of Fires,” on Sunday, 16 July, at 8.30pm.
The series boasts an ensemble cast that reads like a who’s who of Australian and international acting talent. Star, co-creator, and producer Marta Dusseldorp (known for her roles in “Jack Irish,” “Janet King,” “Stateless,” and “A Place to Call Home”) leads this impressive lineup that includes Kerry Fox, Toby Leonard Moore, Imi Mbedla, Ava Caryofyllis, Rachel House, Yael Stone, Pamela Rabe, Ilai Swindells, Roz Hammond, Tony Barry, Bob Franklin, Stephen Curry, Nicholas Bell, Matt Nable, Nikolai Nikolaeff and the promising newcomer, Mitchem Everett.
The series centres around Anika Van Cleef, a character portrayed by Marta Dusseldorp. Van Cleef, the matriarch of her family’s business empire, finds herself needing to escape to a remote community in Tasmania following multiple attempts on her life. Given a new identity as Stella Heikkinen, she and her two children are abruptly relocated to the obscure town of Mystery Bay — a place so remote it doesn’t even register on GPS.
Mystery Bay, far from an idyllic retreat, is a starkly isolated wilderness, far removed from any urban comforts such as tapas bars or street art. The Heikkinens will need to navigate the suspicious and secretive nature of the locals, discovering that this remote town harbours more secrets than they themselves do.
“Bay of Fires” was filmed on Tasmania’s harsh west coast, and the show’s creative team, including Dusseldorp, Andrew Knight, Max Dann, Natalie Bailey, and Wayne Blair, skillfully blends dark humour and unexpected plot twists into a captivating narrative.
The series is a collaborative production between Archipelago Productions and Fremantle Australia for ABC, with significant investment from Screen Australia in association with ABC and Screen Tasmania. The project also received financial support from VicScreen. Alongside Dusseldorp, the production team includes Yvonne Collins, Greg Sitch, Andrew Knight, Brett Popplewell, Sally Riley, Alex Baldwin, and Louise Smith. Fremantle International will be handling the series’ international distribution.
