Hazard Rating: 1/10 | Parking: Roadside | from Hobart: 92 km | Faces: NE into Carnarvon Bay | Length: 1 km
Original Name: Turrakana, the homeland of the Pydairrerme (Tasman Peninsula’s Aboriginal people)
Big Possum Beach is on the Tasman Peninsula 1.5 km south of Port Arthur on Safety Cove Road on the way to Remarkable Cave.
A small quaint unknown roadside beach ideal for families and kids.
Walk, swim, paddle, swing on an old-style tire swing, walk out on a somewhat suspect jetty or watch bird life while taking in the stunning views across Carnarvon Bay.
Located in a rugged and isolated part of Tasmania with stunning views
Basic amenities
Protected from south/southwest weather
The beach is made up of | Sayers Beach | Motts Beach | and Cockle Creek Beach which I have grouped as one under Cockle Creek.
An outstanding place to visit for a one-day visit or extended stay – children will love the open sandy beaches and creek. Campsites include areas to the northeast giving you almost virtual private access to your own personal beach area. Other areas provide campsites with boat access. If I had to pick one beach to camp at in Tasmania this would be it!
Cockle Creek Beach is named after the creek that feeds into the bay, probably because of an abundance of Cockles to catch. Originally named Ramsgate (after an English resort). Recherche Bay is named after a Bruni D’Entrecasteaux’s ship that explored the area in 1792. The British later used the area for whaling, timber and coal. More recently oyster farming is common.
For surfers – South Cape Bay is a pristine beach break that gets huge clean waves on a southerly swell – a 7 km walk from Cockle Creek.
Congratulations to Parks and Wildlife for a soft touch on the area that has kept its beauty and still allows camping.
To get there – turn right before Southport towards Hastings. At the end is a 20 km dirt road (of no concern for any vehicle). On the way, you will pass several great beaches in Recherche Bay.
Hazard Rating: 1-2/10 | Parking: Good + close | from Hobart: 80 km | Faces: SE into Port Esperance | Length: 2 km
Original people: Lyluequonny people of the Far South
Dover Beach is accessed from the township of of Dover, head down Station Road to the Esplanade and then Kent Road along it’s length.
Technically Kent Beach is separate to Dover Beach but I have grouped both beaches as one for simplicity.
A long safe beach with sandy areas and interesting shore rock formations for exploring. Ideal for kids – it includes a playgound, BBQ, grassy areas and toilets.
Dover was originally named Port Esperance by the French explorer Admiral Bruni D’Entrecasteaux, who charted the area in 1792 and named it after one of his ships. Originally used as a convict station and proclaimed as Dover in 1866, probably after the port of Dover in Kent, England. Dover is a Celtic word for ‘the waters’. The bay remains as Port Esperance. Dover developed as a port for shipping huon pine around the world from it’s many sawmills and become an important fishing port for salmon, abalone and crayfish.
3 islands can be viewed from its shore, Charity, the closest and to the right. Faith – the smallest (originally Dead Island) and Hope, the furthest and largest (about 4 km wide), each have their own interesting history. A camping, caravan and cabin park is opposite the beach.
Hazard Rating: 1/10 | Parking: Good + close | from Hobart: 60 km | Faces: West into Eggs & Bacon Bay | Length: 400 m
A quiet protected beach with a gradual foreshore, ideal for a picnic. Turn off Randalls Bay Road for access.
Said to be named after the wild eggs-and-bacon flowers from the pea family that grow in the bay – or as an alternative (though likely untrue) is that Lady Jane Franklin ate bacon and eggs there around 1840.
