Seven Mile Beach (T 397) is the closest surfing beach to Hobart. It is located 15 km east of the city on the northern shores of Frederick Henry Bay. The Seven Mile Beach road reaches the western end of the beach and parallels the back of the beach for 3 km. Between the road and the beach is a forested beach reserve and the Tingarra horse-riding trail. The best access and facilities are at the western end where there is a store and beach boat launching next to small Acton Creek, which drains across the beach. East along the beach are also four day area reserves with picnic and toilet facilities, including one with camping facilities (Fig. 4.69). The beach is 10.3 km (7 miles) long and essentially faces southeast, curving round to face south to southwest at the eastern Sandy Point end. Sandy Point forms the western entrance to Pitt Water, a 3,500 ha barrier estuary, which backs the barrier system. The entire beach system has in fact built out 1 to 2 km seaward, as a series of more than 50 low foredune ridges, which have subsequently been transgressed by dune activity that increases to the east. Part of the barrier is used to house Hobart’s Cambridge airport, while pine plantations cover much of the remaining area. The only settlement, called Seven Mile Beach, is toward the western end. The beach receives usually low to moderate waves, 0.5 to 1 m high, that have to travel 20 km into Frederick Henry Bay. The waves arrive as low crests paralleling the beach (Fig. 4.70). The beach usually has a narrow dry high tide beach, commonly containing cusps, with a wider shallow low tide beach. Rips only occur when waves exceed 1 m. read more

Beach Length: 10.3km