Hinsby Beach, Tasmania
History
Hinsby Beach has historically been a popular staple of local activity, used for exercise, beach combing, kayaking, sailing, snorkelling, bodyboarding and swimming. Prior to the British colonisation of Tasmania, the land had been occupied for possibly as long as 35,000 years by the semi-nomadic Mouheneener people, a sub-group of the Nuennone, or "South-East tribe". Mouheneener shell middens can be found scattered all along Taroona's foreshores.
Extreme weather hit the beach in 2018, causing rough seas to wash salmon farming equipment ashore and the escape of 120,000 atlantic salmon.
In 2021, Hinsby Beach was utilised for MONA FOMA celebrations with an installation called Hobart Digs, in which south sea pearls encased in handcrafted boxes by German artist Michael Sailstorfer were buried in the sand and discovered by participants.
Environment
The steep and narrow 250-metre (820 ft) beach has waves averaging .5 metres (1 ft 8 in) swells and is bookended by a 50-metre (160 ft) collection of boulder rocks at Taroona Beach and the Alum Cliffs, which emerge from sea level to heights between 50–100 metres (160–330 ft) to create a dramatic coastline, stretching for 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) to Tyndall Beach, Kingston Beach. The beach can be viewed from beachside homes along Hinsby Road. Hinsby Beach performs well for water quality within the Derwent estuary for swimming.
Access
Hinsby Beach is accessible from the Hobart City Centre via the Channel Highway. It is a two hour walk from the CBD, or a 30 minute metro bus ride. There is parking at nearby Jenkins Street, Hinsby Road, Niree Parade and at Taroona Park. The beach can be accessed on foot via the Taroona Foreshore Track.
