Ocean Beach is a popular tourist stopover on the Apple Isle’s wild and wooly west coast. It’s not far from the town of Strahan but is nearly 300 clicks northwest of Hobart, meaning half a day’s travel time must be allocated each way.

There’s over 30km of beachfront to explore, and it’s an often harsh stretch of coast that’s relentlessly pummeled by angry storms rising up from deep in the Southern Ocean.

It’s known as Tassie’s longest beach run and provides some challenging sand driving opportunities.

Keep in mind that there’s a mutton bird colony that nests on the beach between October and April, so visitors are asked to keep below the high tide mark when driving on the beach in order to protect nesting sites.

STUFF TO DO

4WDING is allowed on a 15km beach run accessed via Ocean Beach Road. An alternative beach run can be accessed by turning left onto the beach and travelling around the headland to the exit along the Macquarie Heads Road.

THE FRANKLIN-GORDON WILD RIVERS NATIONAL PARK is located within the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area and can be accessed from Strahan. This wilderness area was once the scene of a conservation battle to save the Gordon River from being dammed.

IMPORTANT INFO

LOCATION: Ocean Beach is located 6km to the west of Strahan, and 290km northwest of Hobart. It can be reached in approximately four hours from the capital.

CAMPING is available near Ocean Beach at Macquarie Heads Camping Ground. The campground is located at the northern end of Macquarie Harbour. All sites are unpowered, toilets are provided but campers are advised to bring their own firewood and drinking water.

FUEL is available in Strahan.

MORE INFO is available www.parks.tas.gov.au