Bellerive Beach is a suburban beach along the River Derwent in Bellerive,

Hobart Hobart ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the island state of Tasmania, Australia. Located in Tasmania's south-east on the estuary of the River Derwent, it is the southernmost capital city in Australia. Despite containing nearly hal ...

Tasmania Tasmania (; palawa kani: ''Lutruwita'') is an island States and territories of Australia, state of Australia. It is located to the south of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland, and is separated from it by the Bass Strait. The sta ...

. The south-facing beach is located near the historic Kangaroo Battery coastal defences to the west and Howrah Beach to the east. It offers views across the Derwent estuary to

Howrah Howrah (; ; alternatively spelled as Haora) is a city in the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal. Howrah is located on the western bank of the Hooghly River, opposite to its twin city of Kolkata. Administratively ...

, Tranmere, and Sandy Bay. Bellerive Beach is accompanied by parkland featuring play equipment, barbecues, and bathroom facilities. The beach is also bordered by the

Bellerive Oval Bellerive Oval, currently known as Ninja Stadium for Naming rights, sponsorship reasons, is a Cricket field, cricket oval and Australian rules football ground located in Bellerive, Tasmania, Bellerive, a suburb on the eastern shore of Hobart, T ...

, a tree-lined reserve, and private residences.

History

Before the arrival of Europeans, the land had been occupied by the

Mouheneener The Aboriginal Tasmanians (palawa kani: ''Palawa'' or ''Pakana'') are the Aboriginal people of the Australian island of Tasmania, located south of the mainland. At the time of European contact, Aboriginal Tasmanians were divided into a numbe ...

people, part of the Nuennone or "South-East tribe," for possibly as long as 35,000 years. Abalone shell

middens A midden is an old dump for domestic waste. It may consist of animal bones, human excrement, botanical material, mollusc shells, potsherds, lithics (especially debitage), and other artifacts and ecofacts associated with past human occupati ...

were discovered on Bellerive Beach in 1980, providing evidence of early Indigenous activity in the area. The suburb of Bellerive was originally called Kangaroo Point and was settled in the 1820s. Its name was changed in the 1830s to "Bellerive," meaning "beautiful shore" in French. Historically, the beach has been a hub of local activity, used for exercise,

beachcombing Beachcombing is an activity that consists of an individual "combing" (or searching) the beach and the intertidal zone, looking for things of value, interest or utility. A beachcomber is a person who participates in the activity of beachcombing ...

, horse racing, regattas, sailing, and swimming. In 2015, the

Clarence City Council Clarence City Council (or City of Clarence) is a Local government in Australia, local government body in Tasmania, and one of the five municipalities that constitutes the Hobart, Greater Hobart Area. The Clarence local government area has a po ...

developed a "master plan" for Bellerive Beach, which proposed amenities including a cafe, restaurant, and a bathers' pavilion. In 2020, concerns were raised by residents about the slow progress of the project and deviations from the original 2015 vision. In 2021, several native trees near Bellerive Beach were deliberately poisoned, resulting in the removal of around 30 trees. Investigations were launched into the incident, which angered residents due to the environmental impact.

Clarence Foreshore Trail

A $600,000 shared cycle pathway connecting Bellerive Beach to the Derwent River ferry service at Bellerive was opened in 2021 as part of the Clarence Foreshore Trail. Partial closures of the trail occurred during a stormwater upgrade in 2022, with temporary access routes provided during the construction.

Marine life

Bellerive Beach is home to a variety of marine life. A colony of

little penguins The little penguin (''Eudyptula minor'') is the smallest species of penguin. It originates from New Zealand. It is commonly known as the fairy penguin, little blue penguin, or blue penguin, owing to its slate-blue plumage and is also known by ...

(''Eudyptula minor'') nests behind the dunes, and they can often be seen coming ashore after dark. The

enforces dog restrictions to protect the penguins. In 2021, the reduction of off-leash dog areas around Bellerive Beach and other Tasmanian beaches sparked public concern, with residents advocating for more dedicated spaces. Occasionally,

bioluminescence Bioluminescence is the emission of light during a chemiluminescence reaction by living organisms. Bioluminescence occurs in multifarious organisms ranging from marine vertebrates and invertebrates, as well as in some Fungus, fungi, microorgani ...

caused by microscopic plankton can be observed in the waters around Bellerive Beach in the evening. Other marine life observed includes the

southern blue-ringed octopus The southern blue-ringed octopus (''Hapalochlaena maculosa'') is one of four extremely venomous species of blue-ringed octopuses. It is most commonly found in tidal rock pools along the south coast of Australia. As an adult, it can grow up to lon ...

(''Hapalochlaena maculosa''),

Australian swellshark The Australian swellshark (''Cephaloscyllium laticeps'') or draughtboard shark, is a species of Scyliorhinidae, catshark, and part of the family (biology), family Scyliorhinidae, endemic to southern Australia. This benthic, bottom-dwelling sp ...

(''Cephaloscyllium laticeps''), and species of

dolphins A dolphin is an aquatic mammal in the cetacean clade Odontoceti (toothed whale). Dolphins belong to the families Delphinidae (the oceanic dolphins), Platanistidae (the Indian river dolphins), Iniidae (the New World river dolphins), Pontopori ...

such as

bottlenose dolphins The bottlenose dolphin is a toothed whale in the genus ''Tursiops''. They are common, cosmopolitan members of the family Delphinidae, the family of oceanic dolphins. Molecular studies show the genus contains three species: the common bot ...

(''Tursiops aduncus'') and Burrunan dolphins (''Tursiops aduncus australis'').

Environment

Bellerive Beach and the surrounding reserve are home to various species of wildlife. Native mammals include the

southern brown bandicoot The southern brown bandicoot (''Isoodon obesulus'') is a short-nosed bandicoot, a type of marsupial, found mostly in southern Australia. A subspecies in Western Australia is also known as the quenda in South Western Australia (from the Noongar ...

(''Isoodon obesulus'') and the water rat (''Hydromys chrysogaster''). A variety of birds are also present, such as the

musk lorikeet The musk lorikeet (''Glossopsitta concinna'') is a lorikeet, now the only species in the genus ''Glossopsitta''. It inhabits south-central/eastern Australia. The little lorikeet and the purple-crowned lorikeet were previously included in the ge ...

(''Glossopsitta concinna''),

swift parrot The swift parrot (''Lathamus discolor''), also known by the palawa kani name swift waylitja, is a species of broad-tailed parrot, found only in southeastern Australia. The species breeds in Tasmania during the summer and migrates north to south ...

(''Lathamus discolor''), and the

Tasmanian masked owl The Tasmanian masked owl (''Tyto novaehollandiae castanops'') is a bird in the barn owl family Tytonidae that is endemic to the island state of Tasmania, Australia. It is the largest subspecies of the Australian masked owl, the largest ''Tyto'' ...

(''Tyto novaehollandiae castanops''). The area also provides suitable habitat for the

eastern barred bandicoot The eastern barred bandicoot (''Perameles gunnii'') is a nocturnal, rabbit-sized marsupial endemic to southeastern Australia, being native to the island of Tasmania and mainland Victoria (Australia), Victoria. It is one of three surviving bandi ...

(''Perameles gunnii''), which is classified as vulnerable. The area behind the dunes is also home to several frog species, and the broader environment includes potential habitat for various hollow-nesting birds. Environmental changes to the beach landscape occur periodically due to weather patterns and natural forces.

Access

Bellerive Beach is accessible from the

Hobart City Centre The Hobart City Centre (referred to as the Hobart CBD) is a suburb surrounded by metropolitan Hobart, which comprises the original settlement, the central business district, and other built-up areas. It is the oldest part of Hobart and include ...

via the

Tasman Bridge The Tasman Bridge is a prestressed concrete girder bridge connecting the Tasman Highway over the River Derwent (Tasmania), River Derwent in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. When it opened on 29 March 1965, the Tasman was the longest prestressed con ...

. It is a 1.5-hour walk from the CBD or a short ride on the

Metro Tasmania Metro Tasmania, commonly called Metro, a Tasmanian Government government-owned corporation, business enterprise, is the largest bus operator in the state of Tasmania, Australia, with operations in three of the four largest urban centres of Hoba ...

bus service. Parking is available off Victoria Esplanade, Alexandra Esplanade, and Luttrell Avenue.

References

{{Hobart landmarks Beaches of Tasmania