Nutgrove Beach is a popular beach destination along the River Derwent in Sandy Bay,

Hobart Hobart ( ; Nuennonne/Palawa kani: ''nipaluna'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Home to almost half of all Tasmanians, it is the least-populated Australian state capital city, and second-small ...

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

. The north facing beach has views of kunanyi / Mount Wellington, Lords Beach,

Wrest Point Hotel Casino The Wrest Point Hotel Casino is a casino in Tasmania. It was Australia's first legal casino, opening in the suburb of Sandy Bay in Hobart, on 10 February 1973. History Historically, Dunkley's Point was a camping ground held by the semi-nomadic ...

, the

Tasman Bridge The Tasman Bridge is a bridge that carries the Tasman Highway over the Derwent River in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. Including approaches, the bridge has a total length of and it provides the main traffic route from the Hobart city centre ( ...

, and the

City of Clarence 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 ...

on the eastern shore. Nutgrove Beach neighbours

Long Beach Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California. Incorporate ...

and Red Chapel Beach, and is within close proximity to the Sandy Bay Sailing Club and Lower Sandy Bay shops. The beach is dog-friendly and has bathroom facilities.

History

Nutgrove Beach has historically been a popular staple of local activity, used for horse races, regattas, sailing races and swimming. Prior to the

British colonisation of Tasmania The British colonisation of Tasmania took place between 1803 and 1830. Tasmania was a British colony from 1856 until 1901, at which time it joined five other colonies to form the Commonwealth of Australia. By the end of the colonisation in ...

, 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". The Mouheneener held a permanent settlement on neighbouring Long Beach called ''kreewer''. Originally Nutgrove Beach was a continuation of Long Beach. As a means in preventing further foreshore erosion, a basalt seawall was constructed in the 1970s, dividing the beach in two. The new beach was named Nutgrove Beach after nearby Nutgrove House, an 1880's homestead built by John T. Read, a farmer who owned the Kinvarra Estate in Plenty. Read named his house "Nutgrove" after a small grove of walnut trees growing on the land. There were many apple, pear and nut orchards in Lower Sandy Bay in the 19th Century. Nutgrove House still stands today.

Marine life

Nutgrove Beach is home to many sea creatures, including the native smooth spotted shore crab (''Paragrapsus laevis'') and the critically endangered

spotted handfish The spotted handfish (''Brachionichthys hirsutus'') is a rare Australian fish in the handfish family, Brachionichthyidae, classified as critically endangered on the IUCN Red List 2020. It has a highly restricted range, being found only in th ...

(''Brachionichthys hirsutus''). Though once a calving ground of the

southern right whale The southern right whale (''Eubalaena australis'') is a baleen whale, one of three species classified as right whales belonging to the genus ''Eubalaena''. Southern right whales inhabit oceans south of the Equator, between the latitudes of 20 ...

(''Eubalaena australis''), it is now incredibly rare to sight a whale in the Derwent estuary. Whaling was banned in Australia in 1978, and ships are not to approach closer than when encountering whales.

Environment

In 2015, a survey report found that over 40 houses along Nutgrove beach are at risk from rising sea levels. In 2018, an annual report revealed that

Blackmans Bay Blackmans Bay is a coastal suburb of Tasmania, Australia, part of the Kingston-Blackmans Bay urban area and a satellite town of Greater Hobart. Etymology Blackmans Bay was named after a James Blackman who occupied land there in the 1820s. A ...

and Nutgrove Beach contained the worst water quality within the Derwent estuary.

Access

Nutgrove Beach is a one hour walk from the Hobart City Centre, or a short metro bus ride along Sandy Bay Road.

References

{{Hobart landmarks Beaches of Tasmania