Featured beach Little Sandy Bay Beach
A popular swimming beach – and for good reason. Close to town, consistently clean water, near parks, BBQ facilities and ice cream shops!
Home / Water quality / Beach Watch
Looking for a clean beach to swim at in Hobart? Use the interactive map below to see long-term, weekly and daily information about the water quality at your favourite beach. This summer we trialed a forecasting program, which provided daily updates for each swimming site.
The DEP coordinates a collaborative monitoring program between councils and state government. It runs from the start of December to the end of March each year.
The 2024-25 summer Beach Watch season is now open.
Swimming in the Derwent is not recommended for several days after heavy rain, and never in the vicinity of stormwater pipes or urban rivulets.
Hobart area residents are fortunate in having easy access to a variety of safe, sandy beaches within 20 minutes of the CBD. This is increasingly rare for a capital city and adds greatly to our quality of life. Swimming and other water sports such as small boat sailing, rowing, windsurfing and water-skiing are also enjoyed at sites up and down the estuary.
The program tests water quality at 19 swimming sites around the Derwent estuary. Weekly results are published below, and on the DEP Facebook page. Based on five years of data, most Derwent swimming sites are classified as having Good or Fair water quality.
A popular swimming beach – and for good reason. Close to town, consistently clean water, near parks, BBQ facilities and ice cream shops!
Location | Long-term rating | Weekly sample result | Daily pollution forecast |
---|---|---|---|
Windermere Bay Beach | Good | Pass (62) | Likely |
Nutgrove Beach (east) | Good | Pass (10) | Unlikely |
Nutgrove Beach (west) | Good | Pass (<10) | Likely |
Little Sandy Bay (south) | Good | Pass (41) | Unlikely |
Little Sandy Bay (north) | Good | Pass (41) | Unlikely |
Hinsby Beach | Fair | Pass (<10) | Unlikely |
Taroona Beach | Good | Pass (63) | Unlikely |
Kingston Beach (north) | Poor | Pass (135) | Likely |
Kingston Beach (mid) | Fair | Pass (41) | Unlikely |
Kingston Beach (south) | Fair | Retest (173) | Likely |
Blackmans Bay (north) | Good | Retest (256) | Unlikely |
Blackmans Bay (mid) | Fair | Pass (86) | Likely |
Blackmans Bay (south) | Poor | Retest (1314) | Likely |
Bellerive Beach (east) | Good | Pass (20) | Unlikely |
Bellerive Beach (west) | Good | Pass (<10) | Unlikely |
Howrah Beach (east) | Good | Pass (<10) | Unlikely |
Howrah Beach (mid) | Fair | Pass (63) | Likely |
Howrah Beach (west) | Fair | Pass (52) | Likely |
Little Howrah Beach | Good | Pass (<10) | Likely |
Most importantly, DO NOT swim in the estuary for two days after heavy rain, or at any time near stormwater pipes and urban rivulets.
Read about the pollution forecasting program occurring during the Beach Watch season.
The forecasts are predictions of water quality only and may not be 100% accurate. Derwent Estuary Program cannot guarantee the accuracy of any results or outputs from this model. Any reliance you place on this information is strictly at your own risk.
Location | Long-term rating | Weekly sample result |
---|---|---|
New Norfolk (The Esplanade) | Fair | Fail (183) |
New Norfolk (Millbrook Rise Jetty) | Fair | Fail (216) |
Old Beach Jetty | Good | |
Elwick Bay Yacht Club | Good | Pass (30) |
New Town Bay | Fair | Fail (754) |
Prince of Wales Bay | Fair | Fail (738) |
Geilston Bay | Poor | Pass (<10) |
Lindisfarne Bay | Poor | Fail (243) |
Montagu Bay | Good | Pass (10) |
Mid-River Swim | Good | Pass (<10) |
Hobart Rivulet (mouth) | Poor | Fail (529) |
Regatta Pavilion | Fair | Fail (529) |
Victoria Dock | Fair | Pass (<10) |
Watermans Dock | Poor | Fail (384) |
Brooke Street Pier | Good | Pass (<10) |
Sullivans Cove | Good | Pass (<10) |
Marieville Esplanade | Fair | Fail (241) |
Kangaroo Bay | Fair | Pass (<10) |
Browns River | Poor | Fail (2489) |
Most importantly, DO NOT swim for several days after heavy rain or at any time near stormwater pipes and rivulets.
Avoid swimming in the Derwent estuary for two days after heavy rain (> 10 mm rain over a 24 hour period) as beaches are likely to be polluted by stormwater. Check back regularly for the latest results.
For sampling results for all sites, and further information about this program see the DEP’s latest Recreational Water Quality report.
Local councils, the Environmental Protection Authority and the Derwent Estuary Program collect water samples from 39 sites throughout the Derwent estuary each Tuesday from the start of December to the end of March.
All samples are analysed at the Public Health Laboratory (New Town) using the Enterolert method, which provides confirmed results within 24 hours of analysis. Results are typically reported between 24 and 48 hours after submission to the laboratory.
Sites are categorised as either Swimming Sites (Beach Watch) or Environmental Sites (Bay Watch):
Water contaminated by sewage and animal faeces may contain pathogenic micro-organisms (bacteria, viruses, protozoa) which pose a health hazard when the water is used for primary contact recreation, such as swimming. Infection may occur by swallowing, inhaling or by direct contact of contaminated water with ears, nasal passages, mucous membranes and cuts in the skin, which allow the pathogens to enter the body. The most common health conditions associated with primary contact recreation in contaminated water are gastrointestinal disorders, respiratory illnesses, eye, nose and throat infections and skin disorders.
The Recreational Water Quality Guidelines for Tasmania were developed using the National Guidelines for Managing Risks in Recreational Water 2008. The Tasmanian guidelines adopt a three-tiered approach to classifying the long-term quality of a site based on available data. The tiers are:
In addition to long-term site classification, trigger levels have been set to manage public exposure to episodic or emerging water quality issues. If a sample exceeds 140 MPN per 100 mL, the relevant authority is required to re-sample, and if two consecutive samples return a result above 280 MPN per 100 mL, the swimming site must be closed and the public notified. The beach may only be re-opened for primary contact recreation following agreement between the Director of Public Health and Council’s Authorised Officer.
For further information see the Tasmanian Recreational Water Quality Guidelines and our national Guidelines for Managing Risks in Recreational Water.