Things to do in Dover, Tasmania

The best things to do in Dover, Tasmania, include Port Esperance kayaking tours, Kent Beach and the Adamsons Peak Walk.

Dover, Tasmania, is the southernmost town of any real size in Australia. It’s on Port Esperance, about 79km south of Hobart. You’ll pass through on the way to Cockle Creek in the very south of Tasmania. It’s the last place for buying supplies and fuel, so stock up if you need to.

There’s not a massive amount to do in Dover, Tasmania, itself. But there are a few worthwhile attractions nearby.

Things to do in Dover, Tasmania: Kayaking to Hope Island

First up is Port Esperance itself. The bay is home to three islands – Faith, Hope and Charity. Esperance Adventures offers Port Esperance tours which involve kayaking around the three islands, stopping for lunch along the way. The guides give information about the old convict probation station on Hope Island, and there are some cracking views of the Hartz Mountain Range.

If you’re feeling particularly brave, you can go for a swim at Kent Beach. The beach is delightful right up to the point where you jump into the cold water.

Kent Beach in Dover, Tasmania. Photo by Paul County.

Things to do in Dover, Tasmania: Adamsons Peak Walk

Also near Dover is the 13.5km there-and-back Adamsons Peak Walk. The trailhead for this walk is a 19km drive west of Dover. That drive goes through the Esperance State Forest.

The Adamsons Peak Walk provides some pretty fabulous mountain scenery, and is right at the edge of the Hartz Mountains National Park. It’s a fairly tough walk, and should take the best part of a day. There’s an elevation gain of more than 1,100 metres along the route. It feels like an encapsulation of Tasmania’s east coast giving way to the wild interior.

A little further south from Dover, near Southport, you’ll find Hastings Caves, the Ida Bay Railway and Southport Lagoon. They’re covered in Australia Travel Questions’ guide to Southport.

More towns and cities in Tasmania

Tasmania things to do