The sand beneath your feet is almost impossibly fine, squeaking as you walk the long crescent that bends toward distant headlands. Cloudy Bay earns its name not from grey skies but from the white quartz grains that shimmer in the light, creating an opalescent glow even on overcast days. The water here is bracing—this is Tasmania, after all—and the waves roll in with a rhythmic insistence born of their uninterrupted journey from Antarctica.
“One of the few white-sand beaches in Tasmania where you can walk for a kilometre without seeing another soul, even in peak season.”
Mornington Peninsula Coastal Walk, Victoria, Australia
You'll want to time your visit with the tide charts tucked in your pocket. At low tide, the beach doubles in width, revealing tidal pools where your children can crouch and peer at stranded starfish and darting translucent shrimp. The dunes behind you shelter hardy coastal grasses that hiss in the constant breeze, and if you're lucky, you might spot a white-bellied sea eagle tracing lazy circles overhead.
The drive here takes you through the island's patchwork of farmland and eucalyptus forest, past the Neck—that narrow land bridge with views that make you pull over whether you planned to or not. Pack a thermos of something hot, bring layers for the wind, and prepare to have this stretch of coastline largely to yourself, even in the height of summer when the rest of Tasmania fills with tourists.
