Adventure Bay - Quiet Corner to Coal Point

Starting from Quiet Corner at the northern end of Adventure Bay Beach, this trail leads you northwards along the coastline to Coal Point and back. Keep in mind that while this trail passes multiple sandy beaches, there is often large, breaking waves on this coastline that make landing difficult, so you will likely be in your kayak until you return to Quiet Corner. If there swell profile with an easterly aspect, the swell and breaking waves will be especially present, increasing the difficulty of this paddle and requiring you to increase the distance you paddle from the coastline.

You can put your kayak in directly in front of where you have parked your car. It is relatively protected at this point of the beach compared to further north along the coastline. As you set out, make your way around the point, ensuring you are out far enough to avoid the small reef that sticks out from Quiet Corner which causes waves to form. As you make your way northwards, you will notice that depending on the swell size you will need to have some distance between you and the coastline, ensuring you stay out of the break zone.

You will first pass Sunshine Beach, and about 1km north of Quiet Corner you will pass Two Tree Point and Resolution Creek. This is a historic point where European explorers including Furneaux (1773), Cook (1777), and Bligh (1788) landed for fresh water. Look out for two large, distinctive eucalyptus trees next to a small creek, as this lets you know you are at Two Tree Point.

Continue to make your way north and you will soon pass the picturesque Barkers Beach and Hanssons Beach. If you are paddling on a day with especially low swell, it may be possible to land here, however, large breaking waves and surf are usually present, making it not safe to do so. Continue making your way north for around 900 metres and you will come across Coal Point, where you will be able to make out visible coal seams in the cliffs. It is worth paddling around the point for views further north towards The Neck. It should be noted, however, when there is a south-easterly swell profile, a point break wave forms here making it best avoided in such conditions.

Once you have reached this point, you can begin making your way back the way you came along the coastline towards Quiet Corner.

If you would like to extend this paddle, there is the option of making your way southeast along Adventure Bay Beach to either the Captain Cook Creek trail, around 1.6km from Quiet Corner, or to the East Cove- Grassy Point and Penguin Island trail, a further 1.6km along the coastline from Captain Cook Creek. For more information, refer to the trail guides for these two paddles.

This is a historical and culturally significant area, and The Nuenonne people frequented this coastline and made it home for more than 40,000 years.

Multiple post-colonial historic points are passed on this trip, including Two Tree Point and Coal Point. Two Tree Point is notable as it is the location that European explorers Captain Tobias Furneaux (1773), Captain James Cook (1777) and Captain William Bligh (1788) landed to take in fresh water from Resolution Creek. The site was depicted in paintings completed by Lieutenant George Tobin in 1792 while visiting on Captain Bligh’s ship, HMS Providence.

Coal Point has a coal seam that is clearly visible in the cliffs and was noted in the early days of Tasmanian colonisation as a potential mine location. While earlier attempts were made at exploiting this resource, a successful mining operation took place here from 1876-1891.

This paddle is exposed to ocean swell, with surf and large, breaking waves on the coastline and reefs. It is especially exposed to winds with an easterly or northerly aspect and is especially exposed to south-easterly swell. Ensure you keep your distance from the coastline if large swell is present, and avoid the point break at Coal Point, as waves may form without prior warning.

While the entry and exit point at Quiet Corner is relatively sheltered, the coastline throughout the rest of the trail is quite exposed and will often have large, breaking waves on it, making landing very difficult and unadvisable unless you are experienced in such conditions. There are also a number of reefs that stick out from certain points including going round the head from Quiet Corner and Coal Point. This requires you to give these points a wide birth to avoid rocks and any waves that may form on them. Coal Point has a known surfing point break when conditions are right, making it especially important you are paying attention to the swell size and direction on this paddle.

Potential hazards to be aware of when kayaking include unpredictable wind strengths and directions, capsizing, hypothermia, sunstroke, and drowning. To best prevent these incidents from occurring it is crucial that appropriate safety equipment is used and the kayaker should have a sound understanding of the effects of wind, currents and water temperature in the local area. Prior to undertaking this trip, kayakers should review the local safety equipment requirements and other safety information as outlined by MAST, which can be found here: https://mast.tas.gov.au/safe-b...