This mile beach expedition also included visiting the location where the first Europeans in 1642 set foot on Tasmanian soil. Think about that 377 year before us and 128 years before Cook landed at Botany.
| General Location | Dunalley, Tasman Peninsula |
|---|---|
| Aboriginal Tribe/Language Group | Pydairrerme/Paredarerme language group |
| Access to beach | Walking track |
| Beach Classification | Wave Dominated – Intermediate – Traverse Bar & Rip |
| Start Date/Time | 25 April 2019 11:17 |
| Start Location (inc Lat/Log) | S42° 52.625’ E147° 56.712’ |
| End Date/Time | 25 April 2019 12:09 |
| End Location (inc Lat/Log) | S42° 52.648’ E147° 55.199’ |
| Mode of Travel | Walk |
| Distance Travelled | 2.9km |
| Location of Sand Sample (lat/Long) | S42° 52.293’ E147° 55.763’ |
This beach did take some planning and even involved a reconnaissance trip to organise access through private property. Many thanks to Matt and Vanessa Dunbabin owners of Bandor Farm for allowing us to walk the Monument trail to access Two Mile Beach.
It was ANZAC day, exactly two years since I had left Canberra in the Caravan. Joanne and Cameron my best mate (other than Joanne of course) attended the Dawn Service at Dunalley, we even stayed for the free gunfire breakfast attended by all the residences of Dunalley.
Mid morning we headed out to Bandor Farm and proceeded to the Monument walking trail. Two Mile Beach forms part of the 5km coastal walking trail that leads to a stone monument which was built in 1923 by the Royal Society of Tasmania to commemorate Abel Tasman’s landing on the Forestier Peninsula in 1642. While Able Tasman expedition did not meet with any local indigenous people at that time, the first contact between Tasmanian Aborigines and Europeans occurred on Two Mile Beach during the exploration of North Bay by Marion Du Fresne (1772). While this encounter began with a peaceful exchange of gifts unfortunately it did not end well, with the two groups clashing and at least one Aborigine was killed.
Anyway this time the three of us enjoyed the 12 km walk out and back, well until Joanne decide to get lost on the return journey but that story is best left untold, for at least the next 377 years.
[…] at the southern end of a beach now called “Two Mile Beach” near Dunalley. I found a blog post of someone who visited – it’s looks to be a very low-key and obscure […]
Hi There
I’m note sure of your name but thank you for the link. I found the article “Thinking Sovereignty” very interesting and will certainly pursue further reading. I grew up not far from where Tasman’s Carpenter planted the flag although I have some doubt about the exact location where the present day cairn now exists. Not withstanding that the whole “domestic terra nullius doctrine” I believe is completely wrong on so many levels and truly hope in my lifetime this is finally corrected. Maybe with the event that happened today the end of QE2 reign we might see a seismic shift. I’m not casting any assertions on her as a individual but it could just be a good time for all the questions of sovereignty and ownership to be finally addressed.
cheers
Chris Toogood