Just Tasmania .com
Dover accommodation, restaurants, history, things to do

Dover sits at the head of Tasmania's Esperance Bay overlooking the quaintly named islands of Faith, Hope and Charity and below Adamsons Peak..

The town was originally named Port Esperance by the French explorer, Admiral Bruni D’Entrecasteaux, who charted the area in 1792 in the vessels Recherche and Esperance.

It was originally established as a convict probation station but changed to an important port shipping huon pine to the world. By 1850 there were a number of sawmills in the area. It is claimed that the one link between Dover in England and Dover in Tasmania is that huon pine shipped from this area was used in the construction of Dover Pier.

The town has a population of about 500 and the major industries are forestry and fishing – particularly Atlantic salmon, abalone and cray fishing, and nearby are apple orchards.

The regional features include the Hastings Cave State Reserve, where there is a delightful swimming pool fed by natural thermal springs, the Ida Bay scenic railway and the Hastings Forest and Cockle Creek tour on Australia’s southernmost road.

There a number of good bed and breakfasts, a caravan park, hotel/motel and backpacker accommodation.

The Ida Bay railway is close to Hastings. It was originally built to carry quarried rock, but carries passengers along a scenic section of track with picnic facilities available.

The major attraction in the town is Casey's Living Steam Museum which combines an excellent display of old steam engines with a small display on the local apple industry, a display connected with the timber industry and particularly the huon pine, and a section on the history of Dover with an old bark hut.