Douglas River

About Douglas River

Douglas River is a coastal rural locality on Tasmania's East Coast, situated approximately 67 kilometres south of St Helens within the Break O'Day and Glamorgan-Spring Bay council areas. The locality covers around 16.3 square kilometres where the Douglas River waterway flows west to east before emptying into Maclean Bay, an inlet of the Tasman Sea, with the Tasman Highway (Route A3) passing through. With a 2021 census population of 67, Douglas River is one of the smallest inhabited localities on the East Coast, offering a remote and largely undisturbed coastal lifestyle. The area was originally a coal mining locality and was gazetted in 1968.

The locality's greatest drawcard is its proximity to the Douglas-Apsley National Park, a spectacular wilderness area of dry eucalypt forest, deep gorges, and river walks that lies just to the south, making it a destination for hikers and nature enthusiasts. The Tasman Highway provides the main link to Bicheno to the north and Triabunna to the south, both of which offer services including shops, fuel, and accommodation. Douglas River itself is extremely quiet and undeveloped, with a scattering of rural properties and holiday dwellings along the coastal fringe. The combination of pristine coastline, national park access, and East Coast serenity makes it a valued retreat for those who prize isolation and natural beauty.

Douglas River falls under postcode 7215 and is governed by the local council Council (LGA). For state elections, residents vote in the Lyons (Prosser) electorate.

Nearby Suburbs

• Beaumaris, TAS 7215
• Bicheno, TAS 7215
• Chain Of Lagoons, TAS 7215
• Coles Bay, TAS 7215
• Cornwall, TAS 7215
• Douglas-Apsley, TAS 7215