A family stumbles on the beauty of Bridport

A family falls in love with a humble seaside town in the state’s North-East.

Bridport is a popular beachside holiday destination, famous for its white sandy beaches, coastal parks and bushland reserves. Picture: SEAN SCOTT/TOURISM TASMANIA

I WASN’T expecting too much from our family’s side trip to the North-East coastal town of Bridport. We rolled into town with our mountain bikes strapped to the tray of our ute en route to the Derby network of trails.

It was just good luck that we booked two nights in the township. We’d simply chosen a seaside town without much research. Now, weeks later it’s not the muddy trails of the mountain-biking mecca that my mind drifts to but the white sandy beaches and beautiful and varied coastal, forest and river landscapes that fringe this Bass Strait town.

On arrival to our cabin on the main street, we learn about a popular 11km trail that loops the outskirts of the town, taking in the coastline up to the old jetty before heading inland through a wildflower meadow, past the fairways of the golf course, a steep downhill through wooded eucalypts and a meander along the banks of the Brid River and a winding path through birch trees alongside a fast-flowing brook.

Walking near Granite Point Conservation Area at Bridport. Picture: SUSAN OONG

On our first morning, with the sun smiling down, we push off on our bikes to take in the first section. It is so scenic that I stop no fewer than 15 times to take panoramic photos. I snapped pics of the white-sand beaches of Anderson Bay, of the orange-lichen covered granite boulders more typically found at the better-known Bay of Fires, and the cloudless blue horizon.

At Mermaids Pool I nearly fill my cloud storage with shots of the aquamarine waters lapping against a small, sheltered cove framed by more granite monoliths.

Reluctantly moving on, we traverse the delightful Roly’s track which is little more than a shoe-width track winding through the scrub and carved out by decades of locals’ using it as a shortcut to town.

Spring is possibly the best time of year to experience the yellows and creams of the low-lying and exposed wildflower reserve. We follow the gravel-lined track up and over small hillocks that twisted its way past delicate native flowers at every turn to the next ecosystem: the myrtle forest. Here the temperature drops and the air is denser thanks to the rapidly moving Brid river, at times flowing far below.

This section of the trail proves to be an excellent taster of the Derby tracks to come, and my primary-school-aged kids return more than once to whiz down the path, which at times sharply turns at trees and plunges across cold creeks.

While keeping a watchful eye for the flicker of a platypus we cross the Brid River on a narrow suspension bridge, following another delightful gravel path, this one at times doubling back on itself as it follows the creek to the town’s wharf.

The old wharf at Bridport: Picture: BRIDPORT COUNCIL

The outdoor barbecue area at the Bridport Beach Cottages. Picture: SUPPLIED

And if Bridport couldn’t get any better, it turns out the fishing town is also a major scallop processing port. At the bridge into town, a truck plied high with scallop shells is parked below a conveyor belt, which ejects mountains of discarded shells into its load.

Dinner that night is of course scallops. We buy a kilo, something that we’d consider an opulent choice back home.

At dusk, back at our cabin, our kids sear scallops two ways on the barbecue: with curry, and with garlic and ginger, and we serve both on a bed of buttery spaghetti.

It’s simple but divine.

It tops up a late lunch of fish and chips eaten at the sprawling kids’ park off the main drag by the water’s edge. The playground is a kids’ paradise with a huge flying fox and enormous rope climbing frame. We spot more than one local birthday party being held there as other children zipped past on bikes ridden in from the nearby camp ground.

I’m enchanted by this small town. Surely this is one of Tassie’s best-kept summer secrets? Against a setting sun we head east for a glimpse of the acclaimed links golf courses of Barnbougle and Lost Farm. We also drive out along a corrugated and partly flooded 4WD track alongside a secluded beach where we plan to return for a 4WD holiday.

WATCH THE TASSIE TOURISM TOWN VIDEO OF BRIDPORT

GETTING THERE: Bridport is about an hour northeast of Launceston by car via Pipers Brook.

STAYING THERE: Bridport Beach Cottages, on the main street, offer seven cleverly designed self-contained cabins in two configurations: A two-bedroom option with queen bed and bunks, and a studio option with queen bed. The cottages include a kitchenette and washing machine. Prices start from $165 a night for a studio and $180 for a two-bedroom cottage. Visit bridportbeachcottages.com for details.

Ideal for: Affordable, active family holidays.

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