Family finds Great White shark on remote Tassie beach near Swansea

A Tassie family camping on the East Coast for the school holidays saw something in the water — and they were shocked to discover it was a Great White shark. SEE THE PHOTOS

The Hughes family with the Great White shark. Photos: Supplied

A TASMANIAN family camping near the mouth of the Buxton River near Swansea have made a fascinating discovery.

Andrew Hughes and his family were in the lagoon near the river mouth when they saw a two-metre-long white object floating upside down.

It was a Great White shark.

“It was clearly dead but it was still a shock when we realised it was a Great White shark,” Mr Hughes said.

Andrew Hughes with the Great White shark he found near the mouth of the Buxton River

Andrew Hughes with the Great White shark he found near the mouth of the Buxton River

“We flipped it over and saw a very toothy grin.

“In the name of science we brought it to the shore. The kids were fascinated.

“It had a tracker in its back and a tag from the NSW Government. I retrieved the tracker and contacted the Tasmanian whales hotline. They are going to contact NSW authorities and the CSIRO.

Andrew Hughes with the Great White shark he found near the mouth of the Buxton River, on Tasmania's East Coast near Swansea.

“Hopefully they will find out more information soon. We are all very interested.”

The family goes to a private camping spot on Bruce Dunbabin’s Mayfield Farm every year.

“It is such a great spot and very much out of the way. I’d say we were the first to come across the shark,” Mr Hughes said.

“It had no obvious signs of injury so it is unclear how or why it died.”

The 350-metre long beach at the mouth of Buxton River is attached to the base of Penquite Point in the south, the northern end extending to the lee of Horrels Point as a tidal spit.