North Tasmania Region

Abstract

The northern coast of Tasmania faces north into Bass Strait, with the region also including the eastern coast of King Island and western coast of Flinders Island. Along the north coast the prevailing westerly winds flow alongshore in the west to onshore in the east, while the entire coast is sheltered from the high westerly swell by King Island. The climate is humid temperate, and a number of small rivers flow to the coast delivering limited terrigenous sediment, with coastal sediment dominated by quartz and in places rock fragments. Coastal processes range from low waves in the west to increasing exposure to waves and wind in the east, with tide predominately meso. Beaches are tide-dominated in the west shifting to tide-modified and some wave-dominated in the east. Likewise, barriers are regressive in the west, with some extensive Pleistocene and Holocene dune transgression in the east, including ‘glacial’ dunes. Longshore sediment transport is limited, and most sediment has been derived from the shallow shelf. This chapter describes the coast’s geology, coastal processes, beaches, barriers, sediment transport and sediment compartments.