Edge of the World Tasmania: Visiting Arthur River’s Wild Coast

On Tasmania’s remote north-west coast, the Edge of the World is a windswept point overlooking a vast expanse of the Southern Ocean. From here, there is no land directly west until you reach South America — just thousands of kilometres of open ocean.

We visited the Edge of the World while exploring the coastal section of the Tarkine Drive, and it became our favourite stop on this part of the route. It’s a wonderfully wild place, where the dramatic name actually makes sense once you’re standing there looking out across the ocean.

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Why is it called Edge of the World?

The name Edge of the World applies to the section of coastline around the mouth of the Arthur River. It was coined by Brian Inder, of Tasmazia fame, who also penned the poem etched on a plaque at Gardiner Point. Inder was an important figure in north-west Tasmania’s tourism industry, and he is credited not only with coming up with the name, but with establishing the Edge of the World as a destination at Arthur River. Over time, the name stuck and became associated with this whole stretch of coast.

While this is not the westernmost point of Tasmania, the ocean stretches uninterrupted for thousands of kilometres to the west. According to the signage at the lookout, if you were to set sail from the Edge of the World and head directly west, you wouldn’t make landfall until you reached the coast of Argentina.

How to get to the Edge of the World

For such a wild place, Edge of the World is quite easily accessible. It lies in the north west corner of Tasmania along the coastal section of the stunning Tarkine Drive, 84 km southwest of Stanley, 193 km from Devonport, 294 km from Launceston and right next door to the small fishing settlement of Arthur River.

A sealed road goes almost all the way to Gardiner Point, where the Edge of the World lookout is located. For the last couple of kilometres, once you drive through the township of Arthur River, the road turns to gravel, but it’s a well-maintained road, perfectly suitable for 2WD vehicles with low clearance.

There is a spacious car park at the Edge of the World (ironic, right?) with good bathrooms. But that’s about it.

Experiencing the Edge of the World in Tasmania

As soon as you step out of the car at Tasmania’s Edge of the World, you notice two things: the strikingly beautiful panorama of the wild coastline that stretches for over 180 degrees in front of you, and the blustering gusts of the Roaring Forties – Tasmania’s infamous band of strong winds at the latitude of 40 degrees that tear along the coast with unyielding ferocity. A visit to the Edge of the World is a multi-sensory experience.

Edge of the World Boardwalk & Lookout

From the car park, a wooden boardwalk takes you towards the rocky Gardiner Point. On your right, you will see a lovely sheltered beach with huge piles of driftwood scattered around it. And I don’t mean small twigs. Massive bleached tree trunks have been thrown onto the beach by the churning surf and accumulated into large stacks over the years. The storms in this part of the world must be frighteningly powerful, like those battering the cliffs of the Tasman Peninsula.

A couple of meters further, the boardwalk splits in two: the left-hand side path takes you to a sheltered lookout that has panoramic 180-degree views of the coastline and some information boards that did not weather well and can barely be read.

In case you are curious but can’t make out the writing on the weathered signs, some of them talk about the North West Aboriginal People – the traditional custodians of the land at the Edge of the World and beyond. These hardy people have lived here for at least 35,000 years and were the southernmost people in the world at the time of the last Ice Age.

Other signs seem to be describing the wildlife present in the area. The grasslands and scrubland along the coast are home to Tasmanian pademelons, Bennett’s wallabies, Wombats and Tasmanian devils.

The beaches you can see from the lookout are sensitive breeding areas for Hooded Plovers, Red-capped Plovers, Pied Oystercatchers and Sooty Oystercatchers. Though the only bird we saw at first was a White-bellied Sea Eagle, until our unexpected encounter with a family of Black Swans.

black swans entering the ocean ocean at the Edge of the World, Tasmania

From the boardwalk, we spotted two adult Black Swans and half a dozen almost fully grown cygnets on the beach. As we watched, the adults waddled into the surf and waited, bobbing on the waves, while the cygnets battled their way through the breaking water to join them. It took the youngsters quite a while to get beyond the surf, but eventually the whole family reunited and continued swimming out of the bay. I’d never seen Black Swans do that before.

Edge of the World Plaque

The right-hand side path takes you to the rocky tip of Gardiner Point, where a plaque with Brian Indee’s poem marks The Edge of the World.

Edge of the World lookout on tarkine coast

In the poem, Inder imagines casting a pebble onto the shore as a small piece of himself that will remain there long after he is gone. There are plenty of pebbles scattered at your feet here, so if you are feeling poetic, you can cast a pebble of your own. We did.

The view from the tip of Gardiner Point is wild and exposed. Waves roll in across the open ocean, breaking around the rocky shoreline, while huge pieces of bleached driftwood lie piled in the coves and among the rocks. Everywhere you look, you see traces of epic natural forces that continue to shape this striking landscape.

Where to Stay and Eat at the Edge of the World

If you want to spend more time exploring the Tarkine coast, you can stay overnight at Arthur River. Accommodation is fairly limited, with a handful of holiday houses and cottages, as well as several campgrounds in the Arthur-Pieman Conservation Area. Manuka and Peppermint campgrounds are the most convenient, located near the Parks and Wildlife Visitor Centre in Arthur River.

Arthur River is tiny, but there are a couple of places to grab something to eat. Arthur River Store & Take Away, near the bridge, sells basic groceries as well as takeaway food like fish and chips and burgers. There is also Sea Pod on Gardiner Street, a little café serving coffee, milkshakes and homemade snacks. But the opening hours can be limited out here, so I wouldn’t rely on either being open without checking first.

For a proper sit-down meal, there is Marrawah Inn 16 km away. If you’re spending a couple of days exploring the Tarkine, it’s still worth stocking up on groceries and fuel in Smithton before heading out to the coast.