Swansea Backpackers

The East Coast


This hip backpackers was the first in Tasmania to introduce capsules (rather than bunk beds) to its dorm. It has smart, spacious public areas, and the clean, shipshape rooms surround a shady deck.There's simple camping out the back.

More than a little fortuitously, the bar and bottle shop at Bark Mill Tavern & Bakery are right next door.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby The East Coast attractions

1. Bark Mill Museum

0.03 MILES

Out the back of the Bark Mill Tavern & Bakery, this museum explains the processing of black wattle bark to obtain tannin for tanning leathers. The mill…

2. Morris' General Store

0.38 MILES

A multi-storey bluestone-and-brick special, the 1838 Morris’ General Store is the biggest object in Swansea. And it's still selling stuff – these days it…

3. Jubilee Beach

0.4 MILES

Swansea's central town beach (the smaller of two beaches here) is a fairly demure affair – shallow, with lots of seaweed. But hey, a beach is a beach if…

4. All Saints Anglican Church

0.42 MILES

There are many still-functioning historic buildings in Swansea, including the 1871 All Saints Anglican Church.

5. East Coast Heritage Museum

0.42 MILES

Inside Swansea’s original schoolhouse, this engaging little museum covers Aboriginal artefacts, colonial and convict history, whaling and the plight of…

6. Waterloo Beach

0.66 MILES

The bigger of Swansea's two town beaches has more sand than the other one (Jubilee Beach), but the bay here is still fairly shallow and seaweed-prone. If…

7. Spiky Bridge

4.54 MILES

About 7km south of Swansea is the rather amazing Spiky Bridge, built by convicts in the early 1840s using thousands of local fieldstones (yes, they're…

8. Spring Vale Wines

6.54 MILES

Down a looong driveway in Cranbrook, 15km north of Swansea, this winery is on land owned by the same family since 1875. The cellar door is housed in an…