Nestled between the Derwent River and Mount Nelson, Sandy Bay boasts some of Tasmania’s most expensive properties. This suburb was originally known as Queenborough.

Sandy Bay lies a little more than 4 km to the south of Hobart’s CBD and is bordered to the north by Battery Point. The area was settled soon after the foundation of Hobart Town. For instance, George Prideaux Harris, a naturalist who described local animals like the Tasmanian devil and who was deputy surveyor of Van Diemen’s Land in the early 1800s had a cottage and farm at Sandy Bay in 1806.

Settler numbers increased in 1808, with the coming of the Norfolk Islanders. Norfolk Island had a penal colony but because it was so difficult to get to, the British government wanted the people to move back to the mainland. Because almost nobody did so voluntary, the government forced people to move and from 1806 to 1808, 568 Norfolk Islanders arrived in Hobart Town. They were given land grants in various parts of the area, among them at Sandy Bay.

The settlement grew and developed quickly and in 1852, it got its first post office. In 1892 it was declared a town and in 1914 it was integrated into Hobart.

After World War II, the University of Tasmania opened a campus in Sandy Bay and this brought a considerable student population to the suburb. However, Sandy Bay got its most prominent feature in 1973: a casino. The Wrest Point Hotel Casino was the first legal casino in Australia, opened after a statewide referendum voted in favour of granting the licence. You can’t miss this Hobart landmark as it towers over the Derwent, since its 17 storeys make it the city’s tallest building.

Sailing is a way of life in Sandy Bay, which is home to Tassie’s largest yacht club, the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania. It was founded in 1880 and is the driving force behind the famous Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race. The race is held every year just after Christmas and has its finishing point at the club.

Of course, in a suburb named Sandy Bay you’d expect plenty of beach action and other stunning, sandy beaches you’ll find here include Long Beach, Nutgrove Beach, Red Chapel Beach and Sandy Bay Beach.