The holiday township of Orford has a mild climate, great fishing and interesting bushwalks and makes a good base from which to explore Maria Island National Park. Popular with locals and tourists, the town’s population of around 500 increases to over 3,000 in the summer months.
The township is at the mouth of the Prosser River, opposite beautiful Maria Island, making it a perfect base for exploring the island national park and its surrounding marine reserve.
There are good swimming beaches close to the town, including Raspins, Shelley and Spring beach, and a popular camp site at Raspins Beach.
Take an easy 2-km cliff top walk from East Shelly to Spring Beach for superb sea and ocean views. The walk passes a 19th-century sandstone quarry that provided the hand-hewn stone used for Melbourne’s Law Courts.
Orford’s convict history is still evident along the banks of the Prosser River where you’ll find the remains of the original convict road built between 1841 and 1855. The road is just past the northern side of the bridge across the Prosser River. A stone entry leads to a pleasant 40-min walk along the bank of the river.
Orford is also a popular fishing destination with excellent fishing in Prosser Bay, the Mercury Passage and the clean ocean waters off Maria Island.
Despite its small size, Orford has two supermarkets, several cafes and eateries, a hotel and lots of accommodation.
Orford is a 1-hr drive (80 km) north of Hobart.
Quick Facts
Orford is an Urban Location area within the local government area of Glamorgan/Spring Bay in Tasmania, it is located approximately 57kms from the capital Hobart and extends over an area of 41.642 square kilometres. Orford has a recorded population of 626 residents and is within the Australian Eastern Daylight Time zone Australia/Hobart.
If you are planning a visit to Orford we’ve put together some of the things you can see or do while you are here. These include, places to stay, tours and attractions, some upcoming events and places where you can grab a meal. Go ahead, try one of the buttons above. Every destination has something worth seeing so start exploring… If you know Orford and think we’ve missed something, let us know and we’ll share it here.