Bridport, Tasmania

Bridport is a small town on the north-east coast of Tasmania, Australia. It is part of the Dorset Council and takes its name from Bridport in Dorset, England. At the 2016 census, Bridport had a population of 1,715.

History
Bridport Post Office opened on 1 May 1882.

In 2004 a links golf course, Barnbougle Dunes, was established on sand dunes 3 km north-east of Bridport. This was soon ranked in the top 50 courses in the world.

A second links course called Lost Farm was built next to Barnbougle Dunes and opened in December 2010. Built to a similar standard, this development established club facilities high on sand dunes for views of the beach and Anderson Bay.

Geography
Located on Anderson Bay, Bridport is a holiday location with the population increasing markedly in summer. In summer it is estimated that Bridport has a Summer population of 5,000. It has beaches, swimming, sailing and other water sports. Streets in the northern half of Bridport have male person names and those in the southern half have female names. Nearby towns include Scottsdale, Tomahawk and Bellingham.

Facilities
Town facilities include supermarkets, hotel, chemist, baker, butcher, clothing store, golf courses, lawn bowls, sailing club, doctor's surgery, visitor's information centre, caravan park and several levels of accommodation from backpackers, bed and breakfast, to holiday resort. Commercial fishing operates from Bridport as well as sporting fishing from the rocks or small boats.

Transport
A helicopter service began in 2008 transporting people between Launceston and Bridport mainly for golfers who fly into Tasmania to play. A ferry operates from Bridport to Lady Barron on Flinders Island, part of the Furneaux Group. A light aircraft service operates from Bridport Aerodrome to Flinders Island.