Clifton Beach is one of Hobart's more popular surfing, swimming and recreational beaches, due in part to its close proximity to Hobart. Clifton Beach is located 35 kilometres South East of Hobart, and is easily reached by car in app. 30 minutes.

The central and northern part of Clifton Beach beachbacks onto the Cape Deslacs Nature Reserve, which incorporates vegetated coastal dunes and bird breeding habitats.

Clifton Beach is bordered by 40 m high Cape Deslacs in the northeast and 50 m high rocky cliffs in the south that run southeast for 3.5 km rising to 100 m high at Cape Contrariety.

Clifton Beach faces south east onto Storm Bay exposing it to southerly swells. Waves average 1 to 1.5 m and maintain a moderately steep beach, fronted by a continuous bar which is cut by rips every 200 m during and following high waves, with permanent rips against the rocks at each end.

The Clifton Beach Surf Life Saving Club provides volunteer surf lifesaving patrols on weekends and public holidays between the first weekend in December and the last weekend in March plus 7-days per per week during January.

For further information contact Surf Life Saving Tasmania during business hours on (03) 6272 7788.

Clifton Beach is backed by a coastal reserve, which incorporates coastal dunes behind the central and eastern part of the beach. The no vegetated dunes have transgressed up to 300 m inland rising to more than 20 m, with dense vegetation behind, then the shallow southern shores of circular Pipe Clay Lagoon.

Clifton Beach is 2 km long and faces south-southeast into Storm Bay exposing it to all southerly swell. Waves average 1-1.5 m and maintain a moderately steep beach fronted by a continuous bar which is cut by rips every 200 m during and following high waves, with permanent rips against the rocks at each end.It is considered by some as the most dangerous beach in Tasmania