Hawley Beach, Tasmania is a seaside resort town 22 kilometres (14 mi) from the nearest main town (Devonport

Devonport, Tasmania

-Sport:The Devonport Football Club is an Australian Rules team competing in the Tasmanian Statewide League. The Devonport Rugby Club is a Rugby Union team competing in the Tasmanian Rugby Union Statewide League...

). At the 2006 census

Census in Australia

The Australian census is administered once every five years by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The most recent census was conducted on 9 August 2011; the next will be conducted in 2016. Prior to the introduction of regular censuses in 1961, they had also been run in 1901, 1911, 1921, 1933,...

, the town had a population of 596. Nearby is the small town of Port Sorell and locality of Shearwater

Shearwater, Tasmania

Shearwater is a town on the north-west coast of Tasmania, Australia. It lies on the Rubicon Rivulet, just off Bass Strait, 20 km east of Devonport. The town of Port Sorell and Hawley Beach neighbour Shearwater. At the 2006 census, Shearwater had a population of 688. The town grows considerably...

.

Hawley Beach is known for its minute red sand crabs

Ovalipes australiensis

Ovalipes australiensis is a species of crab found in southern Australia. Its range extends from Western Australia to Queensland, including Tasmania . It is fished commercially and recreationally, although it is not as important as the blue swimmer or mud crab.-Further reading:* Stephenson,...

, Hooded Plover

Hooded Plover

The Hooded Dotterel or Hooded Plover is a species of bird in the Charadriidae family. It is endemic to southern Australia and Tasmania. There are two recognized subspecies, both of which are classifed as Endangered....

s and reasonable fishing. It borders the Rubicon Estuary

Rubicon Estuary

The Rubicon Estuary is an estuary on the central coast of northern Tasmania, south-eastern Australia, lying next to the town of Port Sorell.-Description:...

, which has been identified by BirdLife International

BirdLife International

BirdLife International is a global Partnership of conservation organisations that strives to conserve birds, their habitats and global biodiversity, working with people towards sustainability in the use of natural resources...

 as an Important Bird Area

Important Bird Area

An Important Bird Area is an area recognized as being globally important habitat for the conservation of bird populations. Currently there are about 10,000 IBAs worldwide. The program was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife International...

 because of its importance for wader

Wader

Waders, called shorebirds in North America , are members of the order Charadriiformes, excluding the more marine web-footed seabird groups. The latter are the skuas , gulls , terns , skimmers , and auks...

s, especially Pied Oystercatcher

Pied Oystercatcher

The Pied Oystercatcher, Haematopus longirostris, is a species of oystercatcher. It is a wading bird native to Australia and commonly found on its coastline. The similar South Island Pied Oystercatcher The Pied Oystercatcher, Haematopus longirostris, is a species of oystercatcher. It is a wading...

s.