Birchs Inlet, also spelt Birch's Inlet or Birches Inlet, is a narrow cove

Cove

A cove is a small type of bay or coastal inlet. They usually have narrow, restricted entrances, are often circular or oval, and are often inside a larger bay. Small, narrow, sheltered bays, inlets, creeks, or recesses in a coast are often considered coves...

 or coastal inlet on the south-western side of Macquarie Harbour

Macquarie Harbour

Macquarie Harbour is a large, shallow, but navigable by shallow draft vessels inlet on the West Coast of Tasmania, Australia.-History:James Kelly wrote in his narrative "First Discovery of Port Davey and Macquarie Harbour" how he sailed from Hobart in a small open five-oared whaleboat to discover...

 on the west coast

West Coast, Tasmania

The West Coast of Tasmania is the part of the state that is strongly associated with wilderness, mining and tourism, rough country and isolation...

 of Tasmania

Tasmania

Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...

, Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

. It is named after Thomas William Birch (1774-1821), a surgeon, whaler, merchant and shipowner who settled in Tasmania in 1808. The inlet lies about 38 km south of the town of Strahan

Strahan, Tasmania

-See also:* Convicts on the West Coast of Tasmania* Macquarie Harbour* Railways on the West Coast of Tasmania* West Coast Piners-Further reading:* *...

 and serves as the mouth of the Birchs, Pocacker and Sorell Rivers, three of several draining south-western Tasmania

South West Tasmania

South West Tasmania is a region in Tasmania that has evolved over the fifty years between its consideration as a potential resource for development to its consideration as World Heritage wilderness...

. About 15 km in length, the mouth of the inlet lies near the head of Macquarie Harbour not far from the mouth of the Gordon River

Gordon River

The Gordon River is one of the major rivers of Tasmania, Australia. It rises in the centre of the island at Lake Richmond and flows westward for about 193km where it empties into Macquarie Harbour on the West Coast of Tasmania. Major tributaries include the Serpentine River and the Franklin...

. It is only accessible by water transport. It has been at times an important access point for loggers working in the area for moving Huon Pine to Strahan.

It lies at the northern end of the Melaleuca to Birchs Inlet Important Bird Area

Melaleuca to Birchs Inlet Important Bird Area

The Melaleuca to Birchs Inlet Important Bird Area comprises a 2315 km2 section of coast and sub-coastal land in South West Tasmania. It stretches southward from the southern end of Birchs Inlet , encompasses Melaleuca and Port Davey, and extends to Louisa Bay on the coast facing the...

. It is one of only two (the other being at Melaleuca

Melaleuca, Tasmania

Melaleuca is a remote hamlet in the south-west area of Tasmania, Australia. Access is only by sea via Port Davey, by air or by foot.The settlement consists of a couple of buildings and a bird hide where the Orange-bellied Parrot can be viewed, and is a major tourist attraction...

) study sites for Orange-bellied Parrot

Orange-bellied Parrot

The Orange-bellied Parrot is a small broad-tailed parrot endemic to southern Australia, and one of only two species of parrot which migrate. The adult male is distinguished by its bright grass-green upperparts, yellow underparts and orange belly patch. The adult female and juvenile are duller...

s in their breeding range.