Swanage (/ˈswɒnɨdʒ/ SWON-ij) is a coastal town and civil parish in the south east of Dorset, England. It is situated at the eastern end of the Isle of Purbeck, approximately 6¼ miles south of Poole and 25 miles (40 km) east of Dorchester. In the 2011 census the civil parish and two electoral wards had a population of 9,601. Nearby are Ballard Down and Old Harry Rocks, with Studland Bay and Poole Harbour to the north.