CAMPING TIPS
From free beachfront spots to national park campgrounds. Here is where we send our customers, and what you actually need to know about each one.
🎫 Before you go — the Parks Pass
Free Campgrounds
These are the ones we recommend most. First-come first-served, no booking required, and genuinely beautiful spots.
📍 3.5 hours from Hobart · 45 min from St Helens
Genuinely one of the best campgrounds in Australia. White sand, orange lichen on granite boulders, water that looks too clear to be real. First-come first-served, no booking, no fee.
Bring all your own drinking water. In January and February arrive by early afternoon or the best spots will be taken.
📍 2 hours from Hobart
The southernmost drive-to point in Australia. Remote and wild, at the end of a gravel road with views across Recherche Bay and tracks into the South West wilderness.
Road is unsealed but manageable in dry conditions. Bring all your water and pack out all rubbish. Signal drops well before you arrive.
📍 2.5 hours from Hobart · 15 min from Coles Bay
Just outside the Freycinet NP boundary — no Parks Pass required. A long quiet beach with low dunes and almost nobody on it, even in summer.
No Parks Pass needed. Bring your own water. The access road is unsealed but manageable.
📍 1.5 hours from Hobart (including ferry)
Right on The Neck — the narrow sandy isthmus connecting North and South Bruny, with ocean on both sides. One of the most dramatic camping spots in the state.
The road to The Neck is sealed and easy. Check Bruny Island Ferry schedules ahead of time especially on weekends in summer.
📍 1.5 hours from Hobart · 20-30 min from Port Arthur
Two quiet campgrounds near Port Arthur. Lime Bay is a sheltered beach, great if the Fortescue Bay campground is full. White Beach has better facilities than most free sites.
Both free with no booking. Access roads unsealed but manageable. Lime Bay: bring your own water.
📍 15 minutes from Hobart CBD
A free campground only 15 minutes from the city. Quiet bush setting, useful for the first or last night of a trip when you do not want to drive far after picking up or before dropping off the car.
Can be busy on summer weekends. Good first or last night option near Hobart.
National Park Campgrounds
These are not free but they are some of the best campgrounds in the state. Parks Pass required at all of them.
📍 1.5 hours from Hobart
One of the most beautiful sheltered bays in Tasmania. Calm water, great swimming, and the start of the Cape Hauy walk. Around $13 per night with proper facilities.
What to know
Books out in peak season. Reserve ahead at parks.tas.gov.au. Parks Pass required in addition to the camping fee.
📍 2.5 hours from Hobart
The main base for exploring Freycinet. Wineglass Bay, the Hazards, all peninsula walks start near here. Books out months ahead in summer.
Book well ahead for summer — fills faster than anywhere else on the east coast. Parks Pass required.
📍 2.5 hours from Hobart · 1.5 from Devonport
Two campgrounds inside Cradle Mountain — Lake St Clair NP. Pencil Pine has better facilities. Both give direct access to the Overland Track trailhead and Dove Lake circuit. Cold at night even in summer.
Book ahead October to March. Can snow at any time of year at this altitude. Parks Pass required.
Quick Reference
Screenshot this before you plan your route.
| Campground | Region | Cost | Showers | Water | Book ahead? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bay of Fires (Swimcart / Jeanneret) | North East | Free | No | Bring your own | No |
| Cockle Creek | Far South | Free | No | Bring your own | No |
| Friendly Beaches | East Coast | Free | No | Bring your own | No |
| The Neck, Bruny Island | Bruny Island | Free | No | Bring your own | No |
| Lime Bay | Tasman Peninsula | Free | No | Bring your own | No |
| White Beach | Tasman Peninsula | Free | Cold | On site | No |
| Lea Bush | Near Hobart | Free | No | Limited | No |
| Fortescue Bay | Tasman Peninsula | ~$13/night + Pass | Cold | On site | Peak season |
| Freycinet NP Campground | East Coast | ~$20/night + Pass | Cold | On site | Yes — book early |
| Cradle Mountain (Pencil Pine) | Highlands | ~$20/night + Pass | Hot | On site | Oct-Mar |
Ready to go?
We will have everything packed and ready for pickup in Hobart… tent, sleeping bags, cooking kit, the lot.
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