Camping in Tasmanian National Parks and State Forests

Camping in Tasmanian National Parks

As of 2016, 51% of Tasmania's land area has some form of reservation classification,

The majority of this land is managed by the Tasmania Parks & Wildlife Service, with Tasmanian National Parks covering an area of around 1,463,000 ha, a reasonably fair sized play-ground by any measure.

Cradle Mountain over Dove Lake, with old boat shed in foreground.

Camping and Cabin Fee Information

Many of the national parks and reserves offer excellent campsites, and some parks also offer cabin-style accommodation.

Please note that camping and accommodation fees are in addition to national park entry fees where applicable.

Fees are used to manage and improve facilities and services and apply only to the camp ground or accommodation for which they are paid and are not transferable to other camp grounds or accommodation.

Click HERE for 

Camping and Cabin Locations 

With Fee Information

Free entry to parks for Seniors cardholders

From 1 July 2018 to the end of June 2019, Seniors cardholders will be able to obtain their free Seniors parks pass by registering online through our Parks Pass Portal or at a national park visitor centre.

These passes must be printed and displayed on the vehicle dashboard when visiting a national park.

It’s designed to allow seniors to make the most of their own backyard, and increase physical activity and wellbeing through the removal of financial barriers.

Please note that free entry applies only to entry to national parks and that other fees, such as guided cave tours, overnight walk passes and camping fees, still apply.

From 1 July 2019, Seniors cardholders will be eligible to purchase a Seniors park pass, which offers a 50 per cent discount on the concession fee of an All Parks annual or two-year pass.

This offer is open to all Australian residents who are holders of Australian Government-issued Seniors Cards, not including Seniors Business Cards.

Please note:

The Senior's pass holder must be travelling in the vehicle.
The Senior's pass is not transferable.
Additional identification may be requested to confirm identity.

Check it out at your nearest Service Tasmania Office

or 

Tasmanian National Parks Passes

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Camping in Tasmanian State Forests

Section of forest

Sustainable Timber Tasmania is a government business enterprise wholly owned by the Government of Tasmania and is responsible for the management of public production forest in Tasmania.

The Permanent Timber Production Zone covers about 800,000 hectares of public land.

Camping Allowed
Camping is generally allowed anywhere on Permanent Timber Production Zone land, except where signed ‘no camping’.

Campfires are okay in most areas at most times, but please take care and abide by fire weather warnings and restrictions that may be in place.

Before you head out to visit Permanent Timber Production Zone land it is recommended that you contact one of Sustainable Timber Tasmania's local Regional Offices.

They can provide advice on what operations are in progress in the areas you wish to visit, the possibility of heavy vehicles sharing those roads, general road conditions and any locked gates.

Check out the Interactive Map Viewer to identify the locations of Sustainable Timber Tasmania's Permanent Timber Production Zones by clicking the graphic, below and set your Map Controls to Permanent Timber Production Zone, as pictured.



Things to remember while visiting working forests

Sustainable Timber Tasmania asks that you follow these ten important rules:

1. Obey laws and regulations for vehicles/recreational vehicles including 4wd, motor bikes/atv's that apply to public lands 

2. Respect cultural, heritage, and environmental values of public/private land 

3. Respect flora and fauna. Stop look, but never disturb or remove 

4. Keep to formed vehicle tracks 

5. Keep the environment clean. Carry your own, and any other rubbish back out 

6. Keep your vehicle mechanically sound and clean to reduce environmental impact 

7. Adopt minimal impact camping and driving practices 

8. Seek permission before driving on private land. Do not disturb livestock or watering points and leave gates as found 

9. Take adequate water, food, fuel, basic spares and first aid kit. In remote areas travel with another vehicle and have radio contact 

10. Plan your trip and lodge trip details with responsible persons. 

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Northern Midlands Council - Free-Camping Facts

 The Facts

The information, below, has been gleaned from the North Midlands Council website. 

Tree carvings at The Red Bridge, Campbell Town

 
The Northern Midlands offers a range of Self-Contained Vehicle friendly sites for self contained RVs and caravans at Bishopsbourne, Campbell Town, Cressy, Evandale and Honeysuckle Banks.

Self contained vehicles only
The sites listed below are strictly self-contained which means that:

All shower, washing, toilet, cooking, and sleeping must be contained WITHIN YOUR VEHICLE. 

No grey or black water, or other liquid is to be let out onto the ground, around trees, or into the river.

Camping Permit

These areas all REQUIRE a camping permit, which can be obtained by clicking here or you can call Council on (03) 6397 7303 for further information.
 
your permit number will be emailed to you immediately and you simply write your permit number on a piece of paper and display it on your dashboard.

The Camps

 
Bishopsbourne
A 48-hour free area for self-contained caravans and mobile homes is located at the Bishopsbourne Recreation Ground - Bishopsbourne Road, Bishopsbourne.

 Bishopsbourne is a farming community and has a population of only around 78.  It has a church, graveyard and recreation ground.

Nearby towns include Carrick, Bracknell and Longford

The dedicated free area is sign posted.

Coordinates:  -41.616465, 146.994830

A Permit is required 

Bishopsbourne Recreation Ground

Campbell Town
This 48 hour free area for self-contained caravans & mobile homes is located within the Blackburn Park Reserve, which is on the south-eastern side of the Red Bridge—adjacent to the Elizabeth River.

Campbell Town is a major rest area on the Midland Highway, with toilets, a park, a large car park and a range of food outlets.

Coordinates:  -41.933104, 147.494384

A Permit is required

Blackburn Park Reserve - Campbell Town

Cressy
The 48-hour free area for self-contained caravans and mobile homes is located at the Cressy Recreation Ground - 2 Macquarie St, Cressy 

Cressy is known as Tasmania's "Trout capital" for the good fishing in the area (in season).

It is a small town 35 km south-west of Launceston, with a population of around 670.

Coordinates:  -41.681568, 147.084045
 
The dedicated free area is sign posted.

 A Permit is required

Cressy Recreation Ground

  
Evandale
The 48-hour free area for self-contained caravans & mobile homes is located at the Falls Park Reserve, Logan Road (site of the Evandale Market).
The dedicated free area is sign posted and is only available from Monday to Friday.

Coordinates: -41.571268, 147.254035

 A Permit is required

Falls Park Reserve, Logan Road (site of the Evandale Market)

 
Honeysuckle Banks - Evandale
The 48 hr free area for self-contained caravans & mobile homes is located at the Honeysuckle Banks Reserve, 356 Leighlands Road, Evandale
The dedicated free area is sign posted and is only permitted from NOVEMBER TO APRIL.

Coordinates: -41.572522, 147.237636

 A Permit is required

Honeysuckle Banks Reserve - camping only permitted from NOVEMBER TO APRIL.

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Exploring the Tasman Peninsula

Some Facts About the Tasman Peninsula

There is much more to the Tasman Peninsula than just the Port Arthur Prison, so I headed off to document some of it for you.

Pugsley and Albert join the Eaglehawk Neck Dog line

In further posts I will be looking at some of the weird and wonderful points of interest including: Eaglehawk Neck dog-line, Convict Coal Mine, Australia's First (convict powered) Railway,  and Unzoo, along with the towns of Nubeena, the largest town on the Tasman Peninsula; Eaglehawk Neck and Tarawa - as well as details of the many available caravan parks, RV and tent campsites, so it would be well worth your time to bookmark this blog for future reference.

Lying to the south and west of Eaglehawk Neck, the Tasman Peninsula has an area of 660 square kilometres and a population of around 2,200 permanent residents.

Given that there is an overload of information around on Port Arthur, I will concentrate more, in this series of posts, on the rest of this exciting and colourful region.

The Tasman Peninsula

 Original Inhabitants

The aboriginal inhabitants of this area, prior to European arrival, were the Pydairrerme people.

Their territory was what is now known as the Tasman and Forestier peninsulas.

The Pydairrerme people were a part of the larger Paredarerme language group, whose territory covered a large area of the east coast of Tasmania.

 The Reason for European Settlement

The first European settlement of the peninsula was Port Arthur in the early 1830s and was selected as a penal settlement because it was geographically isolated from the rest of the colony, but more easily reachable by sea.

Its inaccessibility was enhanced by having Eaglehawk Neck lined with guards and guard dogs, to prevent the escape of any convicts.

A small number did escape, however, including the bushranger Martin Cash.

It also had excellent supplies of timber for shipbuilding and general construction work, as well as stone, clay, lime and coal and was close enough to Hobart to allow for a viable settlement and a deep sheltered harbour, where visiting British warships could be repaired.

Agriculture, forestry, fishing and tourism are now the area's major industries and it is a base for the local crayfish, salmon and shellfish industry.


Camp sites around Tasman Peninsula

The Tasman Peninsula region has a broad range of accommodation options that include two tourist parks along with a number of RV and tent only campsites.

NOTE: Clicking on 'coordinates' will take you to the appropriate Google map.

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White Beach Tourist Park

128 White Beach Rd, White Beach

Phone: (03) 6250-2142
Coordinates: -43.111338, 147.736878

Website: White Beach Tourist Park

I chose the White Beach Tourist Park as my base for this series for its convenient position on the western shore of the peninsula.

Located directly on a stunning beach, with delightful and helpful hosts, White Beach Tourist Park offers quiet camping, free Wi-Fi, dump point, BBQs, a camp kitchen/dining area with TV and a book exchange, coin operated laundry, a play area for the kids, easy access for caravans and motor homes and accommodation for families and couples.

The Park has self-contained cabins, powered caravan/motorhome sites and outstanding grassy campsites.

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 NRMA Port Arthur Holiday Park
Garden Point, Port Arthur

Phone: 1800 607 057

 Coordinates: -43.132369, 147.857515

Website: NRMA Port Arthur Holiday Park

Offering a range of modern facilities including amenities, playground, camp kitchen, pump track, kiosk, outdoor pizza oven and fire pits, the accommodation options include water view cabins, safari tents, ensuite and unpowered sites and bunkhouses.

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Lime Bay Camp Ground
181 Coal Mine Rd, Sloping Main
Coordinates: -42.956029, 147.703285

The campsite is suitable for tents and caravans and facilities include toilets, limited picnic tables and fire places. The campsite has a set fee.

 

Take your own water and firewood, and as the area is prone to fire bans at short notice during warmer summer months, a fuel stove is recommended for cooking.

Lime Bay State Reserve is a large and attractive 1300 ha secluded reserve consisting of sheltered beaches and eucalypt plantations at the end of well maintained, gravel Coal Mines Rd., north of the historic Convict Coal Mine complex.

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Nubeena Ex- Servicemans club
1577 Main Road Nubeena, Tasmania
03 6250 2135
Coordinates: -43.108146, 147.746876

Suitable for self-contained RVs and caravans, this site costs $20/ night, with $10 redeemable on the bar.

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Mill Creek Camp Ground
Tasman National Park
Cape Hauy Track, Fortescue Bay

03 6250 2433
Coordinates: -43.143263, 147.968744

www.parks.tas.gov.au

Suitable for RV, caravan and tent; bookings are necessary. Toilets and fireplaces are provided, while hot showers and wood are available for a small fee.

A gas barbecue in available in the day use area.

National parks pass required and is available from caretaker, (24 hour park passes available at self-registration box near camp ground information board)

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Convict Coal Mine historic site - Tasman Peninsula

Convict Coal Mine ruins at Saltwater River

The main Convict Precinct

 
Excavated in 1833, the coal mines were used to punish the worst convicts, who worked here in extremely poor conditions.
 
Developed to limit the colony’s dependence on costly imported coal from New South Wales, as well as serving as a place of punishment for the “worst class” of convicts from Port Arthur, the mine was operational for over 40 years.

The main section of the site with the car-park upper left

 Coal Mine Walks

There are ten walks in the area - each with its own specific interests, including:

1. Convict Precinct - a 30-minute return walk of 800 metres which covers the main buildings and ruins in the convict precinct. 

2. Tramway and Beach Walk - a one km, 40-minute walk to inspect the area where the tramway ran down to the beach and where the coal was loaded.

: "Along the shore you can see small lumps of red and black material. The red material is coal slack, burnt by fires that smouldered for many years after the Mines were closed. The black material is coal that fell into the water during loading at the jetties. There were four main jetties. Two were near the Settlement, a third serviced the inclined plane, and the fourth serviced the Commissariat Store."

3. Plunkett Point - a 2 km return walk taking around one hour on a gravel road to Plunkett Point.

The Commissariat Store was built here in 1842. It could contain provisions for 2,000 men.

4. Inclined Plane - a 3 km return walk taking around 105 minutes and reaching the clifftops at Plunkett Point, north of the convict precinct. This took the coal from the shaft to the jetty.

There is a contemporary description of the process: "a windlass arrangement for hoisting the coal, a full box going up and empty one going down. A platform was built to the mouth of the shaft, and the boxes of coal were landed and placed on a tram, which ran out to a screen above the rails of the inclined plane... The [screened coal then] went into wagons underneath, which were run down the hill to the jetty." The system worked in such a way that the heavy coal-laden wagons rolling down the hill helped to pull the empty wagons up the hill. Not surprisingly it required "careful treatment to safely bring the wagon to the jetty. We used to stand on the brake behind, and guide the wagon to keep it on the road. The jetty was built so that [ships] could lie underneath; the wagons above, with flap arrangement below, could then quickly discharge their load into the hold of the boat."

5. Signal Station - a two hour, 3.5 km walk around past the Inclined Plane and the Shaft to the location of the old semaphore signal station.

The signal station was part of a system designed by Captain Booth at Port Arthur which allowed communication to occur between Port Arthur and the outstations in fifteen minutes.

6. Military Precinct & Gardens - a 4 km return lasting 2 hours and 30 minutes to the Military Precinct, which lay beyond the convict precinct

7. Military Precinct to Convict Settlement - which is a short 15 minute, 500-metre walk.

8. The Quarry - a 90 minute, 2.5 km return walk.

In a detailed contemporary account of this large shaft which was 92 metres deep. It was constantly flooding and William Thompson, one of the workers in the mine, has left us this description of the working "At the bottom of the shaft there were three roads. One was called the Double Road; it lay right in front of you and ran steeply down for about 40 or 50 yards... at the bottom there was a pump which was continually kept at work pumping the water up to the bottom of the big shaft. At the mouth of the pit was a pump to drain the water that collected at the bottom, and this was continuously operated by about eight men or more.
The coal was extracted by "sending the men down was for one man to sit across the short iron bar, holding onto the chain which was attached to its centre, and another man sat on the opposite side across the first man’s knee. They were then lowered by the windlass to the bottom. One miner got the coal from each face..."

9. A Heathland Wander - a pleasant 3 hours, 4.5 km return through the surrounding heathland from the Main Shaft to the Air Shaft.

10. The Air Shaft - a 5 km return, 3 hour 30 minutes walk through the heathland to the air shaft.

There are signs and displays to guide you around and inform about the history of the Site

A great place to explore on foot, with a number of tracks and paths around the extensive site, the Coal Mines offers visitors the chance to discover, among the ruins and scenic vistas, a different perspective on Tasmania’s convict history.

The site is managed by the Port Arthur Historic Site Management Authority and is one of the Unesco Australian Convict Sites World Heritage properties.

Getting There

Take the signposted turn-off  at Old Trading Store on Nubeena Road, Premaydena and travel around 13km north-west to Saltwater River Coal Mines Historic Site. Entry is free.

Turn off Nubeena road for the Convict Coal Mine at the Old Trading Store

 

 

 

  Lime Bay Camp ground 
Located at 181 Coal Mine Rd, Sloping Main, this beautiful isolated, National Park, campsite is located right near the water’s edge is suitable for both tents and caravans and  is approximately 7km north of the Convict Coal Mines.

Facilities include toilets, some picnic tables and fire places, but you need to  bring your own water and firewood.

 FEES & BOOKINGS
Camping Fees:
$13 per site based on 2 adults – Unpowered Site
Children – 4 and Under Free
5-17 years $2.50
Family Rate – $16 per site
Bookings are not taken.
 National Park entry fees and conditions apply. 
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Carving Out A Lifestyle

East Beach Tourist Park

 I popped in yesterday to meet the owner of the East Beach Tourist Park, at Low Head, and discovered a delightful lady whose husband passed away around a year ago, leaving her to carve out a lifestyle with their developing caravan/tourist park.

East Beach Tourist Park at Low Head has a unique facade which attracts tens of thousands of visitors per year.  

The striking Macrocarpa wood carvings are the work of Eddie Freeman and was commissioned by the late Kenneth Plumstead, the previous park owner, and is the largest privately owned collection of its type in Australia.

 With these exquisite tree carvings at the front door and East Beach and the Bass Straight at the rear, this park is the ideal place to spend a day, or a month, exploring the region.

East Beach, Low Head

East Beach, looking to the east

The Western end of East Beach, overlooking the Low Head lighthouse precinct.

 

 

 

Just 40 minutes from Launceston, East Beach Tourist Park is located right on beautiful East 

Beach, at historic Low Head. It is only 5 minutes from all the facilities and attraction that George Town and Low Head offers, but far enough away to enjoy the peace and tranquillity in a natural setting - perfect for the tourist to set up base and explore the historic region and further afield, while also ideal as a weekend escape for locals


The park's website contains dozens of photos of the park and surrounding region and is packed with information to both excite and guide you on your journey.

Their Website

Get Your FREE PDF Guide to Tasmania's freedom camping sites and caravan parks HERE

Is The Dementia Really Setting In?

At 81 years of age, I have just discovered that getting older doesn't necessarily mean getting wiser.

"Catalogue Tasmania's freedom camping sites and caravan parks in a light to download, easy to use format", he said.
"There can't be that many of them - it will be fun", he said.

Ideal for use with the FREE downloadable route map, this guide (in PDF) offers information on freedom camping areas and van park locations, pet friendliness and facilities.

Each guide is loosely based on routes in the downloadable map and run sequentially (as you travel), rather than alphabetically, for greater ease of use.

 

Download Campsite and Caravan Park List 

 

 To ensure that you don't miss out on future useful posts, please click the FOLLOW button in the right-hand column.

 

 

 

  Check out the post 'Hiring A Campervan In Tasmania - You’ll find Campervans and 4x4s from providers such as Maui, Cruisin, Tasmania Campers, Jucy, Britz, Apollo and many more.