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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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.

Four-Wheel-Driving In Mt Field National Park, Tasmania

A guest post - by Luke Hine-Haycock

Saw Back Track Disappointment

Blue line marks the Saw Back Track

 

 

 

Having been told that the Saw Back Track was an extreme 4wd experience, a few mates and I decided to give it a go.

Sadly the track was a little disappointing for me, as I only found two challenging parts - the first one was a clay hill with a washed out step up in it and the second one was a muddy water hole.

Although the Saw Back Track was a little disappointing the Mt Field National Park area has a lot to offer and see.

Results of the clay step-up

Entry Requirements

From Bothwell we drove approx. 71km to the Mt Field National Park visitor centre, where we got the key and permits for the Saw Back track - a $300 refundable deposit was charged for the key.

Mt Field National Park visitor centre

 We had to fill out some permits to be able to get the key which required our licences and rego. numbers.

 A park's pass is also required to enter into Tasmanian National Parks.

The Camp

After we got our permits sorted, we headed to Lake Pedder where we set up camp for the two nights.

There were a few good camping spots here with shelters and old BBQs, some fire wood was also supplied by parks and wild life, although we had taken our own.

There were also long drop toilets there and although they were clean, they were a little smelly.

The first thing we did once we picked out our camp site was set up the swags in the shelter because it had been raining on and off all day.

Dustin then got the fire going while Luke set up his Webber to cook everyone a lamb roast for tea.

Getting the fire going

While the roast was cooking we decided to go for a drive around Lake Pedder for about an hour and when we got back we had a couple of beers while we waited for the roast to finish cooking, then it was time for tea.

Exploring Mount Field National Park

It was lucky there was a shelter as we got some more rain overnight.

 Saturday morning was a much nicer day and we were all pretty keen to go and do the Saw Back track and explore the old 1920s mining township of Adamsfield, where gold & osmiridium were mined. 

Old Mining Huts

Some old mining artefacts can be found scattered around the huts.

After having a look at the ruins of the old mine township of Adamsfield, we came across a new timber shelter that looked to only be a few weeks old.

This was the perfect place to stop for lunch as it was that time of day.

There was a little creek with running water and a nice big grassy area with enough room to park all the vehicles.

Not long after lunch we had completed the Saw Back Track and were back on the Gordon River road, so we decided to take the drive down to the Gordon dam and check out the impressive concrete dam wall that is 140m tall.

Gordon Dam Wall

On our return back to camp, we stopped in at Pedder Wilderness Lodge for a few beers and a game of 8-ball.

Things You Should Know

If you are planing on doing the Saw Back Track, I would recommend that you book in advance, as this is a popular spot and the maximum number of vehicles in each group is six, although our group only consisted of five vehicles.

I am told that the Saw Back track is closed annually from June to October to prevent damage to the fragile mudstone soils.

You must ensure that all vehicles are free of mud before entering Adamsfield Conservation Area to prevent the spread of weeds and fungal diseases.

Vehicles including motorbikes and quad bikes must be registered and stay on formed tracks.

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