Australia So Much to See

Free camping and low cost camping places we have enjoyed in Tasmania

Tasmania has some of the best free camps and plenty of opportunities for self contained camping.  Some of the free camps specify a maximum stay of one month.  Use a good camp listing book such as Camps Australia Wide to find these gems.  Prices have changed and some camp grounds are no longer free since our 2006 visit.  Updated prices shown where known. 

Park entry fees for day use or camping apply to camps which are in National Parks.  $60 for an annual all parks pass.  A fishing licence is required for any freshwater fishing. 

Kempton.  48 kilometres north of Hobart and 31 kilometres south of Oatlands on the Midlands Highway.  A small camp in a quiet and peaceful tiny Midlands town.  Level sites.  Highway screened by a hill so traffic noise not noticed. Water (2 taps), Power (3 outlets).  Short walk to toilets behind a Shire building.  Dump point beyond toilets.  Children’s playground adjacent.   Update: Toilet and shower block with hot showers has been built on site, and a $10 per night fee applies to use of these amenities.  Pay $20 deposit plus fee for key at Shire Office during business hours otherwise at General Store.  Phone 0417501303 to make arrangement for after hours key access.  Donation honesty box for use of power. 

Ted's Beach Lake Pedder.  Four kilometres east of Strathgordon, on the road to the Gordon River Dam and 109 kilometres from the turnoff junction on the Lyell Highway.  Very clean flush toilets, covered picnic area with free barbecues.  Fresh water from a tank.  Lovely spot on the shores of Lake Pedder.  Boat launching.  Lake is glorious at sunset and sunrise.  An excellent free campsite. It is no longer free; current charge $13 for two.

Conara Rest Area.  Twelve kilometres north of Campbell Town and 37 kilometres south east of Perth.  In the Midlands, this is a 24 hour rest area a bit away from the highway by a tiny and neat town. Nice level area, flush toilets with night lighting.   Update 2018: It appears there is a new toilet block since toilets were removed in 2015, but I cannot confirm this. Covered picnic barbecue area.  Nature forest walk.  Some noise from railway and road just audible.  This is a rest area not a campsite.  Pleasant setting and a very area to rest. 

O’Neills Creek, Gowrie Park.  Sixteen kilometres south west of Sheffield on the south side of the road, just before crossing the creek.  Level cement pad which could accommodate several rigs.  Toilets, picnic tables.  Site of rodeo and events. Near Mt Roland.  Maximum stay two nights.  Not screened from road but suitable for overnight.  Under the scenic Mt Roland, on the way to Cradle Mountain.   $5 per rig per night honesty box fee.

Riana Pioneer Park, Riana.  1.5 kilometres south of Riana.  Run by local volunteers, who come around to collect fees and clean the bathrooms each day.  South of Riana in a quiet parkland.  Large area, well back from the road, slightly sloping.  Toilet and shower blocks in 'pioneer style buildings' of stone and weatherboard with open eaves.  Basic and undecorated inside. Showers 20c for 3 minutes. Covered picnic area.  Good value at current prices: Powered sites $14 for two, $10 for one, $3 each extra person.  Unpowered sites $8 for two $6 for one, and $2 each extra person.  Surprisingly, in busy Tasmania at peak tourist season, the park was almost empty. A very pleasant place to stay.    Short bush walk to a lookout platform. 

Bay of Fires, St Helens.  A number of nice campsites along the beach to the north of St Helens.  Water and hot showers atMarina in St Helens.  We chose Cosy Corner North campground which is fifteen kilometres from St Helens.  Campers spread out on level sites amongst trees near the beach.  Pit toilets (one new with latest technology in pit toilets).  A lovely spot.  Maximum stay one month.  This prime camping remains fee free.

Chain of Lagoons Campground, Lagoons Beach Conservation Area.  2.5 kilometres north of Chain of Lagoons and not far north of the southern turnoff to St Marys.  Near beach on east coast; drive in 300 metres from the road.  Flat campsites.  We stopped at the south end.  Continue north for more spread out campsites amongst the trees.  New pit toilet in that section.  There is also another entrance to the camp at the north end.  We were there on a long weekend so there were a lot of local campers at our end of the site.  Acceptable as a free camp for short stays. 

Friendly Beaches Freycinet National Park.  Four kilometres dirt track from the road to Coles Bay.  A lovely free camping area, with individual very private camp sites tucked in the bush following the shore line, with the beach just a short walk away.  Not many suitable for big rigs - mostly tent sites.  A few pit toilets.  Rubbish bins provided.  A delightful location. 

Black River (near Stanley) in the Peggs Beach Conservation Area.  One kilometre from highway, turn just east of the Black River bridge, five kilometres west of Port Latta.  Honesty box fees.  A large areas of campsites each nestled in the scrub.  Raised split drum fireplace at each site.  Three pit toilets for the whole area.  Some campsites are more open and along the Black River estuary.  Boat launching and fishing.  A nice quiet and private campsite with a very short walk to the beach with views of The Nut at Stanley.  Peggs Beach campground is close to the Highway and sites close together and near Port Latta.  Fees now $13 per couple per night at both campgrounds. 

We also stayed at or visited a few hydro electricity system dams/lakes/lagoons.  These have no facilities but often a nice view.  Some we learnt of some from Camps Australia Wide, otherwise we just found our own private lakeside camping and/or picnic spots.  These included:

Penstock Lagoon Waddamana, Lake Rowallan, Lake Parangana, Lake Mackenzie, Lake Barrington, Mackintosh Dam, Tullabardine Dam, Murchison Dam.

Arthurs Lake Recreation Area.  Three campgrounds around the lake, accessed from the Poatina Road.  Pumphouse Bay camping ground access track five kilometres north of the junction with the Lakes Highway, with one kilometre dirt road access. Toilets, water, hot showers, fireplaces and barbecues.  Fees now apply.  Jonah Bay camp ground ten kilometres from the Lakes Highway junction and five kilometres dirt access track (right fork).   Similar facilities to Pumphouse camp. Fees now apply.  Cowpaddock Bay ten kilometres from the Lakes Highway junction and five kilometres dirt access track (left fork).  No amenities and free.   Arthurs Lake and these campgrounds are popular with trout fishers (fishing licence required) 

Lake Burbury.  Twelve kilometres east of Queenstown, on west side of lake. Toilets only.  $5 per night. 

Mount Blackwood Lookout.  Eleven kilometres south west of Poatina on the Poatina to Lake Arthur Road.  Amazing views! 

Green Point Campground.  Three kilometres west of Marrawah, on the west coast by a surfing beach.  A small camping area with picnic tables, toilets and non-potable water.  Free.

Cockle Creek.  Near the southern tip of Tasmania and 148 kilometres south of Hobart, a popular free camp ground along Recherche Bay at the southernmost road in Australia. Pit toilets.  Free. Five tonne load limit on bridge.  A walk to South Cape Bay and return will take at least half a day. To reach the southernmost point at South East Cape can be undertaken by experienced adventure hikers as there is no marked trail.  Parks pass required to enter the National Park, but campground is just outside of the National Park.

Andys Camp Ground at Westbury is now closed (2015)