Tasmania Caravan Parks & Campgrounds | Caravanning Guide

The Spirit of Tasmania ferry is the only option for bringing your own rig. It runs overnight crossings between Port Melbourne and Devonport. Vehicle booking is based on length and height, so measure your rig accurately before reserving. For summer crossings (December through January) and Easter, book three to four months ahead - the vessel sells out. Cabins are strongly recommended for overnight crossings. Day sailings are occasionally available in peak season and can be a good option if you don't need to sleep.

Yes, Tasmania has an excellent network of free camps. Forestry Tasmania maintains basic free campgrounds across the state's forestry reserves - Fortescue Bay on the Tasman Peninsula, Lake Peddler area in the south-west, and numerous sites in the Central Highlands are accessible to caravans under around 7 metres. The WikiCamps app is essential for finding these, as the Forestry Tasmania website listings are less up-to-date. Council rest areas in smaller towns also permit overnight stays. National park areas are not generally free - a Parks Tasmania vehicle pass is required for all park entry.

Autumn (March to May) is arguably the best period overall. The Christmas holiday crowds are gone, the weather is typically settled, the fagus beech trees on the central plateau turn gold through April, and caravan park availability is excellent. Late spring (October to November) is another strong choice - waterfalls and wildflowers are at their peak and the weather is warming. Summer from mid-December to late January is spectacular but requires advance bookings for almost every caravan park and the ferry, and the East Coast in particular gets crowded over the school holiday period.

Yes. A Parks Tasmania vehicle pass is required to enter any of the 19 national parks on the island - including Cradle Mountain, Freycinet, the Tasman Peninsula, and Southwest National Park. You can purchase a single-entry pass, a 7-day holiday pass, or an annual Tasmanian Parks Pass online or at park entry booths. If you're spending more than three or four days visiting parks, the annual pass is almost always better value. Caravan Park fees inside national parks are charged separately on top of the entry pass.

The Cradle Mountain Tourist Park at the park entrance is the main option, with powered and unpowered sites, cabins, and basic camp kitchen facilities. It's within walking distance of the shuttle bus terminal for accessing the park interior. The Discovery Parks property in the area also offers cabin and powered site accommodation. Note that private vehicles are restricted from the Dove Lake road inside the park during peak hours in summer - you park at the visitor centre precinct and take the free Parks Tasmania shuttle bus to Dove Lake and other trailheads.

The East Coast run is one of Tasmania's highlights for Caravan travel. Freycinet Caravan Park at Coles Bay is the most popular, with national park atmosphere right at the base of the Hazards mountains - book ahead in summer as powered sites are very limited. Friendly Beaches inside Freycinet National Park is a beautiful free camp accessible to small rigs. Further north, Bicheno's Foreshore Backpackers and Holiday Park is a good stop with ocean views. The Bay of Fires Conservation Area near St Helens offers free beach camps at Cosy Corner; lichen-covered orange granite boulders and turquoise water make it one of the most photographed coastlines in Australia.

The main highways - the Bass Highway, Midland Highway, and Tasman Highway - are suitable for rigs of most sizes and are well-maintained sealed roads. Secondary B-roads and national park access roads are where caution is required: narrow lanes, tight corners, and low branches are common. Rigs over 8 metres should research specific detours before committing. The Lyell Highway across the west is fully sealed but has sustained steep grades and hairpin sections approaching Queenstown. Many travellers with larger rigs use Hobart or Launceston as a base and day-trip to areas with difficult access roads.

WikiCamps Australia is the top recommendation from nearly every experienced Tasmanian Caravan traveller - it maps free camps, caravan parks, dump points, water sources, and LPG locations with user-reviewed notes that are far more current than printed guides. The Camplify and Hipcamp apps list private properties offering overnight stays, including farm stays in the Huon Valley and Tamar Valley. The Parks Tasmania website and booking portal is the official source for national park caravan park reservations. BOM (Bureau of Meteorology) weather app is essential given Tasmania's changeable climate - especially for West Coast and highland travel.

The Spirit of Tasmania ferry is the only option for bringing your own rig. It runs overnight crossings between Port Melbourne and Devonport. Vehicle booking is based on length and height, so measure your rig accurately before reserving. For summer crossings (December through January) and Easter, book three to four months ahead - the vessel sells out. Cabins are strongly recommended for overnight crossings. Day sailings are occasionally available in peak season and can be a good option if you don't need to sleep.

Yes, Tasmania has an excellent network of free camps. Forestry Tasmania maintains basic free campgrounds across the state's forestry reserves - Fortescue Bay on the Tasman Peninsula, Lake Peddler area in the south-west, and numerous sites in the Central Highlands are accessible to caravans under around 7 metres. The WikiCamps app is essential for finding these, as the Forestry Tasmania website listings are less up-to-date. Council rest areas in smaller towns also permit overnight stays. National park areas are not generally free - a Parks Tasmania vehicle pass is required for all park entry.

Autumn (March to May) is arguably the best period overall. The Christmas holiday crowds are gone, the weather is typically settled, the fagus beech trees on the central plateau turn gold through April, and caravan park availability is excellent. Late spring (October to November) is another strong choice - waterfalls and wildflowers are at their peak and the weather is warming. Summer from mid-December to late January is spectacular but requires advance bookings for almost every caravan park and the ferry, and the East Coast in particular gets crowded over the school holiday period.

Yes. A Parks Tasmania vehicle pass is required to enter any of the 19 national parks on the island - including Cradle Mountain, Freycinet, the Tasman Peninsula, and Southwest National Park. You can purchase a single-entry pass, a 7-day holiday pass, or an annual Tasmanian Parks Pass online or at park entry booths. If you're spending more than three or four days visiting parks, the annual pass is almost always better value. Caravan Park fees inside national parks are charged separately on top of the entry pass.

The Cradle Mountain Tourist Park at the park entrance is the main option, with powered and unpowered sites, cabins, and basic camp kitchen facilities. It's within walking distance of the shuttle bus terminal for accessing the park interior. The Discovery Parks property in the area also offers cabin and powered site accommodation. Note that private vehicles are restricted from the Dove Lake road inside the park during peak hours in summer - you park at the visitor centre precinct and take the free Parks Tasmania shuttle bus to Dove Lake and other trailheads.

The East Coast run is one of Tasmania's highlights for Caravan travel. Freycinet Caravan Park at Coles Bay is the most popular, with national park atmosphere right at the base of the Hazards mountains - book ahead in summer as powered sites are very limited. Friendly Beaches inside Freycinet National Park is a beautiful free camp accessible to small rigs. Further north, Bicheno's Foreshore Backpackers and Holiday Park is a good stop with ocean views. The Bay of Fires Conservation Area near St Helens offers free beach camps at Cosy Corner; lichen-covered orange granite boulders and turquoise water make it one of the most photographed coastlines in Australia.

The main highways - the Bass Highway, Midland Highway, and Tasman Highway - are suitable for rigs of most sizes and are well-maintained sealed roads. Secondary B-roads and national park access roads are where caution is required: narrow lanes, tight corners, and low branches are common. Rigs over 8 metres should research specific detours before committing. The Lyell Highway across the west is fully sealed but has sustained steep grades and hairpin sections approaching Queenstown. Many travellers with larger rigs use Hobart or Launceston as a base and day-trip to areas with difficult access roads.

WikiCamps Australia is the top recommendation from nearly every experienced Tasmanian Caravan traveller - it maps free camps, caravan parks, dump points, water sources, and LPG locations with user-reviewed notes that are far more current than printed guides. The Camplify and Hipcamp apps list private properties offering overnight stays, including farm stays in the Huon Valley and Tamar Valley. The Parks Tasmania website and booking portal is the official source for national park caravan park reservations. BOM (Bureau of Meteorology) weather app is essential given Tasmania's changeable climate - especially for West Coast and highland travel.