Tasmania is the camping destination Australians dream about and under-book: Cradle Mountain, Freycinet, the Bay of Fires and the wild west coast, all within a state the size of Ireland. The booking system is Parks Tasmania, and the state's most popular campsites — Cradle Mountain, Freycinet and Maria Island — book out months ahead for summer and every school holiday. Fees are modest (roughly $13–$30 per night for most sites), but the mechanism that surprises first-timers is Tasmania's weather: it is Australia's coldest state, and the alpine and west coast camps need four-season gear even in January.
Cradle Mountain & Lake St Clair
Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park is Tasmania's icon — the glaciated peak at the north end of the state's central wilderness, with the Overland Track (65 kilometres, 6 days) running south to Lake St Clair, Australia's deepest lake. The park's main campground at Cradle Valley is the launch point for the Dove Lake circuit, the Marion's Lookout walk and the Overland Track itself, and it books out completely in peak season — book at release or use the shuttle bus from the visitor centre. The mechanism to understand: the Overland Track requires a booking and a fee (around $250–$400 per person for the full walk in 2026, including hut fees and the shuttle), and the track closes to through-walkers in winter. For day visitors, the Dove Lake loop is the single best short walk in Australia.
Freycinet National Park
Freycinet is Tasmania's postcard: the pink-granite Hazards range, Wineglass Bay and white-sand beaches. The park's campgrounds — the main Freycinet campground near the visitor centre and the walk-in camps at Hazards Beach and Cooks Beach — are the state's most sought-after summer bookings. The mechanism that makes Freycinet special is geology: the granite's pink colour comes from feldspar, and the same range that creates the scenery shelters the bay from the prevailing westerlies, making the swimming better than Tasmania's reputation suggests. Book months ahead for summer; the walk-in beach camps reward the effort with solitude that the main campground cannot offer.
East Coast
North of Freycinet, the east coast delivers Tasmania's most relaxed camping. The Bay of Fires — the orange-lichened granite boulders between St Helens and Binalong Bay — has free and low-cost beach camps (Cosy Corner, Swimcart Beach) that are the state's best value. Douglas-Apsley National Park and the Friendly Beaches offer quiet alternatives. The Maria Island — a short ferry from Triabunna — is Tasmania's wildlife island: wombats, Cape Barren geese and convict ruins, with a basic campground at Darlington that books out fast. The mechanism: east coast camps face the milder side of the state, so they work from October to April, and the Bay of Fires' free camps are first-come, so arrive early in peak season.
Wilderness & West Coast
The west coast is Tasmania's wilderness heart — the Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers, the Tarkine rainforest and the Arthur River. Camps here are remote, free or low-cost, and genuinely wild: Strahan is the base for Gordon River cruises, and the Franklin River camps are for rafters. The Walls of Jerusalem National Park — a high alpine plateau of dolerite walls — has walk-in camping that is Tasmania's most spectacular. The mechanism to respect: the west coast receives 2.5–3 metres of rain a year and the "Roaring Forties" winds, so camps need serious weather protection, and rivers rise fast after rain. These are trips for experienced campers with proper gear — not the place to learn.
Booking & Fees
Book through the Parks Tasmania website: popular campgrounds cost roughly $13–$30 per night, and the state's star sites (Cradle Valley, Freycinet, Maria Island) release 12 months ahead and sell out for summer. The Overland Track is a separate booking with its own fee. Tasmania's national parks also require a parks pass for vehicle entry — the Holiday Pass (about $95 for 8 weeks in 2026) covers everything for a holiday, and day passes are around $44. Buy the Holiday Pass before you arrive; it pays for itself within three parks.
Actionable Steps
- Book Cradle Mountain, Freycinet and Maria Island at release — they sell out for summer.
- Buy the 8-week Holiday Pass before arriving; it covers all parks.
- Pack four-season gear for alpine and west coast camps, even in January.
- Use the Bay of Fires free camps for budget trips — arrive early in peak season.
- Book the Overland Track well ahead if it is on your list; it is capped and seasonal.