Tasmania. 3 weeks, 3 toddlers, an underpowered 4wd, and a soft floor camper trailer. We try to hit all the must sees, and sneak in a few breweries along the way. This is our story!
Preparation
The plan was two have a 3 week road trip around Tasmania with the kids. The main preparation in a camping holiday to Tasmania is how to get there! When we’re talking about taking over the 4WD and possibly a caravan or camper trailer, there is only one option: The Spirit of Tasmania.
We planned our trip for around February / March – thinking it would be a bit quieter post school holidays, but still nice weather. To my surprise, when loading up the booking page 5 months in advance, it was completely booked out! I soon found that because of the height of my vehicle, spots were limited. By removing the roof rack and getting the height below 2.1 metres, many spots opened up. This is a large consideration if towing a high van – you’ll need to prepare well in advance! That includes your return trip as well, lest you be stuck on the island awaiting a spot. I suppose there are worse places to be stuck!
Because we had our three toddlers on board with us, we decided the overnight trip was the better option. The kids were able to have dinner up on the deck, and play in the playground (on board!) for an hour or two, before crashing in the cabin (extra cost) for the night. It’s an expensive trip (over $2,000 for us ) but taking the camper trailer allowed us the freedom to stay many places for free or low cost. We also just like camping!
A Tasmanian Parks Pass is a must too. It will get you in to all the national parks, and in some cases provide free camping. Some parks still come with a camping fee, but your entrance is covered. This is definitely value for money.
My final tip for preparation is: pack for all seasons! We left a heatwave in Adelaide and whilst we had nice days in the high 20’s in Tasmania, we also felt the brunt of some icy cold fronts coming off the southern ocean when on Bruny Island. Luckily Tasmania is full of great Op Shops, and we used these to top up on some warmer clothes and bedding for the kids.
Arriving / Waterhouse Conservation Area
Because we took the night journey, the boat arrived just before sunrise in Devonport. Our plan for night one was to get over to the north east corner at Waterhouse Conservation Area.
Having already spent a night on the road pre-ferry trip, we were well aware of the fact one of our two year old twins LOVES harassing the other. So, we made a detour to Bunnings at Launceston and bought a big piece of corflute to make a barrier between the two. Problem solved!
We arrived at Waterhouse Conservation Area around lunch time, and made our way to the camping area around Ransons Beach. We were a bit concerned about finding a space, as each little area had one or two other campers. There was a large area with just one other camp at the far end, so we set up at the other. As we would find out later in this trip – this campsite was essentially empty compared to other areas!
Camped just a few steps from a beautiful little beach, this is an absolute gem of a spot. The bonus is that it seems to be a little less well known than areas like Bay of Fires. The kids had a ball splashing in the shallows and exploring the rocky out crops.
We encountered a few wallabies here too, but they were quite shy and moved along quickly when seeing humans.
Barnbougle
Being an avid golfer, I was extremely keen to sneak in a round of golf at the world famous Barnbougle. Given we weren’t in holiday season, and it is a place of relative remoteness, I figured I could essentially rock up and walk on at any time. Wrong! I rang first thing in the morning to double check, and got a fright when the lady told me they were chock-a-block. She found a spot for me to join later that morning though, so I got everyone sorted and we made the quick drive over. Sian, being the greatest wife ever, dropped me off, and took the kids to Scottsdale for a bit of Op Shopping and a play at the local park.
End result – I lost a lot of golf balls. Loved every second.
Google Maps
One thing that became apparent to me as this journey went on is that Google Maps cannot be trusted in Tasmania. The Nissan Patrol isn’t particularly fond of towing the camper trailer over mountains, and Google found us some doozy’s!
After packing up at Waterhouse Conservation Park, I made the trailer newbie mistake of not pulling up the jockey wheel. It wasn’t until we were half way to Scottsdale that I realised, and by then the entire thing was a mess. There was no way we could continue without a new one. We had to return to Launceston. Punching in the destination into Google Maps, I was told there was a road closed and a detour ahead. In google, we trust! Except, this detour was on a dirt road, over an enormous mountain and the Patrol was struggling to go about 25 km/hr without the engine exploding. It really pushed the limits of how hot the car can run I suspect. As I crested the mountain, I thought… should’ve put that in low range. Next time! Google pulled this stunt a few times.
Evercreech Forest
The detour to fix the Jockey Wheel threw whatever original plans we had out the window – and after checking Wikicamps, decided we’d make our way back east towards Evercreech Forest. I had this marked on our list of possible campsites, but wasn’t sure if we could fit in. Thankfully for my own stupidy in not putting up the jockey wheel, this was now our night 3 campsite. What a hidden gem!
We rolled up in the late afternoon, and descended the track into the valley which opens up to reveal the reserve area. There was absolutely no one else there, and we set up the camper trailer in a large park at the end of the reserve. Whilst there is no designated camping spots at Evercreech reserve, there is also no ‘no camping’ signs. We would only stay one night, and with no one else about it seemed ok. There are sheltered picnic areas and a couple of long drop toilets too.
The best part of this was taking the kids on their first real hike to see some of the giant trees and a nearby waterfall. We worried they’d struggle with the walking, and we certainly did our fair share of carrying, but they were little troopers. The giant trees are magnificent, and the hike to the waterfall was great too.
We did get an absolute drenching from the rain here just as we were packing up, which was fun for the kids to see me get soaked!
Bay of Fires
No road trip around Tasmania would be complete without seeing Bay of Fires. Tasmania’s hillyness is on full display as we make out way from St Marys down the hill to Scamander. Luckily for the poor old Patrol, we’re headed in the right direction (down!).
Bay of Fires is busy. One problem we continually faced in Tasmania was arriving to campsites in time to find spots. There are plenty of Grey Nomads on the road towing easily packed up vans. They’ll have breakfast, hitch up the caravan, and be on the road by 9 am. At that time we are still solving arguments amongst the children about what coloured socks to wear! Most camp sites would have ample room around 11am as campers move on to their next spot, but be full to the brim in the afternoon.
And so it was, that we checked out all the campsites north of Binalong Bay and they were all very full. If there was space, it was under a foot of water from the previous night and that mornings rain. Eventually we found some room at the slightly less popular Sloop Reef camp ground. This campground is more suited to tents than caravans, as there isn’t much in the way of flat ground. But it is a beautiful spot overlooking a small little beach. We spent an afternoon playing on the beach. The feel of the sand here is incredible!
Friendly Beaches
Not overly happy with our setup at Sloop Reef, we decided to move south. We wanted to check out the Wineglass Bay lookout, and possibly camp at Freycinet National Park. I’d read that you’d need to book ahead here, so rung up the office to be told it was booked out for six weeks! There’s a recurring theme here, and that is: Tasmania is busy!
Instead, we took our chance at Friendly Beaches campsite, another popular beachside camp. As per normal, it was full to the brim. Luckily, a lady sensed our panicked looks around camp and told us they were about to leave and we could get into their spot. It was a tight squeeze for the camper trailer, but provided a really nice, private nook.
The Wallabies at this campground are extremely friendly! A mother and joey casually walked into camp and were not fazed in the slightest by the kids excitement. The campsite is set slightly back from the beach, so you do need to take a walk to one of the beach access points. The beach is beautiful, as we came to expect down this stretch of coastline.
Freycinet National Park
The next morning we set off towards Coles Bay, with our plan to do the hike to Wineglass Bay Lookout. The views from Coles Bay, over the water, towards the mountains on the other side are spectacular. It must be one of the most picturesque towns in Australia.
The Wineglass Bay lookout hike was very popular. The signs suggested about 45 minutes each way – so a lot longer for our tribe! The twins again did really well though, with Holly walking pretty much the whole way to the top. The view at the top was well worth the struggle.
There are a number of longer hikes in the area, but we were at our limit with 3 toddlers. We saw a few people carry on towards the beach, which would be great to get down to for a swim after the hike.
We stopped at the local caravan park to see if we could have a shower to freshen up. When we were given the cost to just use the shower, we moved on to a free shower at the edge of the park campgrounds. It was cold (Sian called it ‘refreshing’) but nice to clean up after a few nights camping. The kids got a bath in a big bucket back at camp!
Tasman National Park
The next day we took a drive from Friendly Beaches campsite all the way down to Tasman National Park, and in particular the Lime Bay camping area. Along the way we stopped at Swansea to top up our water tanks, and do some washing at the laundromat. Hot tip, don’t leave your hose and filter connected to the tap and drive off. By time I realised this I was not turning back.
Lime Bay camping ground is fairly large, so there was plenty of room to setup here. It sits right next to a beautiful bay perfect for swimming, but views are mostly obscured by trees.
Friendly Beaches has friendly Wallabies – Lime Bay has friendly possums! Make sure all food and rubbish is securely locked away at night as they will certainly find a way to get in to it.
Nearby is an old coal mine with some interesting history. It is free to visit. Ayla in particular gained a new interest in visiting any ruins after this. Even so, we skipped on the Port Arthur tour as it was quite expensive and we felt the kids were probably a bit too young to appreciate it.
We did go to the aptly named Remarkable Cove, which has a number of steps to get down to the viewing platform, but the kids managed. It’s a worthwhile stop in the area. We also visited Tasmans Arch and Devil’s Kitchen which I definitely recommend (easy hikes for both).
On the way out, we stopped at Tessellated Pavement, a fascinating natural formation of rocks that looks almost man made. This is another easy walk from the car park.
Hobart
Next stop in our three week trip around Tasmania was the capital city of Hobart. We actually stayed about 10 minutes south at a bush camp called the Lea Bush Camping. This place was really cool! Plenty of room to spread out and a few basic facilities to freshen up too. The track up to the campsite (on top of the hill) is really steep though! I was impressed with the size of some of the vans that had been towed up there. It was another 25km/hr crawl for the Patrol. There were plenty of curious possums visiting camp here, and lots of ‘turbo chickens’ running about that the kids found hilarious
In keeping with the theme of punishing the car, we took a drive to the top of Mt Wellington. What a spectacular drive this is! Without the trailer, the car was much happier. The views can be distracting on the narrow road up, and the views from the top are even better. There was plenty of people about to take a rare family photo of us too.
Back down the hill, we checked out both Shambles Brewery and Hobart Brewing Co. Shambles had an unbelievably nice birthday special brew, so our timing was impeccable there. Hobart Brewing is a super set up with games for the kids to play. The Pale Ale is a winner too.
Bruny Island
Some locals told us that Bruny Island was a must see – so we made it our next destination. The ferry trip is $113, which can be purchased at the dock, and includes the return ticket.
We camped at Cloudy Corner campground on South Bruny Island. The crowds were really thinning out now. That might have something to do with the creek crossing and low tide beach run required to make it to this campground! The beach is hard though, and it’s an easy drive though, even towing the camper trailer. The campground itself has plenty of spacious and flat sites.
The beach is a short walk down a track through the bush. The beach is calm and flat – great for swimming, if you ignore the fact the water is freezing! We just had to have a dip anyway. I cast a fishing line in here hoping to land a flathead, but after 5 minutes the kids were cold and bored and wanted to go back to camp.
There’s some 4wding opportunities on South Island too. Coolangatta Road takes you through Mount Mangana Forest Reserve to Adventure Bay. Whilst steep in places, it’s not a technical drive, and provides a few great views. There is another 4wd only track from Adventure Bay to Cloudy Bay as well. We took this track on the way back to camp. It gets extremely tight in places, and a car coming the other direction proved interesting as we squeezed past each other. But despite the oodles of recent rain, the track was easily passable.
Mount Field National Park
A friend said to me that you’re never far from anything in Tasmania, but it takes forever to get there. Very true words. Mount Field National Park is approximately 170kms from our campsite on South Bruny Island, however it felt like an entire days journey. It’s a good thing that every drive in Tasmania is so scenic.
Mount Field could very well be my number one place to go of all the places we stopped. The campground was busy, but numerous spots were still available for non-powered camping. The shower block was a welcome treat after a few nights on Bruny without a shower too!
A creek was flowing very rapidly right next to our campsite, which ordinarily would be a big bonus, but with 3 toddlers it was a bit of a concern. I assume that normally it would be a less menacing creek, but all the rain over the prior days had it gushing. The kids were all great in listening to the ‘off limits’ areas though.
Hiking
We did a number of hikes here. A couple can be commenced right from the campsite – Russell Falls is spectacular, and an easy walk. Slightly more difficult was continuing on up a whole load of steps to the next falls. They aren’t as good as the first stop though, so you wouldn’t be missing out on much if not up to that section of the hike.
With the kids in tow, we opted to take a short drive up the road to the Tall Trees loop. This can be access from camp too, but it was a bit too far for the young ones. The Tall Trees loop delivers what it promises: some amazingly tall trees. I really enjoyed seeing these ancient beasts stretching up into the sky. The fallen trees given another sense of just how big they are, as you walk from one end to the other, it seemingly going forever.
There were camping fees due on top of the park pass here, but we felt it was well worth it.
Cradle Mountain
With time running low in our road trip around Tasmania, we had one last ‘must see’ on the list. Cradle Mountain is about 320kms from Mount Field, but again – the drive takes far longer than the distance would suggest. Up and down many mountains and across the Central Plateau, there is never not much to look at.
We camped at what has to be one of the best free camps in Australia, Lake Gairdner (see our separate post for more detail). A popular spot with tourists and locals alike, we managed to snag a good spot near the water’s edge. The kids got to see a platypus for the first time splashing around and made friends with other kids camping close to us. If there is one thing that kids love more than anything else, its other kids to play with!
Staying here for a couple of nights, we took a drive to Cradle Mountain one day to have a closer look. There a lot of lengthy walks here which we couldn’t participate in with the kids – the tracks are too narrow for our twin stroller. We did catch the bus from the visitor centre to Dove Lake, and do a short hike to the boat house. Amongst the hungry & tired tantrums from the kids, it was beautiful. It’s also far colder than just down the hill at the Lake, so dress appropriately. The kids favourite part of Cradle Mountain was the bus rides though – so we promised to take them on the bus at home too (a lot cheaper than a trip to Tasmania)
Ulverstone
With just two nights left, we moved to Ulverstone, and camped next to the golf course (very convenient!) for just $10 a night. There are no amenities, but it is in a peaceful location away from the crowds.
We took a drive out to Burnie, and bought a few local brews from Communion Brewing, and also stopped in at Penguin. After some hot chips on the shore, and a photo with the big penguin, we grabbed some more brews from Penguin Beer Co.! The Emperor IPA was amazing.
The Ulverstone Golf Course is something of an underrated course out here. You could play two rounds and have change compared to one round at Barnbougle. Some of the local members allowed me to join their group and were super friendly and happy to share tips on where not to hit the ball. Much needed.
Home time
We had booked another night journey, so had a leisurely pack up and drive to Devonport, which is not far from Ulverstone. A quick beer at Island State Brewing and we were on our way to the ferry again (where I was sure to grab another Hobart Brewing Co. Pale Ale!)
Keeping the Kids Entertained
For a total of 4 weeks on our road trip around Tasmania with Kids, we needed entertainment! We brought a balance bike for our 4 year old, which she loved, and building blocks for the 2 year old twins. We figured there would be enough other things to keep them occupied, and it was really the abundant wild life that kept them most happy though. They had a knack for spotting play grounds out the window too. The trickiest thing was managing naps – with the frequent drives, they’d often drift off to sleep which would then result in some later nights. It was certainly not what I’d call an easy trip, but despite the numerous tantrums, we just rolled with it in the end – amusing ourselves by capturing a video tantrum compilation. Now I just look back on it fondly and wonder when we’ll do it all again.
I’ve since created a list what we think are the best activities to keep kids entertained whilst camping.
