BOAT HARBOUR
Boat Harbour is a small seaside town in the North West of Tasmania. Driving down the winding road that descends into the bay will give you astonishing views and you’ll be hit with the bluest of water. If you’re lucky your eyes may stumble upon a pod of dolphins or frolicking seals. The quiet bay and white sands are what draws tourists to the popular region. With its crystal clear blue waters and calm beach, you’ll instantly fall in love with the place! Family friendly waves, rock pools, a playground that is built on the sand, a cafe and surf club, this place is sure to keep the whole family entertained.
Walking onto the beach is captivating, with views of the hills in the background and the iconic red rock boulders overlooking the ocean. It really is mesmerising and a ‘wow’ moment. Boat Harbour has a great community feeling and are very welcoming of tourists.
Only a very short stroll from the beach is the Boat Harbour free camp. Yes, no charge at all to park up your caravan. But it only gets better…
The fantastic scenery was enough for us, but they also have toilets and showers on site and additional playground, good tv reception ( a nice bonus when you’re travelling full time) and Telstra coverage.
This dog friendly free camp needs travellers to be self contained and also accepts Big Rigs. BBQ’s and tables are also available. If you’re not to busy soaking up the relaxing atmosphere, head over to Sister Beach for yet another beautiful coastline. There is also a dump point here. Rocky Cape National Park is also well worth a look.
We absolutely loved our Boat Harbour stay and highly recommend you put this on your list when visiting Tasmania.
COCKLE CREEK
Cockle Creek hosts some amazing and tranquil coves and it sits on Tasmania’s Wilderness World Heritage Area in the Southwest National Park. Although we were there in the summer months, did you know that the distant mountain peaks are sometimes capped with snow! That would make a stunning backdrop with the waters of Cockle Creek. We never knew Tasmania was flourishing with this amazing blue water and the creek is an ideal place to get your SUP out.
Cockle Creek is rich in history with tramways, ruins, aboriginal sites and gravestones found all over the area of this remote location. It even holds a whale sculpture which is a short walk from the free camp.
Other than the astonishing beaches, tourists and Tasmanian locals are drawn to the area to get an iconic photo with the ‘End of the Road’ sign which signifies the farthest South you can drive in Australia. This little slice of paradise has some excellent walking tracks. To witness some of Australia’s untouched coastline, tackle the South Cape Bay Walk which is a 4 hour return hike. Not something we would do with little kids as its a slightly challenging distance but Justin and Wayne from Caravanning With Kids’ managed the walk. With plenty of wildlife and spectacular views they woke the next morning a little stiff.
The free camp at this epic location is fantastic. You can camp inside the national park, however fees apply or your parks pass will cover this. Outside of the National Park is also free camping at no charge. Toilets are provided and it is also dog friendly (outside the National Park). Telstra phone service is excellent. With a 30 meter walk from our campsite into the clear blue waters of Cockle Creek, whats not to love about that. A free camp buy the beach is always a winner!
SWIMCART BEACH
When doing our research on Tasmania this free camp at the Bay of Fires Conservation Area came highly recommended. Set on top of dunes overlooking pristine beach, white sand when you step out your caravan door and rock formations that totally wow you! Our expectations were NOT let down. It just instantly makes you happy when you pull up to a free camp like this one, that sees some of the most stunning beaches we’ve witnessed on our travels. Travelling though Tassie in summer, we knew it would be hard to get a spot on Swimcart Beach with only about 30-40 beachfront sites available.
We arrived there early – about 9am and we managed to snag a spot as others were leaving. We decided to have a day at the van, to relax and soak up all the awesomeness thats is Swimcart Beach. The whole family took a stroll down to the stunning red rock formations that make Bay Of Fires unique. Our kids had an absolute ball playing in and around the rocks that had them entertained for hours. With beautiful white sand right on our door step there was plenty of sandcastles made and a few alcoholic beverages downed while watching the sunset. An utterly magic few days!
This dog friendly free camp has great Telstra reception, excellent tv reception, 4WD tracks, open fire pits and drop toilets. Suitable for all modes of transport and accomodation. Only a short drive into Binalong Bay for some delicious coffee and about 15 minutes into St Helens townships for a dump point and groceries.
One of our favourite beachfront free camps in Australia!!
