Snapshot
| Where | Far north-east Tasmania, at the northern end of the Bay of Fires — About 2 hours (165km) from Launceston via Gladstone · About 3 hours from Launceston via Scottsdale (A3 and B82) or about 2 hours via the East Tamar and Bridport (A8 and B82) · About 28km (25 minutes) from Gladstone, the nearest fuel · About 255km (3.5 hours) from Hobart to St Helens, then about 50km of gravel to Eddystone Point |
|---|---|
| Getting there | 2WD is manageable in dry conditions: 17km on unsealed C843 and C845 from Gladstone to the northern entrance, or about 30 minutes on unsealed C843 and C846 to Deep Creek from St Helens or Gladstone · The roads are narrow, winding gravel that corrugates when dry and turns greasy after rain, and a high-clearance vehicle is more comfortable · Top Camp near Musselroe Bay is the one approach where a 4WD is recommended, and rental insurance often excludes unsealed roads — check your hire agreement |
| Best time | October–March, with February usually the most settled month (average 13–22°C and the driest of the year) — spring brings the heath wildflowers and quieter campgrounds, and the gravel approaches are driest through late summer |
| Worst time | June–August (winter) — average days of 5–13°C, rain on roughly every second day, short daylight, and access roads that can flood or turn boggy; the festive break and January school holidays fill the first-come campgrounds instead |
| Time needed | 2–3 days: a day for Cobler Rocks and the Stumpys Bay beaches, a day for wukalina/Mount William and the Eddystone Point lighthouse, and a spare day for weather or wildlife |
| Cost | Parks Pass required — $49.15 per vehicle per day (up to 8 people) or $24.55 per person on foot, bike or bus; camping a flat $18.00 a night per site (up to 6 people) under the new online booking system; no fuel or shops in the park |
| Facilities | Pit toilets at all six campgrounds; no drinking water and no power at any campsite, with bore water for washing only at Stumpys Bay 1 and 3 and Deep Creek; gas barbecues, picnic tables and a shelter at the day-use area beside Stumpys Bay 4; nearest fuel and groceries at Gladstone and 24-hour fuel at St Helens; mobile coverage is patchy to absent |
| Best for | East-coast road trippers who want beach camping without the crowds, wildlife watchers after forester kangaroos and wombats, and photographers after orange-lichen granite |
| Difficulty |
2 of 5 — Moderate
The walks are short and flat — Cobler Rocks is an easy 2-hour walk and the wukalina/Mount William summit track is 90 minutes return — but the unsealed approaches, soft beach sand, exposed coast and complete lack of drinking water make it more demanding than the map suggests. Top Camp needs a 4WD, and large caravans do not fit the campground access tracks. |
Driving there? Car hire and what to check →
Mount William National Park covers the far north-east coast of Tasmania at the northern end of the Bay of Fires, from Stumpys Bay in the north to Ansons Bay and larapuna/Eddystone Point in the south. The granite is rich in quartz and breaks down into the pure white sand of the beaches, while the shore boulders carry the bright orange lichen the coast is known for. Gazetted in the 1970s as a refuge for the then-endangered forester kangaroo, the park last expanded in 1999; wukalina/Mount William, at 216 metres, is its highest point.
This is palawa country: larapuna is the Aboriginal name for the coast from Eddystone Point south to Binalong Bay. More than 90 shell middens and close to 60 artefact sites are recorded in the park, and the lighthouse at Eddystone Point sits on ground leased back to the palawa community for 40 years in 2006. Middens are protected by law: look, take nothing and leave shells and stones where they lie. What pulls most people in is the quiet: lagoon beaches, granite boulders and forester kangaroos grazing at dusk.
Go if…
- You want beach camping among forester kangaroos rather than a car park full of day trippers
- You like short, flat walks — a 2-hour walk to Cobler Rocks and a 90-minute summit track are the headline walks
- You're road-tripping Tasmania's north-east in a 2WD or small to medium caravan and are happy on gravel
- You're interested in the palawa story of this coast and will treat middens and the Eddystone Point headland with respect
Skip it if…
- You want a big walk with real height gain — the park's high point is 216 metres and the longest walk is 11km on flat to gentle ground
- You're arriving with a large caravan or motorhome — the campground access tracks are narrow and low-branched, and no campground takes large rigs
- You leave campsites to chance — bookings are now made online through the new Parks and Wildlife Service system, and the summer break fills the sites
- You want warm water and shelter in midwinter — winter days average 5–13°C with rain roughly every second day, and the coastal wind chill is real year-round
What to expect
Reviewed
You reach the park on gravel, and the last stretch is part of the experience. From Gladstone it is 17km on the unsealed C843 and C845 to the northern entrance, where Stumpys Bay's four campgrounds sit close to the beach; from St Helens in the south, Deep Creek is about 30 minutes on the unsealed C843 and C846. These are narrow, winding back roads that corrugate in dry weather and turn greasy after rain, so a 2WD manages them in ordinary conditions but a high-clearance vehicle is more comfortable, and Top Camp near Musselroe Bay is the one spot where a 4WD is recommended. Fuel up before you turn off: there is none in the park and Gladstone is the nearest supplier, with 24-hour fuel back at St Helens. Plan to arrive before dark too — the park asks visitors to avoid driving in the reserves at night where possible, because the gravel is shared with forester kangaroos, wombats and wallabies and gives them no reason to jump.
Once you are out of the car, the coast does the work. The granite here is quartz-rich and weathers into squeaky white sand and rounded boulders patched with orange lichen — the same palette as the Bay of Fires to the south, but with a fraction of the people. Stumpys Bay has four campgrounds strung behind sheltered beaches and lagoons, with a day-use area beside Stumpys Bay 4 holding picnic tables, a shelter and gas barbecues. Beach walking is the main event: north toward Boulder Point, past Picnic Rocks and out to Cape Naturaliste, or south along the sand toward Deep Creek.
Wildlife is why this park exists. It was gazetted in the 1970s to protect the forester kangaroo — Tasmania's largest marsupial, pushed to the edge by hunting and land clearing — and the grassy clearings between the banksia heath still hold the highest concentrations of grazing marsupials in the park. Drive slowly along Forester Drive at dawn or dusk and you will see forester kangaroos and wombats out on the open ground, with Bennett's wallabies, pademelons and echidnas in the scrub alongside; Tasmanian devils are present but nocturnal and rarely seen. Above the heath, wedge-tailed eagles and white-bellied sea eagles work the coast, yellow-tailed black cockatoos come through the woodland, and more than 100 coastal bird species have been recorded, from honeyeaters and wrens to terns, gannets and oystercatchers, with migratory short-tailed shearwaters passing over the coast in season. Keep the speed down between sunset and sunrise and give everything room — the roads are their feed runs.
At the southern end of the park, larapuna/Eddystone Point runs out as Tasmania's most easterly land, with the 1889 lighthouse built of pink granite on the headland and the keepers' houses behind it under heritage protection. The lighthouse sits 18km north of Ansons Bay and about 50km of gravel from St Helens, and the shore below it is the park's best rock-pooling: shallow pools among pale and orange-lichen granite, with the dive sites off Eddystone Point and Georges Rocks out beyond. This is the most culturally sensitive part of the park — the Tasmanian Government granted a 40-year lease over the Larapuna grounds around the lighthouse in 2006, and the palawa community asks visitors to treat the middens and the headland with respect.
For a view over all of it, walk wukalina/Mount William. The well-defined track climbs through black gums, banksias and she-oaks to the 216m summit in about 90 minutes return, and on a clear day you can pick out the islands of Bass Strait and the Furneaux Group. There is a longer way to do it too: the 11km return walk from Stumpys Bay Campground 4 takes about 5 hours and links the summit with the coast. Neither is technical, but the upper sections carry little shade and there is no water anywhere in the park, so carry what you need for the day.
Where to stay
Gladstone, 28km and 25 minutes from the northern entrance, is the practical base — the nearest fuel, groceries, firewood and a pub; Ansons Bay sits at the park's southern edge, and St Helens is the fallback for anything bigger.
When bookings open: Tasmania launched a new online booking platform for national park campgrounds in November 2026, with flat-rate pricing. Book through the Parks and Wildlife Service and check the Mount William camping page for availability rather than relying on turning up. Official booking page. Checked 8 November 2026. Booking dates for every state.
| Stay | Guest rating | Best for | Distance | Style | Book |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mount William National Park campgrounds (PWS) | Not rated | Beach camping inside the park, from Stumpys Bay to Deep Creek | In the park — 17km on unsealed roads from Gladstone to the northern campgrounds, about 30 minutes to Deep Creek from St Helens | Six bush campgrounds: Stumpys Bay 1–4 in the north, Top Camp near Musselroe Bay and Deep Creek in the south; pit toilets, no drinking water, no power, bore water for washing at Stumpys Bay 1 and 3 and Deep Creek; $18.00 a night per site (up to 6 people) | Book now |
| Mt William Holiday Park | Not rated | Families and groups who want a bed, a shower and a camp kitchen | 23–27 Chaffey Street, Gladstone — about 28km from the park | Self-contained or shared facilities with guest lounge, undercover barbecue area, laundry and optional catering; caters to groups as well as couples and singles | Check rates |
| Gladstone Hotel | Not rated | A simple pub bed at the gateway junction | 37 Chaffey Street, Gladstone — about 28km from the park | Country hotel with kid-friendly dining; the practical option when the campgrounds are full or the weather turns | Check rates |
| Icena Farm Accommodation | Not rated | A quiet farm-stay cabin close to the park | Gladstone district — Tripadvisor lists it 13.0km from the park centre | Wool Classers Hut cabin, self-contained and comparable to a small caravan-park cabin, from $157; sits at the doorstep of the park | Check rates |
| Baysedgeretreat | Not rated | Staying at the park's southern edge near Deep Creek | 22 Boobyalla Drive, Ansons Bay — at the edge of the park | Private lodging at Ansons Bay, with the lighthouse coast and Deep Creek Campground close by | Check rates |
| Scamander Sanctuary Holiday Park | 4.6 / 5 (147 reviews, Tripadvisor) | A full-service park on the drive south toward Bicheno | About 43km from the park (Hipcamp lists 43km; Tripadvisor lists 58.9km from the park centre) | Powered and unpowered sites for tents and RVs with a camp kitchen; pet friendly | Check rates |
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What to do here
7 walks & sights
Cobler Rocks Track
The park's signature walk: a 6km loop from Stumpys Bay Campground 4 that takes about 2 hours and climbs nothing of consequence, running out on flat fire trails through banksia heath before dropping onto the beach. It passes lagoons and remote beaches on the way, with forester kangaroos grazing the heath and orange lichen stacked on the granite. The footing is the catch — sandy heathland track and beach sand that eats the stride — so shoes that keep the grit out are worth more here than ankle support. Allow the full two hours, carry all your water (there is none in the park), and walk it early or late on hot days when the heath holds the heat.
wukalina/Mount William summit
A well-defined track through black gums, banksias and she-oaks to the highest point in the park at 216 metres, with Bass Strait and the Furneaux Islands on the horizon in clear weather. Parks puts the short version at 90 minutes return; the long version is 11km and about 5 hours return from Stumpys Bay Campground 4 and links the summit with the coast. Short and non-technical, but exposed on top and without any water on the way.
Forester kangaroo drive at dusk
The park was created for the forester kangaroo, and the highest concentrations of grazing marsupials sit along Forester Drive, where the heath opens into lawn-like clearings. Go at first or last light, keep the speed down and expect wombats, Bennett's wallabies and pademelons in the same paddocks. Avoid driving the reserves at night — the park asks visitors to stay off the roads after dark where possible for the sake of the wildlife, so do the drive at dusk and be back at camp before full dark.
Stumpys Bay beaches and lagoon
Four campgrounds sit behind the sheltered beaches at Stumpys Bay, and the day-use area beside Stumpys Bay 4 has picnic tables, a shelter and gas barbecues that are allowed on Total Fire Ban days when nothing else is. The beaches run north past Picnic Rocks toward Boulder Point and Cape Naturaliste and south toward Deep Creek, with lagoons behind the dunes that are calm enough for a swim or a paddle when the surf is up. This is the family end of the park: sheltered water, short walks and camp only metres from the sand.
larapuna/Eddystone Point lighthouse and rock pools
The 1889 lighthouse at larapuna/Eddystone Point is built of the same pink granite as the headland it stands on, with the keepers' houses behind it protected under the Heritage Act. The drive out is about 50km of gravel from St Helens, or about 30 minutes on the C843 and C846 from Deep Creek, and the last section is a sandy vehicle track through coastal scrub. Below the light the shore is rounded granite, shallow pools and orange lichen, and it is the best place in the park to poke around at low tide. Walk softly: the Tasmanian Government granted a 40-year lease over the Larapuna grounds in 2006, the ground is rich in middens, and shells and stones stay where they lie.
Ansons Bay, Deep Creek and Musselroe Bay
Deep Creek Campground at the southern end is the base for the lighthouse coast, about 30 minutes on unsealed roads from St Helens or Gladstone, while Top Camp sits in the north near Musselroe Bay where a 4WD is recommended. Parks lists fishing at Ansons Bay and Musselroe Bay and the marine habitats off Georges Rocks and Eddystone Point as the park's dive sites. The bays are unpatrolled and the water is Bass Strait cool even in February, so swim with a friend, check the swell and dive with people who know this coast.
wukalina Walk — a guided palawa walk
The palawa-owned wukalina Walk runs 4 days and 3 nights through wukalina/Mount William National Park and along larapuna, guided by Tasmanian Aboriginal walkers with nights at the standing camp krakani lumi, the 'place of rest'. It departs Launceston's Elders Centre on St John Street, with the main walking season September to May and several departures a month. Access to stretches of this coastline requires permission from the palawa community, which comes with the walk.
Mount William National Park itineraries: 1, 2 or 3 days
3 plans
One day: Stumpys Bay, Cobler Rocks and the lighthouse
- Morning. Cobler Rocks Track from Stumpys Bay Campground 4 — 6km, 2 hours, Easy, flat fire trails through banksia heath then beach walking past lagoons. Carry your water for the day; there is none in the park.
- Afternoon. Drive south to larapuna/Eddystone Point (the lighthouse sits 18km north of Ansons Bay) for the 1889 granite tower and the rock pools on the shore below it. Allow time for the gravel back to Gladstone before dark.
No camping — a day trip. The park is about 2 hours (165km) from Launceston via Gladstone, then 17km on unsealed roads to the northern entrance. A Parks Pass is required ($49.15 per vehicle per day, or $24.55 per person on foot, bike or bus), fuel is only at Gladstone (nearest) or St Helens, and the park asks visitors to avoid driving in the reserves at night where possible because of the wildlife.
Two days: add the wukalina/Mount William summit and dusk kangaroos
- Day 1. Cobler Rocks Track (6km, 2 hours) in the morning, then the beaches and lagoon at Stumpys Bay in the afternoon, and camp at Stumpys Bay 1–4. The day-use area beside Stumpys Bay 4 has gas barbecues, which are allowed on Total Fire Ban days.
- Day 2, morning. Walk wukalina/Mount William — 90 minutes return on the well-defined track to the 216m summit, with Bass Strait and the Furneaux Islands on the horizon in clear weather.
- Day 2, dusk. Forester Drive at last light for forester kangaroos and wombats on the open ground, then back to camp before full dark; the park asks visitors to avoid driving the reserves at night where possible.
One night. Camping is a flat $18.00 a night per site (up to 6 people), booked through the Parks and Wildlife Service's new online campground booking system. There is no drinking water or power at any campground (bore water for washing at Stumpys Bay 1 and 3), so bring everything you need. A Parks Pass is required ($49.15 per vehicle per day, or $24.55 per person), fuel is at Gladstone or St Helens, and Stumpys Bay 2 is fuel-stove-only.
Three days: Deep Creek, the lighthouse coast and the long walk
- Day 1. Cobler Rocks Track (6km, 2 hours) and the Stumpys Bay beaches, camping at Stumpys Bay 1–4 as in the two-day plan.
- Day 2. wukalina/Mount William in the morning (90 minutes return), then the drive south to Deep Creek — about 30 minutes on unsealed roads from St Helens or Gladstone — and on to larapuna/Eddystone Point for the lighthouse and the shore below it.
- Day 3. Take the long version of the summit walk: 11km return from Stumpys Bay Campground 4, about 5 hours, which links the mountain to the coast. Otherwise spend the day on the beaches north toward Boulder Point and Cape Naturaliste.
Two nights. The long wukalina walk is 11km and 5 hours return; the short track is 90 minutes return. Camping is a flat $18.00 a night per site (up to 6 people), booked online through the Parks and Wildlife Service. Carry all your drinking water, buy fuel at Gladstone (nearest) or St Helens, and check the PWS alerts page before you leave — the access roads are unsealed and can be boggy after rain.
Suggested gear for Mount William National Park
17 items
- Water bottles or a hydration bladder Carry at least 2 litres per person on the walks.
- Water treatment tablets or a filter Treat creek and camping-area water before drinking.
- Sun hat, sunscreen (SPF 50+) and sunglasses
- Sturdy, broken-in walking shoes or boots
- Day pack (20–30 L)
- First aid kit, including blister care
- Insect repellent
- Head torch with spare batteries
- Lightweight rain jacket
- Personal locator beacon Mobile coverage is unreliable in remote parks.
- A 20-litre water container or jerry can for camp There is no drinking water at any of the six campgrounds and no tap anywhere in the park; bore water at Stumpys Bay 1 and 3 and Deep Creek is for washing only.
- A fuel stove, plus your campsite booking Stumpys Bay 2 is a fuel-stove-only area and seasonal fire bans close campfires on reserved land each bushfire season, so book your site online before you travel.
- Shoes that keep sand out, or gaiters The Cobler Rocks walk runs on sandy heathland track and beach sand for most of its 6km, and grit ruins the day faster than any hill would.
- A tyre pressure gauge and a full-size spare The approaches are 17km and 30 minutes of unsealed gravel that corrugates dry and turns greasy after rain, and there is no tyre service between Gladstone and the park.
- Offline maps or a paper TasMap Mobile coverage is patchy to absent outside the towns, and the campground access tracks and beach routes are easy to lose in scrub.
- A windproof shell and a warm layer, even in summer The beaches and headlands are exposed to Bass Strait, and wind chill on the coast is standard even in a 22°C February.
- A snorkel and wetsuit if you plan to get in The marine habitats off Eddystone Point and Georges Rocks are the park's dive sites, but the water is cool year-round and the bays are unpatrolled.
How this compares
Mount William National Park vs Bay of Fires
The Bay of Fires stretches from Binalong Bay in the south to Eddystone Point in the north, but what most people mean by it is the southern stretch of conservation area outside Mount William National Park — the roadside beaches, The Gardens and the campgrounds at Swimcart Beach, reached from St Helens (255km from Hobart) on the sealed C850 or the unsealed C849. It shares the orange-lichen granite and squeaky white sand with the park, but it is where the day-trip traffic goes: no parks pass is needed for the conservation area itself (you need one past Ansons Bridge, once you are in Mount William), and the famous bays fill from Boxing Day to the end of January while St Helens keeps you supplied with food and 24-hour fuel. Choose the Bay of Fires for turquoise water, easy roadside beaches and a town base; choose Mount William National Park for beach camping among forester kangaroos, gravel roads and quiet lagoons.
- Difficulty
- 2 of 5 — Moderate
- Access
- Sealed (C850) or unsealed (C849) from St Helens; roadside campgrounds, no 4WD needed
- Best for
- Beach day trips · turquoise water · town-based stays
Mount William National Park vs Douglas-Apsley National Park
Douglas-Apsley National Park sits on the east coast near Bicheno, a couple of hours' drive south of Mount William, and covers the forested country inland from the beaches rather than the beaches themselves. Its walking is greener, steeper and shadier than anything on the larapuna coast, which makes it the better day out when the wind is up or you want to be out of the sun. Choose Douglas-Apsley for forest walking and inland water near Bicheno; choose Mount William National Park for orange-lichen granite, forester kangaroos and camping on the sand.
- Difficulty
- 2 of 5 — Moderate
- Access
- Sealed Tasman Highway approach near Bicheno; day-walk country rather than beach camping
- Best for
- Forest walks · shade and swimming holes · a change from the coast
Mount William National Park vs Freycinet National Park
Freycinet National Park, about two hours south on the east coast, is the postcard version of this shoreline: the pink granite Hazards rising over Wineglass Bay, the 27km Freycinet Peninsula Circuit and campsites you book well ahead. Everything there is closer together, steeper and busier than at Mount William, with sealed roads, a visitor centre and a car park that fills on fine weekends. Choose Freycinet for granite peaks, the Wineglass Bay walks and a marked multi-day circuit; choose Mount William National Park for quiet beaches, first-come camping and dusk kangaroo drives.
- Difficulty
- 3 of 5 — Challenging
- Access
- Sealed roads from the Tasman Highway to the park entrance; no 4WD involved
- Best for
- Granite peaks · steep day walks · a multi-day circuit
Before you go
- A valid Parks Pass is required — $49.15 per vehicle per day (up to 8 people) or $24.55 per person on foot, bike or bus; buy it online, at a Service Tasmania centre or a visitor centre before you turn onto the gravel
- There is no drinking water and no power at any of the six campgrounds — bring everything you need for the trip; bore water for washing is available at Stumpys Bay 1 and 3 and Deep Creek
- Camping is a flat $18.00 a night per site (up to 6 people), booked online through the Parks and Wildlife Service — check the Mount William camping page for availability before you travel
- Fuel up at Gladstone (the nearest) or St Helens (24 hours) — there is no fuel, shop or tap inside the park
- Campfires only in the fireplaces provided at designated campgrounds; Stumpys Bay 2 is a fuel-stove-only area, and seasonal fire bans close campfires and pot fires on reserved land each bushfire season while gas stoves and barbecues stay allowed
- Avoid driving in the reserves at night where possible — the roads are shared with forester kangaroos, wombats and wallabies, and the park asks visitors to keep off them after dark
- Dogs are not permitted in the park
- Check the PWS alerts page and road conditions before you leave — the approaches are unsealed, narrow and slow, and can be boggy or impassable after rain
When to go
seasons & the hard months
October through March is the window most people want, and February is usually the most settled month — average highs of 22°C, the driest month of the year, and water warm enough to contemplate. Spring (September to November) is the pick for the heath: hundreds of wildflower species come into bloom across the park's coastal heathlands and dry sclerophyll, grass trees among them, and the campgrounds are quieter than in January. Whatever the month, this is a coast with wind chill on it — the exposed beaches and headlands can turn cold quickly in a southerly, so pack for four seasons in a day.
Winter (June to August) is honest going: average days of 5°C to 13°C, rain on roughly every second day and the wettest months of the year, with short daylight and access roads that can flood or turn boggy on the unsealed approaches. It is also the quietest the park gets, which some people prefer. Summer has the opposite problem — the festive break and January school holidays fill the first-come campgrounds, the heath holds the heat on the walks, and water is on you from the moment you turn off the highway. Carry your supplies and treat midweek as your friend.
Questions
6 answers
Yes — a valid Parks Pass is required for entry to all Tasmania's national parks. The daily pass is $49.15 per vehicle (up to 8 people) or $24.55 per person if you arrive on foot, by bike or by bus. Buy it online, at a Service Tasmania centre or a visitor centre before you head in.
Yes. Tasmania launched a new online booking platform for national park campgrounds in November 2026, with a flat rate of $18.00 a night per site (up to 6 people). Book through the Parks and Wildlife Service and check the Mount William camping page for availability before you travel.
Small to medium caravans and motorhomes fit all the campgrounds except Stumpys Bay 2. The access tracks are narrow with low branches and are not suitable for large caravans or motorhomes, and Top Camp near Musselroe Bay is the one spot where a 4WD is recommended.
Parks puts the short, well-defined track at 90 minutes return (about 3.5km) to the 216m summit. The long version is 11km and about 5 hours return from Stumpys Bay Campground 4 and links the mountain with the coast. The Cobler Rocks walk is the other main walk: 6km, 2 hours, and flat.
No drinking water anywhere in the park and no power at any campground — bore water at Stumpys Bay 1 and 3 and Deep Creek is for washing only. Mobile coverage is patchy to absent outside the towns, so download your maps before you leave Gladstone or St Helens.
Mount William National Park is the northern end of the Bay of Fires coast. The better-known southern stretch — Binalong Bay, The Gardens and the roadside campgrounds like Swimcart Beach — is outside the park, and no parks pass is needed there. You need a Parks Pass once you cross Ansons Bridge and continue into Mount William, where the camping, gravel roads and forester kangaroos are.
Nearby & next
Official information
Always check current alerts before you travel.