A self-drive guide to lets go campervan hire tasmania

Tasmania rewards the van sleeper. You can watch the light hit Hazards Beach at Freycinet, cook pasta behind a windbreak at St Helens, then wake under cold rainforest near Cradle Mountain without repacking three bags every morning.

The island is compact by mainland standards, but don’t get cocky. Hobart to Strahan is about 300 km and can take 4.5 to 5.5 hours with weather, roadworks and slow corners. Average speeds often sit closer to 70 km/h than 100 km/h once you leave the Midland Highway.

• Do: plan 120–250 km driving days if you want walks, bakeries and the odd bottle-o stop.
• Don’t: build an itinerary like you’re crossing Kansas. Tasmanian roads bend for sport.
• Book: powered sites early from late December to late January, Easter and school holidays.

A good first lap starts in Hobart, runs up the east coast, crosses to Launceston, dips into Cradle Mountain, then rolls down the west coast through Strahan before returning via the Central Highlands. If you arrive on the Spirit of Tasmania at Devonport, simply start at Cradle or Launceston and turn the same loop around.

Ten days is brisk but sane. Fourteen days gives you weather insurance, which is not a luxury in Tassie — it is a survival tactic for seeing views rather than cloud soup.

• 7 days: Hobart, Freycinet, Bay of Fires and Launceston only.
• 10 days: add Cradle Mountain and Strahan with longer driving days.
• 14 days: add Bruny Island, Lake St Clair or the Tasman Peninsula without rushing the kettle.

If you are comparing lets go campervan tasmania options, check vehicle length before choosing camps. A 6 m camper is easy in most holiday parks; larger motorhomes need more care in older coastal parks and tight national park sites.

Tasmania has a useful mix of holiday parks, council camps, national park campgrounds and legal low-cost or free camps. The catch is that the best ones fill early in summer, and some free camps are only suitable if your camper is genuinely self-contained.

National park camping usually requires a valid Parks Pass as well as any campground fee or booking. A Tasmanian Holiday Pass is commonly the better buy for a van trip visiting several parks, with recent pricing around the $90–$100 per vehicle mark, but always check current Parks Tasmania rates before you travel.

• Powered sites: best for cold nights, battery top-ups, showers and laundry.
• Unpowered sites: cheaper, quieter and fine if your fridge and house battery are healthy.
• Free camps: obey local signs, stay limits and self-contained rules; fines are a very boring souvenir.
• Don’t: camp in day-use car parks because someone online said they got away with it in 2019.

The main loop is sealed: Hobart, Swansea, Bicheno, St Helens, Scottsdale, Launceston, Sheffield, Cradle Mountain, Zeehan, Strahan, Queenstown, Derwent Bridge and back to Hobart. That’s the good news.

The caution label is for tempting side roads. The Western Explorer between Arthur River and Corinna has long unsealed sections and is commonly outside standard 2WD campervan comfort, and sometimes outside hire conditions. Gravel roads into remote beaches can be corrugated, narrow and ugly after rain.

• Do: read your hire agreement before taking any unsealed road beyond short campground access tracks.
• Do: slow down at dawn and dusk; wallabies, wombats and pademelons are everywhere.
• Don’t: trust Google time estimates in the wet or over the west coast ranges.
• Height check: know your van’s height before entering Hobart car parks, ferry decks and older service stations.

You are rarely as isolated as the Nullarbor, but Tasmania still punishes lazy fuel habits. On the east coast, top up at Swansea, Bicheno or St Helens. On the west, treat Queenstown, Strahan, Zeehan and Derwent Bridge as proper planning points, not casual suggestions.

A practical rule is to refill when you drop below half a tank once you leave the bigger towns. Some smaller servos close early, may not stock your preferred LPG bottle swap, and can be stretched in peak holiday weeks.

• Fuel range: keep at least 150–200 km in reserve in the west and highlands.
• Dump points: commonly available around Hobart, Sorell, Triabunna, St Helens, Launceston, Devonport, Queenstown and Strahan.
• Water: fill potable tanks at holiday parks or signed public taps; never assume a beach toilet block tap is drinkable.
• Do: empty the cassette before national park stays with no dump point. Future-you will be grateful.

Tasmania can serve four seasons between breakfast and the lunch stop. Summer coastal days often sit around 18–24°C, while the highlands can drop below 5°C at night even outside winter. In winter, snow and ice can affect roads around Cradle Mountain, Lake St Clair and the Central Plateau.

If you are bringing a camper across Bass Strait, book the ferry early and measure the vehicle accurately, including roof pods, air-conditioners and bike racks. If you’re flying in and booking lets go campervan hire tasmania online, give yourself an easy first day rather than chasing sunset to Freycinet straight from pickup.

• Do: carry a warm layer, head torch and rain jacket even in January.
• Don’t: leave food scraps outside; possums are talented little criminals.
• Best rhythm: drive in the morning, walk mid-afternoon, camp before dark.