Swimcart Beach, Bay of Fires

Free camping on Tasmania's gorgeous east coast.

We have just spent a wonderful 6 days at Swimcart Beach which is located north of Binalong Bay and St Helens in the northeastern part of Tasmania. There are 5 campsites along this gorgeous stretch of coast so depending on the time of year there's plenty of room for everyone.

There are drop toilets at Swimcart but you will need to BYO toilet paper. We're fairly certain that the other locations require you to be self-contained. There is no access to drinking water or a dump point but with St Helens and Binalong Bay just down the road that really isn't a big problem. St Helens even has coin operated hot showers if you don't have one at camp.

The 'things to do' list is about what you'd expect. Enjoy the view from your campsite or go for a stroll up the beach looking for treasure (lots of lovely shells). Swim if it's the right time of year or you're feeling brave, we saw some surfers and bodyboarders out this week. Or the ever-popular fishing. We managed two very yummy Salmon dinners in the week we were there so definitely no complaints here.

The campsites up here are free with a very long stay restriction of 4 weeks. Because of this, however, the area is incredibly popular in summer, so if possible we'd suggest avoiding then, particularly during school holidays. We had loads of choices for campsites and an almost empty beach but of course, it's June.

Crystal clear waters complete with fish, shiny white sands, well-kept campsites and so far no fees to pay make this spot a definite to do when visiting Tas. And if you can tear yourself away from the campsite there are things to do in the St Helens area like mountain biking or a visit to Serpentarium wildlife park. Or if you don't manage to catch your own fish there is Skippers who do a very nice fish and chips.