12 replies to this topic

[Mystic]

"The guide to free-camping in Tasmania", describes this location, in part, thusly....

Although the area is small, there is some grass for tents and shady trees

This was a location I had been looking forward to visiting for quite a while, and it was with a load of expectation and high hopes that we made the long haul up the Western Explorer from Trial Harbour (a great drive, and one that should be planned as part of any tour of Tasmania). On arrival, the hopes were shattered. There was grass, there was also a lot of sunshine, and the nearest trees to the campground were quite some distance away on private property.

The book mentioned fireplaces.... we think those things at the campground could be described as such, but they had not been used in a very long time, and, quite frankly, did not look very useable at all.

All in all, this site was the biggest disappointment of the trip. Although the beach was long and quite pretty, the glaring sun and lack of any useable shade, or any hope of shelter from wind, should it have come up later, did not appeal. The book described this one badly and was very misleading.

It had taken us a little over 5 hours to drive the road here, especially after being forced to fix a puncture along the way. It was starting to get late in the day, but we drove off, and searched for a better overnight stop, vowing never to return to this desolate campground.

for Marrawah, only because our rating system does not allow for a zero tents rating.

Location map

Map supplied by Tasmap, for more mapping information
please see www.tasmap.tas.gov.au

[Shane V]

You spend 5 hours on the road, driving through some of the most isolated and scenic country in the state, looking forward to a beautiful campground and nice spot to stay for at least one night and when you arrive the place is nothing like what you read. It sounded so idyllic.

This one was a real disappointment for me also. It does have toilets and what looked like fireplaces and grass but that was it. The best part of this site was journey.

Been there, done that but I would rather be somewhere else in this great state.

for this campsite. The only people I would recommend this place to are those who need full sun for their motorhome or caravan.

[midgetyone]

Aw man that's really annoying, I have planned a two week trip around the state staying at a different place every night and I have that book and my hopes were indeed high too Did you grab any pictures while you were there?

[Mystic]

Not sure if I grabbed any shots In Murrawah itself, would have to go back and search old backup discs. The drive up the Western explorer is damn nice though, and there are a few spots along it that you can pull over and spend the night at.

I do remember the day we got to Marrawah it was getting late and we needed to be able to get somewhere that offered shade to camp. Ended up heading over to Forest and the Black River Picnic Ground.

[Cascade]

Hmm.. Sorry you guys had such a bad experience. We had 4 superb days at Ann Bay Oct - Nov last year, but then, we were in my slide-on camper.
We could not have had a more relaxing time, although I walked and walked and walked. Scenery is great, bird life is different and abundant and flora is also very different to what I am used to..
Only 3 others using the camping area. A 2 tent camp was a trio of mainland surfies who were having a weekend off from commercial diver training at Beauty Point, they reckon it was brilliant to be above the surf and looking down on it, but yes they would have liked a little more shelter for their camp but used their 4x4 as a windbreak at night... a Smithton local mit caravan and family of 4 for one night and 1 family of 5 with caravan & tent for 2 nights. All well behaved.
But we all know it's not possible to please everybody all of the time.
Perhaps if you had you gone 16 klm further south you may have found what you were looking for re shelter at the Arthur River camping area but it would have cost you some bickies. But not the nicest of places to camp... Mossies and March flies abound. We never go there. You could have also gotten away with camping for a couple of nights in a secluded area in some of the other bays like West Point which is on the way to the Arthur River.

All in all, I guess what I'm saying is personally, we will definately be returning to what we believe is a beautiful spot. Plus there is so much more to discover.

[dave]

we've had some horrible camps and some absolute rippers, if most comforts are required i would suggest any traveller buy a "camps australia wide" book, this is our bible as we travel all over the joint! but sometimes we still put up with some shockers simply for the scenery! (toyota hi-ace, sopru conversion, full independence for a week)

[Shane V]

Some great shots there Cascade. Wouldn't mind checking out some of the other spots you mentioned one day.

[Mystic]

Nice shots there Cascade.

As with all things, each spot has subjective qualities and will be seen differently by each person. I know the spot you mentioned down near Arthur River...too many people for my liking, but some people like the caravan park kind of atmosphere.

The day we got to Marrawah it was well over 30 degrees, and the lack of any shade trees was a real turn off. We possibly could have found something else if we searched the area a bit more, but had limited time before sunset and wanted to get somewhere we knew we could find shade.

That's why it's good if others post their experiences of certain places, so that we get a range of thoughts. I do know one couple who would have found the spot at Marrawah perfect, but they use rooftop solar panels for power.

[Dickiespole]

First post

Went there two days ago (11/02/2012), camping at the beach is now restricted to a (barbed wire fenced)30 x 20m area with a 10 x 15m bitumen carpark in the middle. No shade period. Crowded with self contained motorhomes, there were three generators going(one a noisy el cheapo) and a stench of porta potti chemicals.

There is a toilet block a 100m walk down towards the beach and the beach is magnificent, but unless in a motorhome forget it. We are in a camper trailer and didn't consider it a suitable stop with two young kids.

If the Circular Head concil were serious about tourism they would clear a decent sized area and plant a few trees.

I stayed there 22 years ago and loved it(add strains of Cher's "if I could turn back time").

[Mystic]

at the last line.

Welcome to the forum, and thanks for your input. I wasn't very impressed with the campsites myself, and the area might be very nice, but I would find another place to set my tent up. Hope we see you around more, sharing your experiences Dickiespole

[Shane V]

Hiya Dickiespole and welcome to Real Tas I also wasn't impressed with this spot. Would be nice to see an upgrade of it, or maybe another spot in the area to camp. Just a quick question...were you the guy I was talking to in the pizza place in Queenstown last night?

[Dickiespole]

Shane V, on 13 February 2012 - 09:42 PM, said:

Hiya Dickiespole and welcome to Real Tas I also wasn't impressed with this spot. Would be nice to see an upgrade of it, or maybe another spot in the area to camp. Just a quick question...were you the guy I was talking to in the pizza place in Queenstown last night?

Nope, sorry but we were back in Ulverstone last night. I am 45 and I have to be careful comparing camping now to what it was back in the late eighties when we surfed, shot and fished our weekends away as teenagers. There seems to be a lot of red tape these days. Back when I was a teenager most places were relatively untouched and there was plenty of camping available. My kids are 11 and 13 and after heading to the mainland each year for a month we have decided to spend the next two years locally.

We built a camper trailer last year and went to the mainland for three and a half weeks and have used it three times since coming back. We can either camp or use caravan parks and sometimes with kids a shower and power, not to mention washing machines, are appreciated.

This site is one of the very few that have local opinions on it so I will contribute as we come across campsites both old and new to us.

Thanks for the welcome.

[Shane V]

Thanks Dickiespole... Trying to build a database for others is hard when people don't contribute, so we really appreciate it. Looking forward to hearing from you