Camping Tasmania Booking System
Tasmania is currently in the process of introducing a new statewide online booking system for national park campgrounds and other Parks & Wildlife services camping areas. The project has been under development since 2025 and is now moving into implementation, with the first stages expected to roll out during 2026.
What is changing?
The new system is designed to replace a patchwork of existing booking methods, including:
- Local campground booking spreadsheets
- Separate systems for the Overland Track and Three Capes Track
- Parks Pass purchases
- Various manual registration systems
Instead of multiple websites and processes, campers will have a single online portal to manage bookings and park-related services.
Why is it being introduced?
The main reasons are to:
- Manage overcrowding at popular campgrounds
- Eliminate “ghost camping” where people reserve or occupy sites without actually using them – especially at Bay of Fires
- Improved visitor experience
- Better protection of environmentally sensitive areas
- Providing more accurate visitor data for planning and management.
Which campgrounds will be affected?
The rollout will be staged rather than statewide from day one. Parks & Wildlife has indicated that the first sites to be included will likely be the most popular campgrounds that already have some form of booking arrangement.
Potential candidates could include heavily used camping areas such as:
The campgrounds likely to be included in the rollout of the online booking system include:
However, Parks & Wildlife has not yet published a definitive list of which campgrounds will be included in the first phase.
What will campers likely be able to do?
Based on information released so far, the new platform will allow users to:
- Reserve campsites online
- Purchase park passes
- Book tours and walks
- Modify or cancel bookings
- Manage bookings through a mobile-friendly account
- Plan multiple park experiences through a single system.
Who is providing the system?
The Tasmanian Government has awarded the contract to US eDirect Australia, a company that supplies booking platforms for parks agencies in Australia, New Zealand and North America. The system is expected to replace more than a dozen separate manual and electronic processes.
What does this mean for RV travellers?
For RV and caravan travellers, this is likely to mean:
Advantages
- Greater certainty that a campsite will be available.
- Less need to arrive early to secure a site.
- Easier trip planning around Tasmania.
- Better information about campsite availability.
Potential drawbacks
- Reduced spontaneity at popular locations.
- Some previously first-come-first-served campgrounds may require advance reservations.
- Popular holiday periods could book out well in advance.
Many free and low-cost council campgrounds outside the Parks & Wildlife system are unlikely to be affected – more details to follow.
