Dam Wall Brushy Road
Free, level bush camping spot overlooking Brushy Lagoon (Dam Wall), less than an hour from Launceston or Devonport. Bring everything you need – no facilities are provided. A good 7km dirt road accesses the site from the east; the north-northwest approach is a rough logging track needing a high-clearance 4WD. Popular for trout and Atlantic salmon fishing, so expect company on weekends.
Brushy Lagoon near Frankford/Reedy Marsh combines free-style bush camping with a well-established trout and salmon fishery. The Tasmanian Inland Fisheries Service provides unusually good information about this site.
Camping at Brushy Lagoon
Camping is permitted at Brushy Lagoon, which is managed by the Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service. The camping is basic bush camping rather than a developed campground, and importantly, there are no toilets, so campers need to be self-sufficient and take all rubbish with them. Fires are permitted only in formal fireplaces or fire pots, subject of course to current fire restrictions and Total Fire Bans. Vehicles must remain on formed roads and tracks and aren’t permitted on the lakeshore. Brushy Lagoon is approximately 20 km north of Westbury, reached via the B72 and C714, with access also possible from the Frankford direction. The lagoon is surrounded by bushland and has two boat launching areas — one on the eastern shore and another near the dam wall. Its sheltered waters are particularly suitable for small boats and kayaks.
Fishing at Brushy Lagoon
Fishing is the big attraction here. Brushy Lagoon is managed as a family fishery and is regularly stocked with brown trout, rainbow trout and Atlantic salmon. The Inland Fisheries Service stocked another 400 adult rainbow trout in June 2026, so stocking is continuing. Fishing is permitted all year, using bait, lures or flies, from one hour before sunrise until three hours after sunset. The current combined bag limit is five fish, with only two over 500 mm, and minimum-size rules apply. A current Tasmanian inland angling licence is required. The dam wall is popular with shore-based anglers, while the lagoon is also very well suited to fishing from a small boat or kayak. Brushy Lagoon Rivulet, however, is closed to fishing.
One interesting point for your article is that Brushy Lagoon also contains redfin perch. The Inland Fisheries Service asks anglers who catch redfin to humanely kill and appropriately dispose of them rather than returning them to the water. Brushy Lagoon is a basic, self-sufficient bush camp that’s particularly attractive to anglers. The combination of camping beside the water, year-round fishing, regular trout and salmon stocking and boat access makes it a much more interesting listing than simply an overnight free camp.
