One of the places to camp (or actually four of the places to camp) in Mount William National Park is Stumpys Bay Campground. The camping along Stumpys Bay is split into four campsites spread out along the coast. Each of the numbered campsites is like a distinct campground made up of multiple individual sites. This campground is first-come first serve, but rest assured, your party will have far more than just four sites to choose from. The campground is reached from Forester Kangaroo Drive, so the beachfront camping is complimented by wildlife viewing.
Mount William National Park is located in the northeast corner of Tasmania and the campsites at Stumpys Bay provide access to a long beach with vast ocean views. The campsites are located just behind a sand beach beneath a canopy of trees that provides shade and a buffer from the wind.
Stumpys Bay Campground is split in four numbered sections called Stumpys Campsites 1, 2, 3, and 4. Each campsite has pit toilets, picnic tables and beach access. Campervans and RVs are allowed at Stumpys Campsites 1, 3, and 4, but not 2. Coinciding with this, generators are permitted at campsites 1,3, and 4 between 10 a.m. and 10 p.m. Generators are prohibited at campsite 2, which is for tent camping only.
At campsites 1, 3, and 4, fires are only allowed in the fire rings provided or in fuel stoves. There are no fire rings at campsite 2, where fires are only permitted in fuel stoves and personal fire pots (no ground fires). Firewood is not provided and wood cutting and gathering are prohibited. Heavy winds can make campfires unsafe and a total fire ban may be in place, so check in advance if you plan to have a fire. The park encourages visitors to use portable cooking stoves. A day use area at campsite 4 has a gas barbecue grill.
Campsite 3 has s a boat launch. Campsites 1 and 3 have bore water suitable for dishwashing. Bring your own drinking water. Stumpys Bay Campground does not have garbage collection. You can dispose of rubbish at the recycling center in Gladstone. There’s a good chance you will see wallabies around the campground. Pleas don’t feed them, as a park sign explains:
Wallabies fed processed food will become sick. They will also become more aggressive in trying to get human food and then become a nuisance animal. The wallabies you and others feed today may have to be removed.
The road to Stumpys Bay from Forester Kangaroo Drive first reaches campsite one, which is be on the left. The road then passes through campsite two to reach campsites three and four.
The prices to camp at Stumpys Bay Campground are as follows:
- $13 per night ($50 per week) for one or two people
- $5 per night ($20 per week) for an extra adult
- $2.50 per night ($10 per week) for an extra child age 5-17 (younger children are free)
- $16 per night ($70 per week) for a family of two adults and three children
You may pay at the visitor center or a self-registration kiosk at the campground. In addition to the campground fee, there is an entrance fee for Mount William National Park. A single day pass will cost $40 or you may purchase an 8-week pass good for all of Tasmania’s National Parks for $80 (all prices in Australian Dollars as of 2021).
Stumpys Bay Campground is first-come first-serve and appears to be open year round. Coastal camping combined with wildlife viewing on Forester Kangaroo Drive makes Mount William National Park a fun place to visit. You can also a hike to the summit of Mount William for a great overview of the park, starting from a road off Forester Kangaroo Drive for a short walk or from Stumpys Bay Campground for a longer trek.
Directions to the campground: Take Tasman Highway (A3), 42 kilometers east of Scottsdale and 56 kilometers northwest of St. Helens to Gladstone Road (B82) and turn north following signs for Mount William National Park.
Drive 25 kilometers to the small town of Gladstone and turn right on Carr Street/Cape Portland Road again following signs for the park (if you miss the intersection, you will quickly come to the end of the road). Drive two kilometers as the road becomes dirt and continue on to Browns Ridge Road/Musselroe Bay Road.
Drive another 15.25 kilometers, going through a few twists and turn before entering the national park where you will come to the first end of Forester Kangaroo Drive. Turn right and take this scenic dirt road for 7.75 kilometers to a turnoff for Stumpys Bay Campground. You could also drive another 4 kilometers up Mussleroe Bay Road and turn right up the other end of Kangaroo Drive, taking this scenic dirt road for 3.5 kilometers to the turnoff for Stumpys Bay Campground. It is one kilometer up Stumpys Bay Road to Stumpys Campsite One.
Campground address: Stumpys Bay Road, Mount William National Park, TAS 7264, Australia
Campground coordinates: -40.871371, 148.221282 (40° 52′ 16.93″S 148° 13′ 16.61″E)
Use the map below to view the campground and get directions:
Or view Australian trails, campgrounds, and lodging in a larger map
 | Mount William This 3.6-kilometer out and back hike tops a short summit that is the high point of Mount William National Park with panoramic views over the coastline at the northeast corner of Tasmania. |
 | Saint Columba Falls This 1.2-kilometer round trip hike descends into a rainforest to the base of a powerful 90-meter tall waterfall. |
 | Apsley Waterhole & Lookout Track This 1.4-kilometer loop travels through a eucalyptus forest to a popular swimming hole on the Apsley River in Douglas-Apsley National Park. |
 | Friendly Beaches This hike explores a long, pristine beach on the east coast of Tasmania north of the Freycinet Peninsula. |
 | Cape Tourville This 0.6-kilometer circuit provides big views along the east coast of Freycinet Peninsula, circling 100-meter tall bluffs to reach the Cape Tourville Lighthouse. |
 | Wineglass Bay and Hazards Beach Circuit This approximately 12-kilometer loop takes a rewarding route through Freycinet National Park, visiting pristine light sand beaches at Hazards Beach and the renowned Wineglass Bay. |
 | Cataract Gorge This 3.4-kilometer loop combines Zig-Zag Track, Cataract Walk, and Bridge Walk to explore Cataract Gorge Reserve, an impressive natural area just outside the center of Launceston. |
 | Liffey Falls This 2.2-kilometer walk passes the Upper Cascades on the Liffey River to reach the base of lovely Liffey Falls, one of Tasmania’s finest waterfalls. |
 | Russell Falls & Horseshoe Falls This hike in Mount Field National Park visits one of Tasmania’s most famous and beautiful waterfalls and can be extended from 1.8 to 2.65 kilometers by venturing to the top of Russell Falls and nearby Horseshoe Falls. |
 | Pinnacles Boardwalk & Summit Trig The 0.3-kilometer round trip walk on Pinnacles Boardwalk can easily be extended to a 0.75-kilometer walk on the top of Mount Wellington, checking out another short boardwalk and the trig station at the summit. |
 | Octopus Tree and Circle Track This 1.1-kilometer loop in Hobart’s Wellington Park reaches a unique eucalyptus tree with tentacles for roots that wrap around a boulder. |
 | Tasmans Arch & Devils Kitchen This 0.9-mile walk visits two impressive features on the coast of the Tasman Peninsula, a natural bridge and a chasm carved by the sea. |
 | Blowhole & Fossil Bay Lookout This short walk in Tasman National Park reaches a coastal vista point and a wave-carved tunnel through a rocky point that has the potential to spray up like a whale spout. |
 | Coal Mines Historic Site This 0.8-kilometer loop through the Convict Precinct explores the ruins of an old prison and coal mine that relied on convict laborers. |
 | Cape Raoul This 12 to 14-kilometer hike explores the pristine coastline at the southwest end of the Tasman Peninsula, reaching a cape with daunting 200-meter tall cliffs dropping to swirling seas. |
 | More trails in Australia Explore other destinations in Victoria and Tasmania, Australia. |
 | Forester Kangaroo Drive This 11.25-kilometer scenic dirt road in Mount William National Park offers great wildlife viewing of the area’s Forest kangaroos or Bennetts wallabies. |
 | Friendly Beaches Campground This primitive campground offers oceanfront camping surrounded by beautiful beaches in Freycinet National Park. |
 | Richardsons Beach Campground This scenic bay side campground offers powered and non-powered campsites in Freycinet National Park. |
 | Big4 Iluka on Freycinet Holiday Park This holiday park in the coastal town of Coles Bay at the top of Freycinet Peninsula offers tent sites, campervan sites, and cabins, as well as quick access to nearby Freycinet National Park. |
 | Mayfield Beach Conservation Area Campground This beachfront campground is located on Great Oyster Bay on the east coast of Tasmania. |
 | Lime Bay State Reserve Campground This shaded campground is bordered by sandy beaches in a cove on a remote thumb of the Tasman Peninsula. |
 | Big4 Launceston Holiday Park This holiday park in Launceston offers tent sites, campervan sites, and cabins on a hillside near the city center. |
Are you allowed fire pots at stumpy Bay camp grounds as of 26-11-21