Friendly Beaches camping, Freycinet: Isaacs Point, access and what to expect

Friendly Beaches camping, also called Isaacs Point, is a basic coastal camp in Freycinet National Park on Tasmania’s east coast. The Parks and Wildlife Service Tasmania (PWS) describes it as low-key tent and campervan sites among coastal scrub, behind long white sandy beaches. There is no camping charge and no booking, and the facilities are pit toilets only. This guide covers where it is, how to reach it, what is and is not there, and what to sort out before you go. It is written for any camper, whatever you arrive in.

What is Friendly Beaches, and where does it sit?

Friendly Beaches is a separate section of Freycinet National Park, away from the Coles Bay end that most visitors head for. PWS says the beaches were added to the national park in 1992 and describes them as offering spectacular views and miles of unspoiled white sand. Isaacs Point is the camping area in this section.

The PWS camping page puts the turn-off about 19 km before Coles Bay township and the main park entrance. That makes it a good option if you want to be on the coast without driving all the way through to the busier park entrance, but it also means you are on your own for most services. Treat it as a bush-style camp that happens to be next to a beach.

How do you get there, and what is the access like?

The park is roughly two and a half to three hours by road from Launceston or Hobart, according to PWS. From the Tasman Highway (A3), turn onto Coles Bay Road (C302), 12 km south of Bicheno. The Friendly Beaches turn-off is signposted on Coles Bay Road, and PWS says the road in is gravel, about 9 km after leaving the Tasman Highway.

For comparison, the main park entrance and the Freycinet Visitor Centre are 28 km from the highway via Coles Bay on a sealed road. The gravel section to Isaacs Point is therefore a different kind of drive, and you should allow time for it. The PWS page does not give a surface condition or a vehicle recommendation for the gravel road, so check the Parks and Wildlife Service page or call the Freycinet Field Centre on 03 6256 7000 if you want current advice.

PWS also asks drivers to avoid driving in reserves at night where possible, and to watch for wildlife on the road. If you are riding or driving in on a long day, plan to arrive and set up in daylight.

What are the sites like?

PWS lists basic camping on a first-in, first-served basis, with a maximum stay of 14 nights. The sites suit tents, campervans and caravans and are set among coastal scrub. The page does not give a count of sites or a map of the layout, so do not count on a particular number of spaces or on a particular site being free.

Because there is no booking, there is no way to reserve a spot. If the camp is full when you arrive, the only way to know is to turn up, so keep a fallback in mind. PWS lists other Freycinet camping areas, including Richardsons Beach, Honeymoon Bay and Ranger Creek, but those have their own rules and booking arrangements on their own pages.

What facilities are there, and what is missing?

The facilities at Isaacs Point are pit toilets only. There is no fresh water at the camp. That one point shapes most of your packing.

PWS says drinking water is scarce across this part of the park. It lists these places to refill: the filtered and chilled water station at the Freycinet Visitor Centre, and taps at Honeymoon Bay and at the Wineglass Bay Walking Tracks Car Park. Electric barbecues, picnic tables and toilets are listed at Honeymoon Bay and Ranger Creek, not at Isaacs Point, and toilets are also at the Walking Tracks Car Park.

In practice that means you should arrive with all the drinking and cooking water you need for your stay, and plan a refill trip if you stay several nights. The PWS page does not list showers, rubbish bins, electric barbecues or picnic tables at Isaacs Point, so assume none are provided. Take all rubbish out with you when you leave, as the page asks.

Fire, stoves and the campfire ban

Freycinet is a Fuel Stove Only Area, and PWS says no fires are allowed in the national park. Gas and fuel stoves may be used, except on Total Fire Ban days, when no naked flames, including gas and fuel stoves, are allowed in the open.

On top of that, the PWS page carries a seasonal campfire ban alert. It says seasonal campfire bans apply on reserved land in parts of Tasmania from 26 October 2026, and lists Glamorgan-Spring Bay among the municipalities covered. The page tells visitors to check the state map for the rules at each campground, and to look out for campfire ban and solid fuel ban signs. The alert was last reviewed on 27 October 2026.

For a camper the practical result is simple. Bring a gas or fuel stove, do not plan on a campfire, and check the Parks and Wildlife Service page for the day’s fire status before you leave home, because Total Fire Ban days can change the rules at short notice.

Wildlife, water and looking after the place

PWS says possums and other wildlife are attracted to food. Store food securely and keep an eye on unattended gear, because possums may investigate bags left out. The page links to its Caring for Wildlife information for more detail.

Drones are not permitted in Tasmanian national parks or reserves. The page does not mention pets or dogs for this campground, so check PWS’s dogs in parks information before bringing an animal.

Keep to the coastal scrub paths rather than cutting new tracks, and leave the beach as you found it. These are ordinary low-impact habits rather than anything specific on the PWS page, but they matter in a place that was only added to the national park in 1992.

What is there to do from camp?

PWS lists walking on the long white sandy beaches, swimming and surfing, and fishing from the beaches or rocks. The Friendly Beaches section has walks ranging from about 5 minutes to 5 hours (100 m to 5 km), graded 2.

If you want to see more of Freycinet, the main entrance and visitor centre are a short drive away by sealed road. The visitor centre is open seven days, 9am to 4pm, and sells park passes, maps, books and outdoor gear. It is also the place to refill drinking water.

The page does not give swimming safety information for the beaches here, so treat any surf or current conditions with caution and read local signs. Fishing rules are not set out on the page either, so check the Parks and Wildlife Service page and the relevant fishing rules before you cast a line.

What should you sort out before you go?

First, the parks pass. PWS says a valid parks pass is required to enter Tasmania’s national parks, and passes are available online and at the visitor centre. The camp itself has no charge, but the pass is needed to enter the park.

Second, the fire status. Check the alert on the PWS page the day you leave, and carry a stove. Third, water. Fill containers before you turn onto the gravel road, and know where the nearest refill point is.

Fourth, your arrival time. With first-in, first-served sites, a gravel approach and wildlife on the roads, arriving in daylight makes everything easier. Finally, have a backup plan in case the camp is full, and let someone know where you are going, since there are only pit toilets and no water on site.

Who this camp suits, and who should choose somewhere else

It suits campers who are self-sufficient: you carry your own water, cook on a stove, accept pit toilets and are happy with a first-come arrangement. It is a good fit for a night or two on the coast when you want a quiet beach rather than a serviced campground.

It is a poor fit if you need showers, drinking water on tap, a booked site or powered sites. PWS lists Richardsons Beach beside the visitor centre as having accessible toilets and accessible powered and unpowered sites, and that page and its booking arrangements are the place to look if you need those.

Common mistakes

• Arriving without enough water. There is none at the camp.
• Planning a campfire. Freycinet is fuel stove only, and a seasonal campfire ban alert is in place.
• Forgetting the parks pass. It is needed to enter the park even though the camp is free.
• Leaving food out. Possums go for it.
• Arriving late. The road in is gravel and wildlife is on the roads at night.
• Assuming a site is guaranteed. There is no booking.

Contact

The Freycinet Field Centre is at Private Bag 5, Bicheno TAS 7215. The phone number is 03 6256 7000 and the email is Freycinet@parks.tas.gov.au.

More from the operator: parks.tas.gov.au/explore-our-parks/freycinet-national-park/friendly-beaches-camping-(isaacs-point).

Plan it in the app

Save the camp on your route in MotoRidez and the planner shows road closures along the way, and where your tank runs out once you have entered the range of your vehicle. Save the route for offline use before you lose signal: it saves the corridor around your route, not a whole region.

Details come from the operator’s own records and pages, read on 20 October 2026, and change. We do not show prices or availability. Confirm fees, bookings, closures and fire rules with the operator before you go.