Jetty Beach camping, Bruny Island: ferry, facilities and booking

Jetty Beach campground is in South Bruny National Park, on Bruny Island off the south-east coast of Tasmania. The Parks and Wildlife Service Tasmania (PWS) describes it as set among trees and facing a gently curving sandy beach, with sheltered swimming, snorkelling, kayaking and fishing, and calls it a great site for families. This guide pulls together what the official pages say about getting there by ferry and road, what is provided, the fire situation as of 3 November 2026, and what to book before you go. It is written for any camper, whatever you arrive in.

Where is Jetty Beach campground?

Jetty Beach is part of South Bruny National Park, in the southern part of Bruny Island. The island is reached by a short vehicle and passenger ferry from Kettering. PWS lists several camping areas within the park, and Jetty Beach is one of them. Tents and caravans or campervans are the accommodation types listed, with a maximum of six people per site.

The PWS pages do not give a number of sites at Jetty Beach, and they do not state an opening season. If either matters to your plans, check the Parks and Wildlife Service page.

How do you get to Bruny Island?

PWS says Kettering is about 40 minutes from Hobart, via Kingston on the A6 and then the B68. The ferry crosses from Kettering to Roberts Point. The PWS page describes this as a crossing of about 15 minutes, and says ferries run regularly through the day. It adds that advance booking is not currently required, but you should allow extra time in peak periods such as Easter.

The ferry operator’s own page gives some different detail. It lists a 20 minute crossing, with the ferry departing Kettering every 20 minutes between 6.10 am and 7.00 pm, and says that from Monday 28 September 2026 the ferry reverts to the summer timetable. It says you can pre-purchase tickets online or buy on arrival at the Kettering terminal. Pre-purchased tickets are not for a set departure time, because the ferry runs a queueing system and you board the next available one. All tickets are return fares. Because the two pages differ on crossing time, treat the times as approximate and check the operator’s page on the day. The operator’s page does not mention motorcycles, so check with the operator if that matters for your vehicle.

What is the drive from the ferry?

From the ferry terminal, PWS gives these directions: drive south along Bruny Island Main Road through Alonnah. At the Lunawanna T-junction, turn right onto the C629. Continue for 17 km, then turn right into Jetty Road. The trip from the ferry takes just over an hour.

PWS describes the roads in the southern part of the island as a mix of sealed and unsealed. The page does not say whether Jetty Road itself is sealed or unsealed, so check the Parks and Wildlife Service page before you tow a caravan or a trailer. The park information also asks you to take care on the roads, especially gravel ones, and to follow changing traffic condition signs.

PWS advises avoiding driving in reserves at night where possible, because native wildlife shares the roads. Drive slowly and watch for animals, particularly at dusk and after dark, and plan your ferry crossing so you arrive in daylight.

What facilities does the campground have?

The listed facilities at Jetty Beach are pit toilets and non-treated tank water. There is no rubbish collection, so you must take your rubbish with you. The PWS page does not list showers, power or a shop at Jetty Beach, so assume you are self-sufficient.

Because the tank water is non-treated, carry your own drinking water or treat the tank water before you drink it. The PWS page says only that non-treated tank water is available; for treatment advice, check the Parks and Wildlife Service page.

Can you light a campfire?

Campfires are permitted at Jetty Beach unless seasonal fire restrictions apply, and seasonal restrictions currently apply. PWS says seasonal campfire bans on reserved land took effect at 2:00 am on Monday 26 October 2026. The bans cover the Kingborough area, which includes Bruny Island, and the alert names South Bruny National Park. The alert was last reviewed on 27 October 2026.

In practice, that means you should plan on cooking with a camp stove. PWS publishes a state campfire ban map and asks you to check the rules for your specific campground on it before you visit. The map is an image, so check it on the Parks and Wildlife Service page for the current status at Jetty Beach.

What about pets?

The PWS camping page does not mention pets or dogs for Jetty Beach. PWS has a separate dogs-in-parks page, so check the Parks and Wildlife Service page before you bring a dog to the island. Do not assume that a dog is allowed because the campground page is silent.

What do you need to bring onto the island?

PWS is specific about two things. First, fuel: fill your vehicle before you arrive, because the only fuel on the island is at the Adventure Bay General Store. Second, money: there is no ATM on the island, so carry some cash.

The page also says there is no rubbish collection at the campground, so bring bags for your rubbish and take it all away with you. Beyond that, plan your food and drinking water before you board, because the camping page lists no shop at the campground.

How do you book?

Bookings are required for Jetty Beach. PWS says to book online at book.parks.tas.gov.au, and the camping terms and conditions apply. The maximum stay is 28 days.

A valid parks pass is required to enter Tasmania’s national parks. The Jetty Beach page does not repeat that requirement for this campground specifically, but because the campground is inside South Bruny National Park, check the Parks and Wildlife Service page and buy a pass before you travel. This guide does not quote fees, because they change.

What is the beach like?

The PWS park page says Jetty Beach and Adventure Bay are sandy beaches that offer sheltered spots for swimming. It also says the beaches are unpatrolled, so be mindful of strong rips, particularly if you are surfing. The camping page lists swimming, snorkelling, kayaking and fishing nearby.

Because no lifeguard patrols the beach, keep children within reach, and check the conditions before you swim or launch a kayak.

How does Jetty Beach compare with the park’s other camps?

The PWS camping page covers more than one camping area in South Bruny National Park, and it names Cloudy Corner and The Neck alongside Jetty Beach. It lists gas stoves as permitted at Cloudy Corner, but it does not say that applies to Jetty Beach, so do not assume it does. The page says the park information on Bruny Island camping, including bookings, is on the South Bruny camping page, which is the one to read in full before you go. Jetty Beach is the one the page describes as suited to families, set among the trees and facing the beach.

What should you keep in mind about the weather and the tide?

The PWS pages do not give a weather or tide outlook for Jetty Beach, and this guide does not either. What they do say is that the beach is unpatrolled and that rips can be strong. Check a current marine forecast and the tide before any swim or paddle, and keep a close eye on children near the water.

Is anything else affecting travel soon?

PWS lists a statewide planned event, Targa Tasmania, from 18 to 22 November 2026. The alert says public roads across Tasmania will be closed to facilitate the road rally event, which may affect access to some national parks and reserves. If your trip falls in that window, check the Parks and Wildlife Service page and the ferry operator’s page for any effect on your route.

The alerts page lists no specific alert for Jetty Beach itself beyond the seasonal campfire ban.

A practical checklist before you leave

• Book online at the Parks and Wildlife Service booking site and keep the confirmation.
• Hold a valid Tasmanian parks pass.
• Check the ferry operator’s timetable for the day, and allow extra time at peak periods.
• Fill your fuel tank before the crossing, because the only fuel on the island is at Adventure Bay General Store.
• Carry some cash, because there is no ATM on the island.
• Pack a camp stove, because campfires are banned at the moment.
• Bring drinking water, or the means to treat tank water.
• Check the Parks and Wildlife Service page about dogs before you bring one.
• Carry out all of your rubbish.
• Plan to drive the island’s roads in daylight.

Jetty Beach rewards a bit of planning. Sort the ferry, the booking and the fuel before you cross, treat it as a self-sufficient site once you are there, and the sheltered beach and the trees around the sites are the reward for the extra organisation.

More from the operator: parks.tas.gov.au/explore-our-parks/south-bruny-national-park/south-bruny-camping.

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.