Mayfield Beach Conservation Area is located near the town of Swansea about halfway up the east coast of Tasmania. Also know as Mayfield Bay Coastal Reserve and Mayfield Bay Conservation Area, the small preserve runs along the west side of Great Oyster Bay across from Freycinet Peninsula and has a free campground set just behind a long sandy beach. The campground is just off Tasman Highway (A3), making it a convenient and scenic stop for travelers heading to Freycinet National Park from places like Hobart and the Tasman Peninsula in Southern Tasmania. While this campground is fairly primitive, with no running water or rubbish collection, the beach is lovely and the price can’t be beat.
The numerous campsites at Mayfield Beach Conservation Area Campground are suitable for tent camping and RV/Campervan camping. There are no power hook-ups for RVs though. The campsites are shaded by eucalyptus (gum) trees and cooled by sea breezes. The campground has a pit toilet, but no running water, so bring your own water for drinking, food prep, and dishwashing (there are no showers). This campground does not have picnic tables dispersed at each site. There are fire rings at each site and you will need to bring your own firewood if you intend to use them (no wood gathering). There is no rubbish collection at this campground and as a result, you may see garbage littered around the campground. Pack out your trash and do not burn rubbish in the fire rings.
The year-round campground does not accept reservations and is first-come first-served. Campers can stay for up to four weeks. Dogs are allowed on leashes. The campground is free, but donations are accepted to maintain and improve the facilities.
Just a thin row of vegetation separates the campground from a long sandy beach, so enjoy the sound of waves washing up on shore as you fall asleep at night (which should drowned out the sound of any late motorists on nearby Tasman Highway). A short path next to the toilet leads from the campground down to the beach where you can stroll a long distance on soft sand. The beach runs along Great Oyster Bay, a long bay with a large population of Australian black swans. The blue-green mountains on Freycinet Peninsula create a lovely backdrop across the bay from the campground.
Mayfield Beach Conservation Area is a small reserve along Tasman Highway (A3), making it a convenient place to camp for the night while traveling along the east coast of Tasmania. Fishing and swimming are primary attractions, but the campground is otherwise less-suited to host a multi-night family camping trip. Mayfield Beach Conservation Area Campground has a fine beach though, making it a good one-night stop for travelers.
Directions to the campground: The entrance to Mayfield Beach Conservation Area is located on east side of highway 15 kilometers south of Swansea (57.5 kilometers south of Bicheno) and 41.5 kilometers north of Orford (where A3 crosses the Prosser River). The dirt road into the campground is marked by a sign that reads, “Mayfield Bay Conservation Area campsite and day use.” Coming from the north, you will see campsites below the road before coming to the campground entrance.
Campground address: Tasman Highway (A3), Rocky Hills, TAS 7190, Australia
Campground coordinates: -42.240522, 148.012342 (42° 14′ 25.87″S 148° 00′ 44.43″E)
Use the map below to view the campground and get directions:
 | 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. |
 | 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. |
 | 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. |
 | Saint Columba Falls This 1.2-kilometer round trip hike descends into a rainforest to the base of a powerful 90-meter tall waterfall. |
 | 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. |
 | 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. |
 | 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. |
 | More trails in Australia Explore other destinations in Victoria and Tasmania, Australia. |
 | Friendly Beaches Campground This primitive campground offers oceanfront camping surrounded by beautiful beaches 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. |
 | Richardsons Beach Campground This bay side campground near Coles Bay offers powered and non-powered campsites in Freycinet National Park. |
 | Lime Bay State Reserve Campground This shaded campground is bordered by sandy beaches in a cove on a remote thumb of the Tasman Peninsula. |
 | Stumpys Bay Campground This campground is split into four areas along Stumps Bay with numerous campsite for visitors to Mount William National Park. |
 | Big4 Launceston Holiday Park This holiday park in Launceston offers tent sites, campervan sites, and cabins on a hillside near the city center. |
