Two days: Fortescue Bay camp + Cape Hauy
Guide updated · verify Parks Tasmania the morning you go
Night at Fortescue Bay campground (separate fee from Parks Pass) or a nearby commercial bed. Day 1: settle, optional Bivouac Bay or geology. Day 2: Cape Hauy with daylight margin. Book camp 1 Oct–30 Apr; first-come May–Sep.
A single night on the peninsula changes the trip. Cape Hauy’s 4-hour return stops fighting a 90-minute Hobart drive on both sides. The usual two-day failure is still stacking Cape Raoul, a full Historic Site ticket and Hauy because “we’re staying anyway.”
Fortescue Bay camping (Parks Tasmania, confirm live): $13/site/night for 2 people; +$5 extra adult; +$2.50 child; family $16. Book 1 October–30 April; first-come 1 May–30 September. Separate from the Parks Pass. Phone 03 6250 2433. Fuel-stove only except designated Fortescue fireplaces.
C344 12 km unsealed 2WD in normal conditions. No public email on this site — do not write to invented @parks addresses from here. Tasman Field Centre Taranna: 5803 Arthur Hwy, 03 6250 3980, published 7 days 10am–4pm — hours change, verify.
Desk research, not walked. Book camping only on official Parks Tasmania channels. Commercial beds may use disclosed Booking.com links on the stay hub.
Track status, weather, unsealed-road conditions and closures change — verify on Parks Tasmania before you leave, then use the timeline below as a planning skeleton only. A Parks Pass is not a Port Arthur Historic Site ticket, a Fortescue camping booking, or a Three Capes hut place.
Logistics hub: Plan your visit · Where to stay · Maps & planner · All itineraries.
Timeline
Before you leave Hobart
Two fees + one booking system
Parks Pass (vehicle/person) plus Fortescue camping fee if you camp. Peak season: book the site. Shoulder/winter: first-come — have a commercial Plan B at Port Arthur, Taranna or Eaglehawk Neck. Fuel and food in Sorell; Fortescue is not a supermarket.
Day 1 afternoon
Arrive Fortescue, do not start Hauy at 3pm
Set camp or check in. Short options: Fortescue beach, Bivouac Bay if daylight and energy, or a Neck geology stop on the drive in if Arch/Kitchen status allows. Wildlife already on C344 at dusk — drive like it.
Day 1 evening
Fuel-stove, fireplaces, quiet
Most of the park is fuel-stove only. Use only designated Fortescue fireplaces if fires are allowed that day — check fire bans. Pack food; do not assume a kiosk. Headlamp for toilets.
Day 2 morning
Cape Hauy while fresh
9.4 km, ~4 hrs, Grade 3. Same rules as the cape-hauy-day itinerary: junction turnaround is legitimate; no hut-country loop. Three Capes finishers share the last section.
Day 2 afternoon
Pack down, optional geology, Hobart with buffer
If legs remain: Tessellated Pavement on the way north. If Arch/Kitchen is closed, skip the closed site. Do not add Cape Raoul. Checkout and C344 with daylight.
Packing
- Camping kit if staying in the park (tent, sleep, kitchen)
- Fuel stove — not an open fire plan
- Cape Hauy day-walk kit (see cape-hauy-day)
- Warm sleep layer — bay nights run cold
- Waterproof shell for both days
- Headlamp for toilets and C344 dusk
- First aid + blister care
- Cash/card for camping fee as required — confirm official payment
- Food for two days; last shop Sorell / Hobart
Kit searches live on Gear · Some stay, tour and gear links may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Parks Pass fees, Fortescue Bay camping fees and official Three Capes / Parks Tasmania bookings are never affiliated. Disclosure
Parking & access tips
- Camp in booked/signed sites only — day-use is not overflow camping.
- C344: 12 km unsealed; buses and boats on trailers.
- Separate Parks Pass still required while camped.
- Do not block boat-ramp or Three Capes bus movements.
- Fuel in Sorell — Fortescue is not a supermarket or reliable pump.
- Never leave bags visible at day-use or camp loops.
Skip if short on time / energy
- Cape Hauy at 4pm on arrival day “to use the afternoon”
- Cape Raoul on day 2 after a full Hauy
- Assuming camping fee includes Parks Pass or Three Capes
- Unbooked peak-season arrival with no commercial Plan B
- Full Port Arthur Historic Site ticket on the same morning as Hauy
Extra tips
Camping vs commercial bed
- Fortescue camp: closest to Hauy, separate fee, book Oct–Apr
- Port Arthur / Taranna: closest to Historic Site and Three Capes check-in
- Eaglehawk Neck: geology first, still a drive to Fortescue
- Nubeena: Cape Raoul / Stormlea side
Who should not overnight at Fortescue
- Groups who need a supermarket and late food
- Anyone unwilling to pay Parks Pass + camping as two systems
- Campervans expecting powered resort camping — check official site types
What success looks like
- Hauy walked while fresh on day 2 — not a 4pm arrival dash
- Two fees paid as two systems (Pass + camp)
- C344 and A9 with daylight, not wildlife dusk
Related trail guides
Open the walk how-to for grades, honesty filters and official track context — then return to this timeline for the day shape.
- Cape Hauy TrackThere-and-back from Fortescue Bay through woodland and heath, then many stone steps to a viewing platform above Cape Hauy’s columns and sea stacks. Shares the last-day alignment with the Three Capes Track. Parks Pass required. Not walked for this guide — planning from Parks Tasmania.
- Canoe Bay & Bivouac BayFrom Fortescue Bay, shorter walks to Canoe Bay and Bivouac Bay sit on the Tasman Coastal Trail. Bivouac Bay is walk-in camping only (no vehicle access, basic toilets/platforms, no bookings, fuel-stove only). The same trail continuing to Devils Kitchen is a hefty day — not this page’s default.
- Tessellated PavementFamous jointed rock platform at Eaglehawk Neck — pan and loaf formations depending on erosion along joints. Tide and spray matter. Parks Pass still applies in the national park. Pair with Blowhole (and Arch/Kitchen when those platforms reopen).
Official links to verify
- parks.tas.gov.au/explore-our-parks/tasman-national-park/fortescue-bay-camping
- parks.tas.gov.au/explore-our-parks/tasman-national-park/cape-hauy
- parks.tas.gov.au/explore-our-parks/tasman-national-park
- passes.parks.tas.gov.au/
- parks.tas.gov.au/explore-our-parks/know-before-you-go/alerts
- parks.tas.gov.au/explore-our-parks/know-before-you-go/park-passes-and-entry-fees
Stays for this plan
Optional next steps once your timeline is set. Fortescue camping, Parks Pass and official Parks Tasmania bookings are never affiliated. Tours and kit live on their hubs.
Nearby stays
Port Arthur · Eaglehawk Neck · Hobart
- Stays at Port ArthurClosest to Remarkable Cave, Three Capes check-in and the Historic Site
- Eaglehawk NeckNorthern geology sites and the isthmus — still a drive to Fortescue
- HobartDay-trip base — about 90 minutes each way via Sorell and the Arthur Highway
All Booking.com links open in a new tab and may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Official Fortescue camping, Parks Pass and Three Capes bookings are never affiliated.
Some stay, tour and gear links may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Parks Pass fees, Fortescue Bay camping fees and official Three Capes / Parks Tasmania bookings are never affiliated. Affiliate disclosure · Privacy