Sleeping in your car in Tasmania
Tasmania publishes no rule about staying at a roadside stop — not one that permits it, and not one that forbids it. Free camping here is run by councils, and there is a published reason for that.
Find a roadside stop Sleeping in your car in Tasmania Free showers Libraries Asked to move on? No vehicle tonight?
Signs override this page. Whatever is signed at the site is the rule that applies, no matter what is written here.
Why it is a council decision
A public entity for that policy includes local governments as well as Tasmanian Government agencies.
Tasmania's competitive neutrality policy for public camping expressly allows public entities to provide below cost public camping in certain circumstances, and defines below cost public camping to include free camping. A Tasmanian council offering free camping is not doing something the State merely tolerates — there is a policy that contemplates it and sets out when it is allowed.
The test that decides it
Whether a council must charge full cost turns on a market share test: if its non-powered public camping sites are more than 10 per cent of all non-powered camping sites within a 60 km drive, full cost attribution principles apply unless the policy otherwise permits.
It is a competition rule, not a camping rule, and it explains the pattern: a council with few commercial caravan parks nearby has room under the threshold to offer free sites; a council in a town built around them does not. A free site can also disappear for reasons that have nothing to do with how it was used.
Quick answers
How long can I stay at a roadside stop in Tasmania?
Not yet verified: FreeCamps has found no published Tasmanian rule on the length of a stay at a roadside stop, so it gives no time limit here. That is not permission: a state law, a council law or a sign at the site can still forbid an overnight stay.
Can Tasmanian councils offer free camping?
Tasmania's competitive neutrality policy for public camping expressly allows public entities to provide below cost public camping in certain circumstances, and defines below cost public camping to include free camping. A public entity for that policy includes local governments as well as Tasmanian Government agencies.
“This policy statement is intended to achieve the right balance by clearly defining the application of competitive neutrality principles to public camping facilities and allowing public entities to provide below cost public camping in certain circumstances.” “Below cost public camping means public camping provided without the application of full cost attribution pricing principles, including free camping.” — National Competition Policy: Applying Competitive Neutrality Principles to public camping in Tasmania (January 2019), Tasmanian Government, Department of Treasury and Finance. Retrieved 30 Aug 2026.
“Public entity includes local governments and any Tasmanian Government agency, business or authority that provides or facilitates public camping.” — National Competition Policy: Applying Competitive Neutrality Principles to public camping in Tasmania (January 2019), Tasmanian Government, Department of Treasury and Finance. Retrieved 30 Aug 2026.
Who decides how long a Tasmanian move-on direction keeps me away?
In Tasmania the police officer sets how long a move-on direction keeps you away: section 15B fixes a minimum of 4 hours and, in its two subsections, states no maximum.
“15B. Dispersal of persons” “(1) A police officer may direct a person in a public place to leave that place and not return for a specified period of not less than 4 hours if the police officer believes on reasonable grounds that the person” “(2) A person must comply with a direction under subsection (1). Penalty: Fine not exceeding 2 penalty units.” — Police Offences Act 1935 (authorised consolidation), Tasmanian Government — Department of Premier and Cabinet. Retrieved 12 Oct 2026.
What is the penalty for ignoring a move-on direction in Tasmania?
A person must comply with a Tasmanian move-on direction. The penalty for not complying is a fine not exceeding 2 penalty units.
“A person must comply with a direction under subsection (1).” “Penalty: Fine not exceeding 2 penalty units.” — Police Offences Act 1935 (authorised consolidation), Tasmanian Government — Department of Premier and Cabinet. Retrieved 1 Sep 2026.
Roadside stops by council
No Tasmanian council's instruments have been read for this site yet. Every row says unknown, and unknown is not permission.
| Council | Stops | Council rule |
|---|---|---|
| Break O'Day | 1 | unknown |
| Central Coast | 3 | unknown |
| Central Highlands | 15 | unknown |
| Circular Head | 4 | unknown |
| Clarence | 2 | unknown |
| Derwent Valley | 2 | unknown |
| Dorset | 4 | unknown |
| George Town | 2 | unknown |
| Glamorgan-Spring Bay | 1 | unknown |
| Kentish | 1 | unknown |
| Kingborough | 8 | unknown |
| Latrobe | 2 | unknown |
| Meander Valley | 7 | unknown |
| Northern Midlands | 9 | unknown |
| Sorell | 1 | unknown |
| Southern Midlands | 9 | unknown |
| Waratah-Wynyard | 6 | unknown |
| West Coast | 2 | unknown |
Where this comes from
- “Public entity includes local governments and any Tasmanian Government agency, business or authority that provides or facilitates public camping.” — National Competition Policy: Applying Competitive Neutrality Principles to public camping in Tasmania (January 2019), Tasmanian Government, Department of Treasury and Finance. Retrieved 30 Aug 2026.
- “This policy statement is intended to achieve the right balance by clearly defining the application of competitive neutrality principles to public camping facilities and allowing public entities to provide below cost public camping in certain circumstances.” “Below cost public camping means public camping provided without the application of full cost attribution pricing principles, including free camping.” — National Competition Policy: Applying Competitive Neutrality Principles to public camping in Tasmania (January 2019), Tasmanian Government, Department of Treasury and Finance. Retrieved 30 Aug 2026.
- “If the total number of non-powered public camping sites provided by the public entity is more than 10 per cent of the total number of non-powered camping sites within the geographic market, the public entity must apply full cost attribution principles unless otherwise permitted under the arrangements in this policy statement.” — National Competition Policy: Applying Competitive Neutrality Principles to public camping in Tasmania (January 2019), Tasmanian Government, Department of Treasury and Finance. Retrieved 30 Aug 2026.
- Site location and amenities: Roadside Stops (State Owned), Department of State Growth (Tasmania) (CC BY 3.0 Australia). Retrieved 30 Aug 2026.