Overnight: Tyenna River campground

One night (first-come, first-served) · Best for: Walkers who want a Three Falls afternoon and an alpine morning

Guide updated 13 Sept 2026 · verify Parks Tasmania the morning you go

Official Mount Field Campground beside the Tyenna River, ~200 m from the Visitor Centre. Separate camping fee plus Parks Pass. Not a Booking.com product. Arrive mid-morning on fine weekends.

Huge fallen swamp gum (Eucalyptus regnans) in Mount Field National Park, Tasmania — Tall Trees / swamp gums
Cielito1 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

The campground is first-come, first-served — Parks Tasmania does not take bookings. Pay-and-display or pay at the Visitor Centre. Checkout is commonly published as 10am — verify. Fuel-stove only. A Parks Pass is still required on top of the camping fee. These are two systems, not one “park fee.” Parks Tasmania (from 14 Sep 2026): partial campground closure for maintenance — some sites unavailable; verify live before you count on a site.

This is the logistics trick that makes Tarn Shelf realistic: sleep low, phone the road in the morning, drive the gravel early. It is also how you walk Three Falls without a dusk Hobart return the same day.

Government Huts near Lake Dobson are a third system. They book only on official channels, sit at about 1000 m, and still need a Parks Pass. They are not this campground and not Twilight Tarn Hut.

Always verify camping prices, facilities and fire rules on the official camping page. This itinerary is planning guidance only.

Track status, weather and closures change — verify on Parks Tasmania before you leave, then use the timeline below as a planning skeleton only.

Timeline

Night before
Two fees, one stove
Screenshot Parks Pass and the official camping page. Pack a fuel stove — no open fires in most of the park. Have a National Park / Maydena / New Norfolk bed as backup if the campground is full on a fine Saturday.
Arrival day · morning
Claim a site mid-morning
Fine weekends fill. Unpowered and powered sites exist — verify current prices officially. Facilities typically include toilets, token hot showers, laundry, cooking shelter, electric BBQs. Checkout 10am unless signs say otherwise.
Arrival day · afternoon
Three Falls or Russell Falls
Walk from the door. Do not drive to Lake Dobson late on arrival day. Reverse at any falls if you arrived tired. Café and Visitor Centre are 200 m away.
Evening
Optional glow-worms, then sleep
Glow-worms are sometimes visible on the Russell Falls approach. Stay on the path, keep lights off the banks. You are already overnight — no night drive through wildlife.
Next morning
Road check then alpine or second waterfall loop
Visitor Centre option 3 for the road. If open and you packed alpine kit, Tarn Shelf or Pandani Grove. If not, walk a different falls direction or leave for Hobart in daylight. Checkout 10am.

Packing

Fuel stove (no open fires)
Warm sleeping kit
Cashless payment card for camping fees
Parks Pass confirmation
Waterproofs + warm layers
Headlamp

Optional kit searches live on the gear list— not on this itinerary.

Parking & access tips

Campground is for overnight visitors. Day-walkers use the Visitor Centre car park.
Arrive mid-morning on fine weekends — there is no online booking safety net.
Do not treat Government Huts as a walk-up alternative. Official booking only.

Skip if short on time / energy

Assuming you can book a site online
Open fires
A late Lake Dobson drive on arrival day
Mixing the camping fee with the Parks Pass in your head

Extra tips

Who this plan is for

Walkers who want Three Falls today and a Tarn Shelf attempt tomorrow
People who accept first-come, first-served (and have a town-bed backup)
Anyone who does not want a dusk wildlife drive back to Hobart after a long walk

Decision gates (say them out loud)

If the campground is full: National Park township, Maydena, Westerway or New Norfolk — not a stealth site
If you arrived after lunch: waterfall precinct only. Alpine tomorrow
If option 3 says the road is shut: second waterfall loop, then leave in daylight
If you wanted a booked hut: that is Government Huts, a different official product

What success looks like

A legal site, two fee systems paid, stove only
One waterfall day and, if the road allows, one alpine morning
No night driving through wallabies

Related trail guides

Three Falls CircuitThe usual first full walk: Russell Falls, Horseshoe Falls, Tall Trees and Lady Barron Falls on a 6 km circuit with 200+ steps. Start behind the Visitor Centre; typical direction is anticlockwise.
Tarn Shelf CircuitMount Field’s alpine classic: a 12 km circuit from Lake Dobson across a shelf of glacial tarns, past Lake Newdegate and historic Twilight Tarn Hut, returning via the lower lakes. You need a weather window and an open Lake Dobson Road.

Official links to verify

Stays & tours for this plan

Optional next steps once your timeline is set. Kit searches live on the gear list. Park fees and official Parks Tasmania bookings are never affiliated.

Nearby stays

National Park (closest) · New Norfolk · Hobart

Stays at National Park townshipClosest gateway — walk to the Visitor Centre / campground area
New NorfolkDerwent Valley town on the Hobart drive (~40 min to the park)
HobartDay-trip base — just over an hour each way in light traffic

All Booking.com links open in a new tab and may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Official Parks Tasmania camping and cottage bookings are never affiliated.

Guided tours

Optional — useful for first visits from Hobart without wanting to drive the Derwent Valley

A tour does not replace checking Parks Tasmania alerts, weather, or cliff safety yourself.

Some stay, tour and gear links may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Parks Pass fees, campground fees and official Parks Tasmania bookings are never affiliated. Affiliate disclosure · Privacy