Freycinet Visitor Gateway Project

​​​​​​​​​About the project

The Freycinet Peninsula Master Plan 2019 emphasised the importance of the area's natural, cultural, environmental, and social values.

The Master Plan highlighted the challenge of protecting these unique values while managing rising visitor numbers and vehicle congestion. It also stressed the need to maintain a high-quality experience for visitors. Maintaining the liveability of small townships near Freycinet National Park is important. This is essential for the community that live on, and enjoy, the Peninsula.

The Freycinet Visitor Gateway (Gateway) is an important part of the Master Plan. It aims to reduce impacts of vehicles going to and from the Park and through Coles Bay. This will be achieved by moving key visitor facilities outside the Park.

The new Gateway site will: 

• have parking for standard, large, and towing vehicles

• include electric vehicle charging

• provide visitor information services

• provide a new vehicle access point off Coles Bay Road

• have new signage that will create a sense of arrival.

The design will aim for low-impact, sustainable infrastructure. It will improve visitor access to the Park and the township. Shared pathways will connect the site to Coles Bay, promoting sustainable access options.

The project is funded by $14 million from the State Government and $5.7 million from the Australian Government National Tourism Icons Program.

The project might be staged based on visitor growth and demand. Construction for the Freycinet Visitor Gateway site is expected to start in 2027.

More investigations will take place into the implementation of a shuttle service. We expect the shuttle service to start after the new Visitor Gateway site is built.

Visit the Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania website to read the Freycinet Peninsula Master Plan.

Location

The Freycinet National Park is located on the Freycinet Peninsula on the East Coast of Tasmania.

The Freycinet Visitor Gateway site is on Coles Bay Road outside of the Park and next to the Coles Bay township. 

The location was carefully chosen during the Master Plan process after consideration of sites and public consultation. The location supports the aims to: 

• reduce vehicle movement and congestion within Coles Bay and the Park

• manage visitor numbers

• allow for sustainable access to the area

• provide a connection to the Coles Bay township.
  

Freycinet visitor gateway site

If the Freycinet Visitor Gateway site map above is not accessible to you, please contact the project team: FreycinetGatewayProject@parks.tas.gov.au

​Site Concept Plan​

​Consult​ation

There were two rounds of public consultation with stakeholders and the community for the Freycinet Peninsula Master Plan. This included selecting a site for the Visitor Gateway. This early consultation and feedback also informed some of the key design principles for the project.

We provide Project Status Updates via email and on the project webpage at key milestones or when important information is available.

A Project Reference Group is in place which shares information with stakeholders and community.

A Community information session took place over two days in May 2025 at the Coles Bay Community Hall. This gave the community a chance to see the site concept plan and talk to PWS staff about the project. Feedback provided by the community will inform the next stages of design. 

More consultation will be undertaken once the next stage of design is complete.

Along with ongoing stakeholder consultation through PWS, there will be four separate planning and approval processes where members of the public will have an opportunity to comment on the project:

• Parks and Wildlife Service Reserve Activity Assessment [RAA] process, members of the public will be invited to provide feedback on the project through the 'Have Your Say' section of the Parks and Wildlife Service website.

• The Glamorgan Spring Bay Council will advertise the Development Application for public comment through the ​Council website 'Advertised Applications'.

• Public Consultation will occur through the Australian Government Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation [EPBC] Act 1999.

• The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works will also review the project and call for public submissions through the Public Works Committee website​.

We will advise of the timing of the above consultation processes through the Project Updates and notification on the PWS social Facebook page.​

If you would like to receive Project Updates, you can subscribe to the project online mailing list at the end of this webpage.

Timeline​​

Construction is expected to start in 2027 after: 

• detailed design and approvals are in place

• a suitable contractor has been engaged
  

The Gateway site should be operational in 2028.

These timelines are a guide and may change as the project goes through design and approvals. Once we finalise the designs and get all approvals, we will set a more accurate timetable for completion.

Project Updates​​​

​Updates on the progress of the project can be found on the project updates page.

Frequently Asked Questions​​

​Answers to frequently asked questions can be found on the FAQ page​​.​

Mailing list – Project Updates​

To join the mailing list for updates on PWS projects in Freycinet National Park, please fill out the form below. You can also email your full name and preferred contact email to: 

FreycinetGatewayProject@parks.tas.gov.au​

Questions marked with an asterisk (*) are mandatory.

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