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View of Mayfield Beach at Mayfield Bay Conservation Area and two walkers along the centre of the image.
Mayfield Beach cropped (photograph: Natalie Mendham)

Mayfield Bay Conservation Area

Find out more

FeaturesExpand/Collapse

  • Access friendly
  • Campfires permitted
  • Camping
  • Caravan access
  • Dogs on leads are permitted
  • Fishing
  • Parking
  • Scuba diving
  • Short walk
  • Snorkelling
  • Swimming
  • Toilets

ContactExpand/Collapse

  • Triabunna-Maria Island Field Centre
    1A Victoria St
    Triabunna TAS 7190
    Phone: 03 6165 4098

About

​​​​​Mayfield Bay Conservation Area is a popular stop-off on the Great Eastern Drive self-drive experience. The area was initially reserved in 1981 for its diverse natural and cultural values.

The reserve is loved by locals who regularly return, but also interstate and international travellers looking for a coastal camping option.​

Here you can watch eagles soar overhead and hear the waves roll onto the beach.  Vantage points offer superb views across Great Oyster Bay towards the Freycinet Peninsula and Schouten Island.

​Mayfield Bay Conservation Area is popular for swimming and also diving, snorkelling and fishing.

Mayfield Beach is a 1.5 km sandy beach and is accessible from Mayfield Campground and Mayfield Jetty Road.

Mayfield Campground offers easy access camping – shady tent, campervan and caravan sites that are a stone's throw to a sandy family-friendly beach.

Nearby boat launching at the southern end of the reserve is permitted at Mayfield Jetty Road, a 4WD only access for small boats.

Part of the reserve is incorporated into the Rocky Hills Road Station and Rocky Hills Probation Station Heritage Site.  The convict-built Three Arch Bridge is a product of the Probation Station and is preserved under the Tasman Hwy. A short 150m walk from Mayfield Campground will allow you to explore the convict-built bridge and transport you to a bygone era.

Day use picnic facilities at Mayfield Beach and Tirzah Beach pull-off at Rocky Hills are a popular addition to the site.

Threatened shorebirds nest on the reserve's beaches in spring and summer – especially on Mayfield Beach. Keep an eye out for their nests that look like a shallow scraping in the sand with eggs or young chicks.  During spring and summer walk on the wet sand along the beaches and avoid any temporary shorebird nest fences that are installed to protect the eggs and young chicks. The main species of shorebirds found here are hooded plovers, red-capped plovers and pied and sooty oystercatchers.

White-bellied sea eagles are regularly observed soaring overhead, hunting and roosting throughout the reserve. There is a vast array of other birds regularly seen in the reserve including various gulls, gannets, wrens, finches, and rosellas.

Penguins and seals occasionally come ashore on the beaches within the reserve.

Threatened coastal white gum and blue gum forest fringes the coastline and supports critically endangered swift parrots foraging during the spring and summer months. Threatened flora species also occur in the dunes behind the beaches.​

The reserve also provides a home to possums, Bennett's wallabies, pademelons and wombats. Tasmanian devils and tiger snakes are also occasionally seen.

Please do not interfere with or feed the wildlife.

For more information on our wildlife please see Tasmania's wildlife.

Visit our caring for wildlife page for more information on interacting with and protecting our native animals.


​Extensive Aboriginal middens are scattered throughout the reserve. The people of the Oyster Bay Nation foraged along the foreshore of the reserve and surrounds for the crustaceans and shellfish supplied by the coastline. Today, these sites are significant, sacred areas to the Tasmanian Aboriginal community and an in-situ museum protected under the Aboriginal Heritage Act 1975. Visitors are asked to respect important cultural sites by leaving them undisturbed.

Together with the adjoining private property, part of the reserve forms The Rocky Hills Road Station and Rocky Hills Probation Station Heritage Site. ​The Rocky Hills Road station was established in 1833 and operated to 1839. Its purpose was to use forced labour to construct and improve the road in the vicinity of Rocky Hills which gave access from Hobart to the East Coast. When the Probation System was introduced into Tasmania, the road station was initially adapted to a probation station and then provided accommodation for the convicts constructing the new Probation Station. 

The Rocky Hills Probation Station was established in 1841 and operated until 1847 with the intention of using forced labour to continue the construction and maintenance of roads and bridges in the vicinity. Much of the remains of this era are located on the surrounding private properties. The Convict-built Three Arch Bridge (c. 1845) still supports the Tasman Highway today and can be accessed for exploration by a 150 m track within the reserve departing from Mayfield Campground.

By 1914 the surrounding 'Mayfield' area was a thriving farming community – serviced by Mayfield Jetty which transported supplies to and from the settlement.  Only ruins of the jetty remain today, but the access road and Mayfield Beach can still be used to launch small craft from 4WD vehicles.  

Mayfield Bay Conservation Area is located at Rocky Hills on the East Coat between Swansea and Triabunna on the eastern side of the Tasman Highway (A3). 

Approximately 1.5 hrs drive north-east from Hobart and 15 minutes south from Swansea.​​

Where possible, please avoid driving in our reserves at night. You are sharing the roads with our native wildlife, so take it slow and watch out for animals on the road.

Dogs on leads are permitted in Mayfield Bay Conservation Area. Owners are responsible for cleaning up after their dog and for their pet's behaviour. Please respect other people using the reserve.

No dogs are permitted on the nearby Little Christmas Island Nature Reserve or near any shorebird protection fences.

A hybrid toilet system is provided with an accessible cubicle.  Grey and black water disposal sites are located in nearby towns of Swansea and Triabunna.  Do not dispose of it, or any rubbish down the toilet in the campground as this stops the system from working. 

​​​Campfires are only permitted at designated campgrounds within designated fireplaces. Campfires are prohibited during seasonal fire bans. Never leave your campfire unattended - it is prohibited. For campfire safety and how to check whether any restrictions are in place see Campfires and fire bans.​

Always check local signage for campfire bans​ before lighting a campfire. Bring your own water and firewood.  It is best to have a fuel stove with you for cooking, as restrictions can change. 

For the safety of everyone - completely extinguish your campfire before you depart and ensure no hot coals remain.  Remember - Soak it. Stir it. Soak it again.​

Please take all rubbish away with you.



Boat launching/retrieval area

4WD small boat launching is permitted from the beach accessible via Mayfield Jetty Road.  The road is not suitable for 2WD vehicles.

Adhere to vehicle control and reserve management signage – vehicles are only permitted on the first 150m of the beach from Mayfield Jetty Road.

No overnight camping permitted at this part of the reserve

To access the launching area you pass through private property – please close the gates behind you and adhere to signage to respect the wishes of the adjoining landowner.

Tirzah Beach

There is a 150m strip of high tide boulders and sand fronted by a 30m wide low tide sandy terraced beach. Please take care. Access to the beach is steep and rocky. The beach is best visited at low tide.

Spectacular views of Mayfield Bay and the Freycinet Peninsula.

Unpatrolled beach. Take care when swimming. The beach can be subject to rips.

Picnic table provided at roadside pull-off area beside Tasman Hwy.

Suitable for a short stop-off or day use only.

​Please note there is patchy mobile phone coverage across the reserve.

​Find out other essential information for visiting Tasmania's parks and reserves on our know before you go section.

​The reserve is subject to fire restrictions, especially in summer. Please observe signage and check the PWS website for Reserve Fire Restrictions information and check the Tasmania Fire Service website for fire ban information before you head off. Take a fuel stove with you as restrictions can change at short notice.

None of the beaches in this reserve are patrolled – take care when swimming.

Tirzah Beach can be subject to rips.​

Campsites are under trees and present the risk of falling limbs/trees despite annual hazardous tree inspections and mitigation works.

Tirzah Beach access track is steep and rocky.

​There is a wheelchair-accessible toilet at Mayfield Campground and Day Use Area.

Accessible picnic tables at Tirzah Beach and Mayfield Beach.

Easy access camping – can drive into each campsite at the campground and to the front access ramp of the toilets.

Experiences in Mayfield Bay Conservation Area

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Dogs in parks

Searching for somewhere to take your four-legged friend? There are a number of reserves around Tasmania that are open to visitors with canine companions.

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Fishing on the rocks at Friendly Beaches, Freycinet National Park

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Fishing

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Beachside snorkelling

Bring your wetsuit, mask and fins to discover the underwater life.

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Snorkelling and scuba diving

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Accommodation

Stay Overnight

  • Mayfield Bay camping

Mayfield Campground offers easy access camping – shady tent, campervan and caravan sites that are a stone’s throw to a sandy family-friendly beach.

Bookings and more info
A motorhome and campervan amongst trees at Mayfield Bay campground

Mayfield Bay camping