Lucky Bay camping area, courtesy of Lyndon Sparrow
South Australia
Less flashy than its eastern neighbours, South Australia has some spectacular camping areas where last-minute campers can find spots.
Shell Beach camping area, Innes National Park
This campsite, in Innes National Park, is in a beautiful spot tucked behind Shell Beach on the northern shores of the park.
The site doesn’t take bookings and it can get pretty busy, although the site empties out after the new year. If you can’t get a spot at Shell Beach, you’re sure to find a site somewhere in the park.
Park employees recommend that you call the visitor centre a day before you plan to arrive to get up-to-date information on how many people are currently camping in the park. Then, when you arrive at Innes National Park, they also recommend popping into the visitor centre to get advice on the best place to pitch your tent.
Don’t forget to bring insect repellent and your own water.
Yangie Bay camping area, Coffin Bay National Park
Yangie Bay camping area, courtesy of Paul Smedley
Coffin Bay National Park is one of the most spectacular national parks in South Australia, and is a playground for 4WD enthusiasts. Its shallow bays also make it very popular with kayakers.
Yangie Bay camping area is the only 2WD-accessible site in the national park and is also suitable for caravans and camper trailers. It has 13 sites in total.
But if you do have a 4WD, we recommend bringing it along. Big Yangie camping area is only a short distance from Yangie camping area, but it is 4WD-accessible only. As it isn’t signposted, it’s much quieter and more secluded than Yangie Bay. You also might have luck trying the popular Black Springs camping area.
42 Mile camping area, Coorong National Park
42 Mile camping area is in Coorong National Park on the Younghusband Peninsula. It’s more famous for its saline lagoons than its beaches, and canoeing is the adventure activity of choice at this park.
Park rangers assure us that you can always find a spot at 42 Mile camping area around Christmas. There’s not much shelter, but the weather next week is forecast to be reasonable, so there should be good camping.
All camping within the park requires self-registration.
Western Australia
The summer holidays are the busiest time of the year for camping in Western Australia’s south-west, probably because most other parts of the state are too hot to comfortably camp at.
But with some good planning, and a lot of luck, you could nab a spot somewhere in the south.
Black Point camping area, D’Entrecasteaux National Park
Located between Augusta and Walpole, you’d expect Black Point camping area to have a magnificent setting – and it doesn’t disappoint.
The stunning ocean scenery is a siren call for fishers and surfers, and even though the site doesn’t take bookings, it fills up very quickly over Christmas and New Year’s.
If you call before you are planning to visit, the rangers can give updates on how busy the area is. Missed out on a spot at Black Point? You can always try your luck at nearby Chapman Pool.
Lucky Bay camping area, Cape Le Grand National Park
Lucky Bay camping area is one of our favourite camping spots, and it is always pretty much full from Boxing Day onwards. But people do move in and out, so you have more chance of getting a spot if you arrive early in the morning.
The other camping areas in Cape Le Grand National Park are just as popular, but if you can’t get a site in the park, the council opens the sports ground as an overflow area, so you are still within close proximity to the park. Park rangers tell us that the sports ground never gets completely full. You can also try the nearby Stokes and Cape Arid national parks.
Boranup camping area, Leeuwin–Naturaliste National Park
Boranup is only a small campsite, so it does get full quite quickly after Christmas. If it is full when you arrive, you can try the nearby Banksia and Crystal Springs camping areas. They are all fantastic bases from which to enjoy the many activities within this national park.
