Sometimes travelling isn’t about the journey, it’s about the destination – especially when that destination is a camping area.
Campsites in Australia can be very hit and miss, but we’ve picked seven sites that are among the best in the country and will always deliver, for their settings, views, amenities, and that feeling of truly getting back to nature.
What other campsites make your camping bucket list?
Red Bluff camping area, Quobba Station, Western Australia
With views like this, you’d think you were at a luxury spa retreat instead of on a working cattle station. And just like at a spa retreat, shoes aren’t necessary. Kick them off and relax at Red Bluff camping area, where chilling out comes as naturally as the spectacular scenery.
The camping areas are positioned right behind the beach at Red Bluff, which gives you an uninterrupted view of the turquoise sea, craggy outcrops and the spectacular, ever-changing sky.
The sunsets here rank among the best in Australia and there’s nothing quite like the natural light show of watching day turn into night on this section of the Western Australian coast.
Once you’ve finished admiring the scenery, get out and explore it. Red Bluff is only a short distance from Ningaloo Reef, and boasts a similar abundance of marine life. And when you’ve finished swimming, you can jump into a hot shower – one of the surprisingly luxurious amenities at this otherwise basic campsite.
Camping in Southwest National Park, Tasmania
Camping in Southwest National Park isn’t for the faint-hearted. While a couple of campsites in the park are accessible by car, most of the camping areas can only be reached by foot.
But the walks to these campsites aren’t just any treks. Two of the walks, the Port Davey Track and the South West Track, are extended hikes through tough landscapes with even tougher weather conditions. But these hardy bushwalks are just what you’d expect for one of the wildest places in Australia.
And what will you get after you’ve put in all of this effort? Well, definitely not many facilities. But you will get to camp in splendid isolation at what feels like the bottom of the world with some of the most spectacular views of the ocean, sky and craggy ancient mountains you’ll ever see.
Cockatoo Island, Sydney, New South Wales
Over its two hundred years of white settlement, people waking up on Cockatoo Island have included some of the worst convicts in the colony, schoolgirls and shipbuilders – and now recreational campers. There’s a sizeable campground on the foreshore of the island, which is Sydney Harbour’s largest, with both permanent tents and space to set up your own.
Wake up in the middle of the harbour and experience the stunning beauty of Australia’s first city from a vantage point that not many people get to experience. Clamber around the island to explore the remains of its fascinating history (enjoy great views of Sydney Harbour Bridge and Sydney’s pretty inner suburbs), and then settle in front of your tent at night to watch the life of the harbour happen around you.
When you decide it’s time to say goodbye to the island, it’s only a ten-minute ferry ride back to Circular Quay and the hub of the city.
Ormiston Gorge camping area, West MacDonnell National Park, Northern Territory
Whether it’s the red sand of the desert, the red hue of Uluru at sunset, or the red rocks of Ormiston Gorge, the Red Centre really does live up to its name. But you won’t just be seeing red when you visit the centre of Australia. You’ll see unexpected colours, from shades of green and blue to purple. The best way to experience these colours is by getting amongst them on Larapinta Trail.
The Larapinta Trail starts at Alice Springs, and travels over the stunning ranges and gorges of West MacDonnell National Park, with clearly marked campsites for you to set up tent at night along the way. One of the best campsites along the trail is the Ormiston Gorge camping area.
This camping area is also accessible by car, so non-hikers can camp here as well. It’s the perfect place to set up to visit the gorge. This famous red gorge encloses a peaceful waterhole that’s safe for swimming. You’ll feel a world away from your regular life.
Craigs Hut camping areas, Alpine National Park, Victoria
Victoria’s High Country may not be on the radar of international travellers, but it’s firmly on the bucket list of domestic camping enthusiasts for its large scenic sites and range of activities. And the camping areas that most campers have their eyes firmly set on are at Craigs Hut.
Camping at Craigs Hut is almost more about the drive than it is about the camping. It’s a stunning trip through the changing landscapes of Alpine National Park, from gullies populated with ferns to mountains peppered with snow gums.
There are three sites around Craigs Hut. The sites are all basic, with no facilities. They are also not marked, although you’ll know the sites when you come across them. The first site is around 400 metres from the hut on Clear Hill Track on your way up to the hut, the second is around 200 metres further up the road towards the hut, and the final area is around 1 kilometre down the other side of the track, past the hut.
Whitehaven Beach camping area, Whitsundays National Park, Queensland
Catching a boat to your own private island in the Whitsundays where you can camp right behind the beach sounds like one of those travel dreams that will never come true. Well, if you camp at Whitehaven Beach, we can’t promise that you’ll have the area completely to yourself – there are seven defined sites – but we can promise that it will be one of the most incredible camping areas you’ll ever stay at. And it’s only accessible by boat.
While Whitehaven Beach is crowded during the day with visitors, at night only campers are allowed to remain on the beach. The sites are situated in the bush right behind the beach, and have basic facilities of toilets and picnic tables.
Once you wake up in the morning, you’ll have one of the whitest beaches in the world to play on, and the Great Barrier Reef at your feet. Just another day camping in paradise.
Cullyamurra Waterhole camping area, Innamincka Regional Reserve, South Australia
By all appearances, Innamincka is one of the driest and most barren areas of Australia. But don’t be fooled. Drive past the plains and you’ll eventually find yourself at Cullyamurra Waterhole, which is one of the most spectacular waterholes in Australia, and might just challenge the idea that Australia’s best water views are from the coast.
While there aren’t many facilities, the upsides are that you can bring your dog, your caravan and your fishing gear and binoculars – both the fish and birdlife are abundant.
The secret is out about Cullyamurra, so if you’d like to enjoy the surprisingly lush scenery of the area, you can also camp at Minkie Waterhole or at the even more remote wetland of Coongie Lakes. Although Cullyamurra is a permanent waterhole, try and visit the waterhole in a wet year so you can see the region when it is blooming with life.
