Wilkinsons camping area, Kosciuszko National Park, Jon Brew, licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Do you want to open your tent flap to some of the most spectacular views in Australia? Then look no further than these sites.
Situated in some of the most scenic spots in the country, these camping areas will allow you to become a part of scenery, if only for a night or two.
Wilkinsons Creek camping area, Kosciuszko National Park, New South Wales
You really can camp off the beaten track in Kosciuszko National Park. Hikers traversing one of the trails in the northern area of the park are allowed to ‘backpack camp’, meaning you can basically set up camp anywhere – with some guidelines of course (check the national park website for more details).
One of the more popular places to set up tent for the night is at Wilkinsons Creek, a valley surrounded by this region’s undulating mountains. Talk about a room with a view – you’ve got your pick of water views (yes, a creek counts), craggy rocks, golden plains and, of course, the peaks.
Devils Marbles camping area, Karlu Karlu/Devils Marbles National Park, Northern Territory
Devils Marbles camping area, Raelene Woods
These rock formations are an iconic image of the Northern Territory, and you can basically camp right next to them. And staying right next door is the ideal way to capture the rocks at sunrise or sunset, when the colours of the rocks burst into vibrancy. As this camping area has little to no shade, you might prefer to view them safely from inside your tent.
Of course, we hate to disagree with popular opinion that the rocks look best at sunrise and sunset. But our favourite time to view the rocks is at night, when they loom against a night sky illuminated by millions of stars. Now there’s a view you don’t see very often.
Gravel Bay camping area, Yorke Peninsula Reserves, South Australia
Gravel Bay camping area, Brian Prime
This campsite is nothing fancy. It doesn’t have showers. It doesn’t have toilets. It doesn’t have drinking water. It doesn’t even have so much as a picnic table. But what it does have is close proximity to the water views that have made the Yorke Peninsula famous. And since the Yorke Peninsula is quite a desolate place, the view won’t be interrupted by so much as a tree.
As with many of these tent views, the best time to lie back and enjoy it is at sunrise or at sunset. But until then take advantage of the nearby ocean by fishing, swimming or surfing.
Mallacoota Foreshore Holiday Park, Victoria
First things first with this campsite – make sure you nab one of the sites on Mallacoota’s absolute waterfront. There are 700 sites at this holiday park, and while most of them get to share in one of the most magnificent views you’ll get at a campsite in Australia, you don’t want to be one of the unlucky few who misses out.
Set yourself up on the waterfront and you’ll have views over Mallacoota Inlet and the hills of Croajingolong National Park.
Lucky Bay camping area, Cape Le Grand National Park, Western Australia
Lucky Bay camping area, Lyndon Sparrow
Australia is full of misleading names. Mount Disappointment is not actually disappointing, Eggs and Bacon Bay does not have an English breakfast permanently set up, and Cape Tribulation is really a lovely spot.
But in Lucky Bay we’ve found a landmark that lives up to its name and more. The holidaymakers who set themselves up at Lucky Bay will feel truly lucky as they wake up to panoramic views over turquoise blue water, pristine white sand and gentle hills coloured by green shrubs.
Surprise Bay camping area, Southwest National Park, Tasmania
You have to undertake the hard slog that is the South Coast Track to reach Surprise Bay camping area, but the tent view makes it feel worth it. Situated on a hill above the bay, the campsite has scenic views down to the beach and over the surrounding hills. And after having walked kilometres to get the camp, all you’ll feel like doing is sitting down and enjoying the view. If your legs can handle a walk down to the beach, the chilly water should jump start your system.
