Hi Explorers,
If, like us, you’ve spent the winter sharpening your tent pegs, checking your marshmallow supply and looking up new camping gear online, the time has almost come. That’s because it’s practically spring, and that means one thing – camping season! We’ve been planning our hit list of spring campsites for the past three months, but if you’re a bit behind on the preparation, don’t worry. We’ve got you covered with this list of five camping areas you should visit over the next few months.
Tidal River camping area, Wilsons Promontory National Park, Victoria
It can be hard to get a spot at this ever-popular camping area in summer – which makes it the perfect spring campground. Situated behind Norman Beach in Wilsons Promontory National Park, Tidal River camping area pretty much has it all, with views, beach access, grassy sites, excellent facilities (including a kiosk selling fish and chips), hiking trails and even resident food-stealing wombats.
Tidal River camping area, Tourism Victoria
Garnamarr (Jim Jim Falls) camping area, Kakadu National Park, Northern Territory
Kakadu National Park is the biggest national park in Australia, and is home to big crocodiles, big waterfalls, big wetlands and some big campgrounds, including Garnamarr camping area. The closest campground to famous Jim Jim Falls, Garnamarr can fit up to 200 people and is an excellent camping area with facilities including showers and drinking water. The only catch is that Garnamarr is deep within Kakadu via gravel roads, so it can only be accessed by 4WD, and even then only in the dry season. But the payoff – proximity to some of the most spectacular natural features of the park – is certainly worth the journey.
Lawn Hill Gorge camping area, Boodjamulla (Lawn Hill) National Park, Queensland
You’ll need to rattle along 200 kilometres of mainly unsealed roads from the nearest highway in remote north-west Queensland to get to Lawn Hill Gorge camping area, just inside the boundary of Boodjamulla (Lawn Hill) National Park. But if you’re up for the trek, the rewards are epic! This national park is a literal oasis in the desert, a lush tropical landscape that feels like it hasn’t changed for millions of years (with the dinosaur bones to prove it). Well, unchanged apart from welcome human intervention at the campground, which has facilities like showers and toilets.
Lawn Hill Gorge camping area, Lyndon Sparrow
Mystery Bay Campground, Narooma, New South Wales
The chill is shaking itself off the south coast of NSW, which means that now is the time to nab a prime spot at the perpetually popular Mystery Bay Campground near Narooma. The camping area is in the bush just behind a gorgeously isolated beach; if you’re lucky, you’ll get a front row spot with an ocean view, as sites here are first come, first served. While the water is still pretty cold at this time of year, you might find the turquoise sea just behind your campsite too hard to resist.
Mystery Bay Camp Ground, Paul Smedley
Dales camping area, Karijini National Park, Western Australia
Early spring is Goldilocks territory at Karijini National Park in mid-north Western Australia – it’s not too cold and not too hot. In fact, it’s just the right temperature to go swimming in Fortescue Falls, which is fortuitously found close to Dales camping area. Yup, that’s right. Even though this national park is smack bang in the middle of the dry landscape of the Pilbara, it has verdant gorges with waterfalls and swimming holes, just waiting for those willing to take the plunge. The camping itself is basic, as the only facilities are toilets, barbecues, picnic tables and all the space you could want.
Dales camping area, Lyndon Sparrow
