Category Archives: Camping

Top 5 desert camping areas

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We’ve all heard it before – the best way to really  see Australia is to leave the coastline behind and head for the desert. And what better way to see the desert than by camping there? That’s why we’ve found Australia’s top five desert camping areas, which will show you there’s more to the desert than sand dunes. But be warned: these campsites are hot properties, where temperatures soar and you’re pretty much isolated, so you’ll need to be experienced, self-sufficient and prepared.

Coongie Lake camping area, Malkumba-Coongie Lakes National Park, South Australia

Coongie Lakes is a rare permanent body of water in a corner of the outback more famous for dry rivers and lakes like Cooper Creek and Lake Eyre. More than that, it’s a recognised wetland, with abundant birdlife and shady, overhanging trees. It’s a cool change from the harsh surrounding landscape, and the campsites line the shore of the lake for full-frontal views. There are no facilities apart from toilets, so you’ll need to be entirely self-sufficient. Oh, and access is from the famously rough and tumble 4WD-only Coongie Track. Well, it wouldn’t be the desert if it was easy!

Coongie Lakes National Park by Flickr dracophylla

Dig Tree camping area, Dig Tree Reserve, Queensland

You’ll probably make happier memories at Dig Tree camping area than explorer Burke (of Burke and Wills), who famously met his end underneath the Dig Tree. Apart from the tree itself, which, at a reported 200 years old, is large, shady and unconcerned by its historical significance, you’ll find a pleasant camping area with extremely basic facilities along the Cooper Creek. As a bonus, this section of the creek normally has water. Set up your camp anywhere within the fenced area. Note: you’ll find it much easier to enjoy the view if you bring mosquito netting – this is fly territory.

Dig Tree, Tourism and Events Queensland

Dalhousie Springs camping area, Witjira National Park, South Australia

An oasis away from the dunes and plains of the desert, Dalhousie Springs is one of the more popular camping areas in this neck of the outback, and for good reason – it has a large hot spring that averages around 38 degrees Celsius where you can laze away the cares of the road. And if that’s not enough, Dalhousie also has excellent facilities, with toilets and showers. It’s no wonder this camping area brings in plenty of other campers (and plenty of mosquitoes).

Dalhousie Springs by Citizengastronaut

Palm Valley camping area, Finke Gorge National Park, Northern Territory

The main camping area in Finke Gorge National Park, Palm Valley camping area is found within the desert-meets-tropical beauty of Palm Valley. This valley is particularly remarkable because it protects the last of the red cabbage palms, an ancient species of palm endemic to the desert. The campsites are arrayed along the often-dry Finke River (although you might get some pooled water) and the area has good facilities – including flushing toilets! From the camping area, you can follow walking trails around the valley or head to the Kalaranga Lookout for heart-stopping sunset views.

Finke Gorge National Park by Tripadvisor conatus

Cameron Corner camping area, Queensland

Thousands of travellers make the pilgrimage out to Cameron Corner every year to stand at the place where Queensland, New South Wales and South Australia meet. Look at this geographical crossroads and then head to the pub attached the corner store for a surprisingly good burger and a cool bevvie – reward for surviving the long and bumpy trek out here. Talk to the owners Finn and Cheryl about bush camping in the 240ha at Cameron Corner, and hand over the small camping fee, which will be donated to the Royal Flying Doctor Service. You’ll need to be experienced and entirely self-sufficient to bush camp in this desert, but if you prefer a few more creature comforts, you can also camp at the corner store.

Cameron Corner marker by Tripadvisor Megan_Chambers

     

You won’t believe you can camp with your dogs at these five camping areas.

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Dog friendly campsites

It can be tough to go camping with dogs in Australia. National parks are mainly out, and sometimes you can’t even stay at caravan parks. But that doesn’t mean you have to leave your dog at home. There are some great dog-friendly camping areas around the country – you just have to know where to look! Our favourite place to start? State forests, which generally welcome pets. Here are our top picks for a camping experience the whole family – yes, even lassie – can enjoy (and there’s even a spot in a national park).

Johanna Beach camping area, Great Otway National Park, Victoria

There’s a reason Johanna Beach is one of the most popular camping areas in Victoria – it comes pretty close to being perfect. Just off the Great Ocean Road near Johanna, the camping area is in a seriously beaut spot behind the beach, in a grassy clearing with plenty of space to spread out amidst the coastal shrub. And even though the camping area is officially a part of Great Otway National Park, you can still bring your dog. A camping area this good can (and does) get booked out, so remember to book well in advance.

Johanna Beach

Johanna Beach, Tourism Victoria

Chowilla camping area, Chowilla Game Reserve and Regional Reserve, South Australia

If you’re after a spot of relaxation with your dog at your side, you can’t do better than the camping at Chowilla Game Reserve, which protects the Murray River floodplains near Renmark. While you can’t camp alongside the Murray itself, there are sizeable creeks – all of them feeding into the Murray – throughout the park where you can set up your tent under the trees or among the river shrub. The main activity at Chowilla is relaxation, but you can also indulge in some bushwalks, a spot of wildlife watching, canoeing or angling.

Murray River

Murray River, Tourism South Australia

Alexander Bay camping area, Esperance Shire, Western Australia

Alexander Bay camping area is Lucky Bay camping area’s less famous cousin. Luckily the scenery is just as spectacular, with long, pristine white beaches and turquoise water. The campsites are just behind the beach in the shrub, so you’ll have easy access to the ocean – which is why everyone comes here, of course! The site is managed by the local council, and dogs are welcome.

Recherche Archipelago

Woody Island, Recherche Archipelago

M.V. Sarawak, Inskip Peninsula Recreation Area, Queensland

M.V. Sarawak camping area is the sort of place tourism brochures are made of. The northernmost campground in Inskip Peninsula Recreation Area, the sites here are just behind the beach. You can set up wherever you find space; most of the sites are under coastal trees and a few have views out to Fraser Island. It’s pretty basic camping, as the only facilities are toilets and fire sites. Apart from being dog-friendly, the camping area is also suitable for large groups and can be accessed by 2WD.

Inskip Peninsula

Inskip Peninsula, Tourism and Events QLD/Nick Boustead

Manning River camping area, Barrington Tops State Forest, New South Wales

You’ll find this basic camping area in the dense rainforest next to the Manning River near Henry’s Bridge. It’s a picturesque spot that looks kind of wild, almost like the sort of place a bushranger might have made his hideout. These days the site mainly attracts fishermen on the hunt for trout and four-wheel drivers – as well as people looking for an excellent spot to camp with their dogs.

Barrington Tops

Barrington Tops

     

Best camping along the Great Ocean Road

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Great Ocean Road

Great Ocean Road, Roberto Seba

The Great Ocean Road has some of the best camping areas in Victoria stretched along its length: there are campsites next to rivers, behind beaches, hidden in forest gullies, near waterfalls … And we’ve done the hard work of finding the best five camping areas along this classic route. Even though you can drive the Great Ocean Road in four hours, these camping areas will make you want to spend a week.

 

Cumberland River Holiday Park

Cumberland River Holiday Park, cumberlandriver.com.au

Cumberland River Holiday Park, Cumberland River

Just south of Lorne you’ll find Cumberland River Holiday Park, where campsites, powered and unpowered caravan sites and cabins are casually strewn alongside the Cumberland River at the base of bushy hills. The park is literally just off the Great Ocean Road, tucked in a nook behind a hairpin corner bend, on the other side of the road from the beach. The park feels a bit old-school – everything moves at a slower pace here, and it’s all about swimming, fishing and relaxing. We can’t think of anything better.

 

Koala Bear

See Koalas at Kennett River

Kennett River Holiday Park, Kennett River

Stand outside your cabin, camping or caravan site and take a deep breath. Look around and spot the koalas, or feed the native birds with birdseed you’ve purchased from the park. Think to yourself: this is the life. Kennett River Holiday Park is located just off the Great Ocean Road between Lorne and Apollo Bay, with a patrolled beach across the road. Sheltering between the mountains of the Otways, the park is orderly, well-maintained and green, with camping and caravan sites spread underneath the trees, and a few lucky cabins facing the ocean view.

 

Cape Otway Lighthouse

Cape Otway Lighthouse

Blanket Bay camping area, Great Otway National Park

Let Blanket Bay camping area wrap you in the warmth of a seriously excellent camping area. This gem is hidden on the coast in Great Otway National Park, a short drive south of Apollo Bay near the famous Cape Otway Lighthouse. The sites at Blanket Bay are shaded and generous, and you’re also allowed open fires in the allocated fireplaces. It gets so popular here you have to enter a ballot to nab a spot over Easter and Christmas; make sure you plan in advance!

 

Great Otway National Park

Great Otway National Park

Aire River camping areas

The biggest decision you have to make at Aire River, located between Cape Otway and Glenaire, is whether you’re going to camp on the east or west side of the river. At Aire River West camping area, you have a large campground with little shade, a boat ramp, and heaps of space for large groups. And it’s closer to the beach. At Aire River East camping area, you’ll find a smaller, shaded camping area with a river beach. It’s charming and quieter. Both offer excellent kayaking. You choose!

 

Johanna Beach

Johanna Beach

Johanna Beach camping area

You’re not far from the Twelve Apostles at Johanna Beach camping area, a large and grassy campground spread comfortably behind the popular surfing beach. This rustic camping area doesn’t have any facilities apart from toilets, but it’s still very popular – particularly as you can bring your dog, even though you’re in a national park.

     

Top 4WD-only campsites in Australia

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4x4 Australia

Drivers, start your engines; we’ve selected the best 4WD-only campsites in Australia. You’ll find these five camping areas at the end of bumpy roads in some of the most spectacular corners of the country, from the croc-patrolled beaches of the Northern Territory to the challenging mountains of Man From Snowy River land in Victoria. This is no-frills camping, and you’ll need to be completely self-sufficient – but that’s half the fun, isn’t it?

Smith Point camping area, Garig Gunak Barlu National Park, Northern Territory 

This is just about as remote as you can get, and just about as beautiful. Garig Gunak Barlu National Park is at the very tip of the Cobourg Peninsula, and can only be accessed by boat or by a long and bumpy 4WD trek through Arnhem Land. You’ll need three permits: one to enter Arnhem Land, one to enter the national park and one to stay overnight. Oh, and you’ll have to be entirely self-sufficient. If that all sounds like a lot of effort, there are rewards aplenty for those intrepid enough to tackle the trip – including a jaw-dropping view of the Arafura Sea towards East Timor (don’t forget to keep an eye out for crocs as you stand there gawping).

Port Essington, Garig Gunak Barlu National Park, David Kirkland / Tourism NT

Port Essington, Garig Gunak Barlu National Park, David Kirkland / Tourism NT

Flinders Beach camping area, North Stradbroke Island, Queensland 

If you like your beach views slightly more accessible, Flinders Beach camping area on North Stradbroke Island, a tropical paradise only a short commute from Brisbane, might fit the bill. The camping area can only be accessed by a dirt road, or along the beach at low tide. There are 200 campsites hidden behind the dunes in the coastal shrub, and forget about the proximity to the city – this is back-to-basics self-sufficient camping. Flinders Beach camping area will provide the stupendous beach views; you’ll have to bring the rest.

North Stradbroke Island

North Stradbroke Island, Tourism Queensland

Coongie Lake camping area, Innamincka Regional Reserve, South Australia 

When you think about outback South Australia, you probably don’t think about a lake and wetland system teeming with birds and other wildlife. But that’s exactly what you’ll find at Coongie Lake, about halfway between Innamincka and Birdsville. You can set up tent right next to the impossible-seeming lake; it’s a simple camping area for the self-sufficient, and you need to leave it as you found it, so no fires or generators allowed.

Malkumba-Coongie Lakes, Wrightsair Scenic Flight

Malkumba-Coongie Lakes, Wrightsair Scenic Flight

Youdales Hut camping area, Oxley Wild Rivers National Park, New South Wales 

Youdales Hut camping area is deep in the wild country of northern New South Wales, along a 4WD-only gravel track in Oxley Wild Rivers National Park. This is a land of deep gorges, dense and misty rainforests, and epic views. You can only imagine what the early settlers who built Youdales Hut must have thought when they first saw it! Not much has changed at Youdales Hut from that time, apart from the added amenities of toilets and picnic tables. Don’t miss a plunge in one of the swimming holes at nearby Kunderang Brook.

Oxley Wild Rivers

Oxley Wild Rivers

Pineapple Flat camping area, Alpine National Park, Victoria 

If, after a long day of driving the challenging 4WD tracks along the mountains of Alpine National Park, you’re in search of a spacious and charming site to set up camp, look no further than Pineapple Flat camping area. Don’t let the name mislead you, there aren’t any pineapples or other surprising amenities here – you get toilets, water… and that’s it. Oh, and large grassy sites under shady trees, with easy access to some of the best 4WD tracks in the park.

Pineapple Flat

Pineapple Flat camping area, Lyndon Sparrow

     

Top 5 spring campsites

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camping in australia

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

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

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

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

Dales camping area, Lyndon Sparrow