Desinations - Finding The Good One

Camping Destinations and Ways To Find The Good Ones

Not all great locations can be found on Google. In this article we will be giving you a few tips, tricks and sources to find some of those, not so “publicised” hidden gems. Unfortunately, We can’t name all the great locations, there are simply way too many to choose from in our wonderful country.

Farm Stays/Station Stays
Ideal places aren’t always listed to have public access. In the last few years farmers/stations and property owners have been opening their gates to low cost camping. Not only does this help the property owners out, it also helps you, the camper also. These are usually places that are not overpopulated and that are hidden away. Sometimes these can be located on a river where it is nice and quiet and most of the time you very well may be there without any other campers. This makes for an ideal retreat.
One of the best current sources for finding these is Station Hoppers - Click Here

National Parks
These can be a great option. Low cost, mostly maintained and usually monitored by a ranger. Remember that when going to camp in a National Park, You will be required to have a National Parks Pass. These are available from from your State or territory national parks website or office.

A couple of great examples are,

Pebbly Beach NSW in the Yuraygir National Park NSW. It is one of the best I have seen. Very well kept and maintained along with clean composting toilets and a friendly on site ranger that also takes care of the Station Creek Campground which is also part of the Yuraygir National Park. This place however, is such a great place it is almost always full all year round.

Mt Kaputar in the Mt Kaputar National Park NSW is accessible all year round BUT, you will need to obtain a key from a small convenience store in Barraba to get through the locked gates right at the top. (There is no way around this and they have done a great job of ensuring this). They also limit the visitors to 8 vehicles per week. Which means that the tracks aren’t to worn and it’s not over crowded. Once you get there you are greeted with some of the most spectacular views of the area.

Chilli Beach in the Kutini-Payamu (Iron Range) National Park QLD. This is one of my favourite sites, Coconut trees everywhere, shady camps and beautiful beaches (I strongly advise against swimming there due to crocodiles) You can walk out to the island at low tide. In the shallows around the island you can sometimes see wobbegong sharks, colourful parrot fish and some of the biggest clams and oysters you have ever seen. The sand is white and coupled with the turquoise coloured water, it sets the scene for a beautiful sunrise.
Sites must be booked in advance. Campers must purchase an e-permit before arriving at the camping areas. Self-registration is not available and there is no mobile phone coverage on site.

Dams

If you like to take the boat out and have a bit of a fish. There are some great dams throughout Australia to visit. In NSW Chaffey, Keepit, Split Rock, Lake Glenbawn, Pindari, Oberon, Warragamba are just a few great places to drop a line or launch the boat also offering great fishing and camping facilities that also come with spectacular sights, from bird watching, sun set, sun rise and the scenery in general.

Gorges and Waterfalls
These can be some of the most breathtaking sights (when the water is flowing). Being scattered all over Australia in some of the most remote places, to being tucked away just off the side of the road. Some require you to hike in and others you can nearly park right on top of them. Places like Potaroo falls, Glacial Rocks, Horton Falls, Dripping Rock, Crystal Shower Falls are all great places to check out. Especially after some good rain.

Beaches

Who doesn’t like a little sand beneath the toes. Beach camping can provide you with some of the most picturesque camping spots of all. The Coastal Studies Unit at the University of Sydney has counted 10,685 beaches in Australia. So you can be guaranteed there is plenty to camp on or near. There's no better way to get to experience them than camping at them, with the waves just a stumble away and surrounded by the local wildlife. Some beaches are great for surfing and some for fishing and others are better for snorkeling. So depending on what you are wanting to do, guaranteed there is one that suits you.

Sources To Find The Best Places

Wikicamps
Wikicamps is an App that is available from Android and Apple app stores. This app is a must have tool. WikiCamps is the ultimate camping companion for your smartphone, tablet or Windows PC. With the largest and most up-to-date database of campgrounds, caravan parks, backpacker hostels, day use area, points of interest, information centres and public dump points you're sure to find what you're looking for. The database is kept up-to-date by users just like yourself, so it is forever growing and always being updated with the latest information.

Whether you're heading away for a weekend camping trip or planning a big adventure, WikiCamps will be your guide. The best part is, it works completely offline so you don't have to worry about phone signal or a WiFi connection.

Simply download all the content to your device before you go and you'll have it in the palm of your hands, no matter where you are!

If you would like to know more head to - https://www.wikicamps.com.au/

Make Trax Free Camps Australia Atlas
This one is great if your wanting to check out the topographics and basic information available. This is basically a hard copy of wikicamps without the constant updates from users and is available from most newsagents and camping stores
Make Trax Free Camps Australia is the essential guide to Australia's free and low cost campsites. With 2567 free and budget sites around Australia listed. Make Trax FREE Camps with Location Atlas contains everything you need to know to prepare for a fantastic journey of discovery into Australia's great outdoors.

VMS and Hema Off road Navigation

The navigation units these days have come along way. From the original main road to now having full off road models that show you and take you to some of the most remote untraveled roads throughout Australia.

VMS 700HDX
The VMS Touring 700HDX has just raised the benchmark in Navigation! Faster! With over 3000+ Maps preloaded on a massive 32GB VMS SD Card! Vic Topo 1:25K being the newest addition to the family, means we have greater coverage in more areas than any navigator on the market. Over 1000+ Free Campsites which have been exclusively reviewed by On the Road magazine to ensure the accuracy of the information, and also the available facilities at the site.

Hema

With a keen focus on off-road touring, Hema Maps has steadily built its reputation as masterful map makers in the four-wheel driving and outdoor adventure industries. This reputation has come to the fore thanks to the company’s relentless pursuit of accurate cartographic detail relevant to outdoor explorers, realised by its unparalleled updating process.

Since 1996, Hema Maps has GPS mapped over 690,000km of tracks and 545,000km of unsealed roads throughout Australia, and will continue to pursue premium quality and accuracy within its product range into the foreseeable future.

National Parks Websites
The National Parks websites for each state and territory have an array of locations and information on each. On these sites you can find an array of small and large campgrounds within National Parks along with booking and information related to each site. Each site also includes costs involved with staying at the locations if they are not free.

Here are the links to the States and Territories National Parks websites.
NSW - Click Here

QLD - Click Here

TAS - Click Here

NT - Click Here

SA - Click Here

VIC - Click Here

WA - Click Here

ExplorOz Traveller App

They are Australia's most popular publisher of maps, apps, and online travel information for 4WD and caravan tourists in Australia. They produce EOTopo offline maps; a Navigation app called ExplorOz Traveller; plus a tracking service called EOTrackMe. It is another app that is worth adding to your navigational kit.

Social Media - Facebook
It goes without saying that word of mouth travels fast. Well, when you have social media accounts like Facebook and Instagram, you have access to hundred even thousands of people to ask.
Facebook is a good one for this with thousands of groups out there that you are able to join and simply ask. The members are spread throughout all of Australia and have in most cases been and seen the places that they recommend.

Locals
Sometimes the locals can be your best source of information when looking for a great place to camp. Not only that, they can tell you some of the places to see, places to go and some of the best fishing spots and times to visit. Locals like to see their area looked after. For this reason, it is important to leave the site as you found it, if not better.

With all these options available at our fingertips these days. There is no reason why we shouldn’t be able to find that perfect camp spot. Whether it be tucked away down some beaten track high in the Victorian High Country or way out West in the top of Western Australia. One thing is guaranteed….. It is now easier than ever to find that perfect camp spot.

Please Remember
A Couple of Simple Rules To Follow
It goes without saying, that no one likes turning up to a grubby rubbish ridden camp site because the people before have not been bothered to clean up after themselves.

Leave a campsite cleaner then what it was when you got there!!!
If there is rubbish and it isn’t yours, pick it up anyway.
If you saw the people dump it, dob them in.
Don’t tear the tracks up or drive like an idiot. It wrecks it for everyone else.
Keep it down and respect your camping neighbors.