Australia has many great locations to enjoy the great outdoors, and I reckon free-camping with your RV is the best way to enjoy these spots. It’s terrific to see that most of the road authorities in the different States have increased their free-camping sites along their major road networks, with many providing great facilities in wonderful locations.
You can find official free rest areas and other useful road information for the different Australian States and the Territory here:
- New South Wales (Online Interactive Rest Areas Map)
- Northern Territory (Roadside Rest Areas & Truck Parking Bays)
- Queensland (Guide to Queensland Roads)
- South Australia (Roadside Rest Area Guide.pdf)
- Tasmania (Nothing official, but try this free camping map site)
- Victoria (Truck Stops and Rest Areas)
- Western Australia (A Guide to Main Roads Rest Areas and Roadside Amenities)
If you’re desperate (and game) for a free camp with good facilities on a hot day, you could try what these backpackers did at Cattrall Park in Karratha. They spread their rug under the verandah of the ablution block and cooked up a feast in their pots and pans on their gas cooker. Their indispensable appliances (laptops, mobile phones, etc) were also charged by an extension cord that they plugged into a power outlet in the nearby Gents toilet. This is what I call bold free camping, which included shade, parkland views, running water, toilets and power… what cheek!
The backpackers should have used WikiCamps Australia, which is the bible for RV travellers and campers. It has an extensive list of free camps (and caravan parks and day sites), along with user comments and photos in a simple easy-to-use app. We would literally be lost without our Wikicamps!
TOP TIP: Another terrific ‘crowd-sourced’ database app that we regularly use on our travels is Fuel Map. This Smartphone app shows petrol stations and fuel prices from all across Australia, with information added and edited by users (except in WA where prices are automatically updated from Fuel Watch).
Free camps are also becoming popular in an increasing number of country towns as Local Councils encourage travellers to have a stopover in their towns. Some have great day-parking for RVs so you can explore the locale, while others have free sites for one or more nights, toilets and handy dump points. A full list of RV Friendly towns can be found at the Campervan Motorhome Club of Australia website. Whenever we used a town’s RV Friendly facilities, we would buy fuel, food, or other supplies to support the town.
We love the natural unspoiled beauty of our free-camps, and we want them to stay that way. Our philosophy when free-camping is to tread lightly and leave no lasting evidence of us being there. This includes:
- Carrying enough water and using it frugally;
- Storing and dispersing black and grey water responsibly;
- Managing our RV’s power effectively to minimise or avoid using a generator;
- Respecting the land, landowners and other users (if a sign says no fires, then no fires it is! Call me a prude, but I do get a bit narky when I see campers totally disregard posted signs);
- Trying to leave the area cleaner than when we arrived (we’re not over-zealous greenies, but we often pick up a couple of bits of litter that have been inadvertently or inconsiderately left behind by others).
Here’s a selection (and our ratings) of some of the free camps we stayed at during our latest trip:
Western Australia
- Nobby Head North – right on the coast with billion dollar views of the Indian Ocean. Rating: Excellent
- Minilya Rest Area – next to the Minilya River with good facilities. Rating: OK
- De Grey River – next to the De Grey River with good facilities, a large number of sites and places to explore. Rating: Excellent
- Ngumban Cliffs – on a cliff with billion dollar views and incredible sunsets over the Kimberley outback. Rating: Excellent
- Leycester’s Rest – Bungles nearby and a tragic story about its name. Rating: Good
- Fraser Range Rest Area – next to a salt lake that provided us mirror-like reflections of the surrounding gums due to recent rains. Rating: Good
Northern Territory
- Highway Inn, Daly Waters – OK, technically it’s not a free camp, but if you camp out back, the amazing sight of native birds and animals coming to the waterhole at sunset will blow you away. For $25 you also get the powered site, a couple of free beers or wines at the Inn, and a genuine Territorian outback pub experience. Rating: Excellent
Queensland
- Corella Dam – a large number of sites in a magic location next to the dam. Rating: Excellent (even though no toilet facilities)
- Prairie Hotel Camping Ground – enjoy good hospitality, food and beer in the pub. Rating: Excellent
- Calliope River – many sites and toilet facilities next to the Calliope River. Often packed with campers. Rating: Good
- Rosendale Park – a little secret tucked away from the highway. Rating: Good
New South Wales
- South Beardy Creek Celtic Country Rest Area – freezing in winter! Rating: OK
- Nyngan Weir – very secluded unofficial site without any facilities. Rating: Good
- Nackara East Rest Area – cloaked us with an eerie fog in the morning. Rating: OK
South Australia
- Bunda Cliffs – take your pick of many amazing sites along the Great Australian Bight, many with billion dollar views! Rating: Excellent
Travel Australia 