Big Volcano^® Visitor Guide

Camping Grounds

Dedicated campgrounds are becoming less common, and most beachside holiday parks and tourist parks with camp sites, will by run by the local council, while private campgrounds can be located near the beach or national parks and nature reserves.

Camping grounds and tent camping sites may also be available at country resorts and farmstays, with on-site adventure and nature activities available. Like beachside tourist and holiday parks, most private campgrounds usually provide a campers kitchen and clean, modern amenities.

Please note: There is no beach camping permitted in Ballina, Byron or Tweed Shires, and beach camping is not allowed on Gold Coast beaches.  Council rangers do regular patrols of beach parking areas and dunes.  If your are illegally camping, you will be fined.  (Check out South Stradbroke Island - "Straddie", in Moreton Bay for beach camping options.)

Choose from powered drive-on campsites, unpowered campsites and Family Safari camping tents.

Featuring a restaurant, Binna Burra Rainforest Campsite, the camping offers a children's playground, a garden with a barbecue, and guests can go hiking nearby.

Located in the heart of the Gold Coast, at Nobby Beach Holiday Village you can choose from standard, grass and premium concrete pad sites, suitable for tents, campers, and caravans, with shared bathroom available.

Onsite park facilities include a swimming pool with a waterslide, wading pool, children's playground, BBQ area, convenience store, and self-service laundry facilities, along with board games, DVD rentals and bicycle hire.

Escape the madding crowd and get away to Northern New South Wales country, on a large rural property.  Enjoy a back to nature experience, in our tent accommodation.  Well behaved dogs are allowed.

Ideal for birdwatchers.  Undercover camp kitchen with wood stove, and separate shower and toilet available.

Glamping, Tipis and Yurts

What is glamping?  "Glamorous camping" usually provides safari style luxury tents on raised platforms, or unique and quirky wooden huts, with some or all of the mod cons, including power, real beds and linen, private bathroom (with or without a spa/bath), and outdoor dining with a BBQ, on a verandah with views.

Offering studio style accommodation with kitchenette, separate bathroom w/ shower, and soaking tub positioned for views across the rolling hills and valleys.

Verandah with outdoor furniture and BBQ Minimum 2 night stay.

Located in the beach side village of Cabarita Beach, this idyllic property offers a secure & private space with accommodation options suitable for couples and families.

Communal areas includes en-suite amenities block, a fully equipped kitchen and preparation area, lounge areas with bean bags, fire pit, BBQ areas & “chill” zones, with Wi-Fi available right across the property.

Take a dip in your private hot tub or crawl into your bed and enjoy beautiful mountain views.

Each adult only eco-friendly, luxury tent is equipped with a kitchenette and a bathroom.  Guests can have a relaxing meal with friends and family on their private terrace.

Nestled amongst native bush, lakes and rainforest, guests can enjoy beautiful views of Mount Warning from their private deck.

Set on 40 hecrates (100 acres), this luxurious retreat offers Thai villas and tented suites with wooden floors and Asian-style furnishings. Tents are equipped with chandelier, barbecue, hammock and patio seating.

Set in Rosebank in the Byron hinterland, this tent is set in a garden with a year-round outdoor pool.

Guests have free WiFi and private parking available on site. Towels and bed linen are featured in this self-catering accommodation.

Glamping tents set around a seasonal pool on 4 acres of park like grounds on Tamborine Mountain.

Enjoy the quiet surrounds and local birdlife.  Sleeping upto 5 people, each tent has private entrance, wardrobe, a flat-screen TV and a private bathroom. Some come with a fully equipped kitchen.  BYO bed linen, or hire available.

National Parks Campgrounds

Camping in the World Heritage listed national parks of the region is very popular on weekends and during school holidays, with some locations being walk-in bush camping only.

Booking online in advance for QLD National Parks is preferred and recommended.  See Camping bookings and fees.

In NSW national parks, pre booking is now required. Book online or call the National Parks Contact Centre.  Park entry fees may also apply and are not included in camping fees.

Please note; firearms and pets are not permitted in national parks*.

• Guidelines for Ecotourists
• Introduction to Parks & Codes

*Caravanners please note: Composting toilets are common in most national parks.  Please DON'T empty your portaloo waste into them, as the chemicals in portaloos destroy natural processes that make composting toilets an effective eco-friendly option in these places.

Check for NSW park alerts here before your visit.   Gold Coast and Scenic Rim parks alerts are here.

Public Reserves and Showground camp sites

Camping in public reserves is usually operated by local community showground trust, progress association or overseen by the general store or garage owner/manager in the local village. There maybe a standard "gold coin" donation for those places with "primative" or no facilities, but most now have a fee of around $20 per night, to cover upgraded toilet blocks and camp kitchens.

Depending on the management, it will either be "first come - best dressed" or you may need to book in advance.  Like national parks, some locations are popular with the locals on weekends and during school holidays, so you should enquire in advance to avoid disppointment.

Free camp sites are not common in our region, see State Forests below for legal free camping areas.  And while it might be tempting to set up camp for a night or two, in a secluded reserve or suburban back street, please note it is against local bylaws in our region, especially the popular coastal locations of Ballina, Byron And Tweed LGAs. Council rangers conduct regular patrols, and you'll be asked to pack up and leave.  You might also get fined.

Please check out reserves listed below, campgrounds listed above, and see our Caravan Parks and Holiday Parks directory for more tourist parks in beach and bush localities.

• Guidelines for Ecotourists

State Forests

State Forests are now few and far between in our region, however free camping is available in State Forest parks shown below, where facilities are available.

Please note.  Free camping sites are not common in our region, and in popular coastal locations, it is against local bylaws.  In Tweed and Byron Shires in particular, rangers conduct regular patrols, especially along beaches and in nature reserves.  If you're found camping in a prohibited place, you will be asked to pack up and move on, and you may also get a fine.

Please check out state forests reserves listed below, campgrounds listed above, and also see our Caravan Parks and Holiday Parks directory for more tourist parks in beach and bush localities.

• Guidelines for Ecotourists

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