Camping Grounds and Holiday Parks

Most beachside holiday parks and tourist parks will by run by the local council, while private campgrounds and holiday parks 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 no beach camping on Gold Coast beaches.  (Check out South Stradbroke Island - "Straddie", in Moreton Bay for beach camping options.)

The free listings below are provided to ensure the most comprehensive local directory possible.
  When you contact folks listed here, please mention that you found them via Big Volcano.  Thanks.

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.

Book selected "Glamping tents" below via Booking.com^* or search for more options.

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.

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.

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 recommended. At NSW National Parks, it is "first come - best dressed", so you may drive in, and pay your camping fee as directed at self payment stations prior to setting up camp.  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.

Public Reserves, Showgrounds and State Forests

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 or nominal fee for camping at these locations.

Facilities are usually primitive or basic, and 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.

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

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 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

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