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Free Campsite at Les Myers Reserve

Home > Queensland > Adventure | Family | Free | Outdoor | School Holidays
by Annie (subscribe)
Annie. Writer and amateur photographer from SE Queensland who loves travelling the roads of life.
Published June 12th 2014
An old fashioned Aussie adventure
If you're sick of the "I'm bored" syndrome, and trying unsuccessfully to amputate your children from whatever piece of technology is currently their favourite, next holidays take them back to an old-fashioned, low cost Australian childhood at the Les Myers Reserve, on the banks of the Dumaresq River at Texas Qld.



Like many small country towns, Texas has opened its community to the modern day 'swaggies', grey/blonde nomads, adventurers and family campers by allowing free-camping on about 20 acres of land on either side of a 1 plus kilometre stretch of the Dumaresq, about 2 klm out of town.

A long-time favourite stopping spot for regular travellers, this spot is also great for family adventures, allowing children to enjoy the freedom of the bush and creek while Mum & Dad relax over a glass of wine and a good book. Good grassy sites in abundance and cool, shallow clear water with a stony bottom welcome campers to a variety of nooks and crannies to set up in. Over toward the bridge are deeper holes which suggest the good fishing the area is renowned for. The sites are mixed, the flatter areas at the start of the Les Myers Rest Area are popular with motorhomers, but across the cattle grid there is an abundance of sites to suit whichever style of camping you prefer.



The rules here are pretty simple. A fourteen day limit is imposed and all campers must be self-contained (so break out the porta-potti!) A good maxim is the CMCA one - Leave No Trace. The Council operates a free dump site in front of its Flemming Street works depot, and in the main street there is an excellent free unisex shower facility alongside the toilets.

Nearer toilets are only a couple of minutes drive just on the outskirts of town. While you're in town, check out the historic Rabbit Processing Works, the Tobacco & Historical Museum, Texas Regional Art Gallery at the Cultural centre, an excellent antique motor collection operated privately by the CR Wilson family which opens by appointment and Texas Cottage Industries, selling local arts and crafts on High Street. The whereabouts of all these and more is available on the large sign just outside the town on the way to your camp.



As the town, like many others in current economic times, depends in a small way on tourism income for their survival, take time to have a meal or two at one of the many eateries featuring good value, good country food. Texas butchery can supply your steaks for the BBQ and local grocery stores are friendly and helpful. There are wineries in the area, also a range of boutique accommodation services if you'd like to travel in more comfort. Check out the memorial at the Amenities Block to honour the resilience of the small community, hard hit by the 2011 floods.

There is good mobile service onsite so Mum & Dad can still stay in touch if necessary, but after a few days relaxing here, it seems less and less necessary. The travelling community that uses the site is a welcoming one, so you may be lucky enough to be invited to one of the regular 'happy hours', a good way of making new friends from all over Australia.



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Where: Les Myers Reserve, Texas, QLD
Cost: Free
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