In Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park lies a beautiful picnic and camping spot named the Basin. This spot is a ferry ride from Palm Beach on the Northern Beaches of Sydney. It is a beautiful area with a beach, plenty of grassy picnic or camping space, and a wonderful family atmosphere. As it must be accessed by ferry, the area is an idyllic holiday spot- isolated from the busyness of the mainland, and yet still in close proximity to the heart of Sydney.
Facilities
There are many facilities at the Basin, including lookouts, horse riding tracks, picnic tables, cycling trails, camping areas, cafes and walking tracks. There is a beach, in which you can swim, sail, canoe, snorkel or fish. For more information on the facilities and acitivites of the Basin, visit
here.
Cost
There is an entry fee to enter the area, of approximately $2 for children and $3-4 for adults depending on how you arrive. If camping there is no access fee, but a camping fee of $7 per child and $14 per adult. These prices are increased if there is no booking for both entering and camping.
There is also a cost for the ferry; the details can be found on the Palm Beach Ferry website that has a link below.
Access and Transport
The ferry ride to the Basin from Palm Beach Wharf leaves every hour on the hour starting from 9am and finishing at 8pm. It is a twenty minute trip there. More details on time changes in school holidays and prices can be found on the
Palm Beach Ferry website.
Alternatively, you can drive into the National Park and cycle or walk to the Basin.
More information on access and transport, including buses, can be found
here.
The Basin is a great picnic and camping spot, close enough to the heart of Sydney for a day trip, or a weekend holiday.
