Top 5 Free Camping Spots in Victoria
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Melbourne is stacked with free entertainment choices but you can escape the crowds with a camping holiday. Campsites are found all over the Garden State. Pitch your tent at one of these best spots, each in a different national park. You don't need a 4WD and best of all, the camping is free.
There are 'roughing it' levels though. For somewhere to snooze, you might fancy a caravan, while the more rugged camper prefers a tent beside the campfire. While valet service is rare, warm tea brewed from pure springwater is much more refreshing - no tip needed. If you're a beginner, what can you expect?
Joys
- Switch off. Without wires and wi-fi, you won't bump into smartphone addicts.
- Clean living. Forget
The Biggest Loser, exercise doesn't have to be torture. Hiking, climbing and canoeing immerse you in a natural landscape to energise the mind, body and soul.
- Backwoods breakfast. Plastic-wrapped takeaway tempts us in the city, but around a campfire, a wood-fired pizza, hearty roast dinner over hot coals, or grilled fish caught from a local stream, satisfies a hunger that a visit to
Lord of the Flies can't touch.
- Breathtaking beauty. The silence, crisp air and night sky alive with stars replace suburbian DIY, stereos, cigarette smoke and commuter chaos. Savour these sustaining moments before returning to the daily grind.
- Channelling your inner Bindi Irwin, Leyland brother or
Survivor winner in authentic surroundings.
- The warm glow of accomplishment after a weekend (or longer) without mod-cons, then returning home for a restaurant meal, hot shower, and comfy bed.
Excited to escape? Binge-watched
I Shouldn't Be Alive to prepare?
Start the adventure at one of these top 5 free campsites in national parks around Victoria:
Blue Pool
In Central Gippsland, the Blue Pool campsite is tucked in the Briagolong State Forest.
Pester your partner with Shakespeare quotes as you wind along the Avon River, passing Stratford on Briagolong Rd.
Free by name, free by nature, a swim in Freestone Creek is a cool treat.
The site is very popular now but the forest has more campsites nearby if you hit traffic.
The campground has wood-fired barbecues, toilets and picnic tables.
Visit the
Parks Victoria website for details.
Andersons Garden
The colonial explorers had a tough day when they reached Mount Disappointment State Forest. But their moods improved around a campfire in Andersons Gardens.
The fires of Black Saturday in 2009 tore through the Great Dividing Range. But the Aussie bush is resilient, surprising campers when green shoots returned so soon to replace soot and ash.
The campground has wood-fired barbecues, toilets and picnic tables.
Visit the
Parks Victoria website for details.
Noonans Flats
Find your fortune at the deserted gold mines in the Howqua Hills, west of Mount Buller.
Huts used by miners line the site as horses trot along tracks carrying pleasure riders.
Fish or swim in the streams, hike or pan for gold dust.
The campsite has toilets, a wood barbecue and easy access for cars and caravans.
Visit the
Parks Victoria website for details.
Gunbower Island
Along the Murray River, share your campsite with a variety of colourful birds.
Fish for Golden Perch at Gunbower Creek, either from the beach or in a boat.
Work up a sweat on the 14km Koondrook Track before diving into the creek to refresh for dinner.
Visit the
Parks Victoria website for details.
Triplet Falls
Camp free at Aire Crossing in the Great Otway National Park. Listen for the plunging water at Triplet Falls from the vantage points set up along the trails.
Marvel at centuries-old Mountain Ash trees as fern leaves sway around you on the 2km walk circling the falls.
Scan the forest floor for a colourful carpet of moss.
Be sure to bring your own stove and drinking water to the camp. There are toilets and taps for washing.
Visit the
Parks Victoria website for details.
Have you found another fantastic free camping spot? Please let us know, we love free camping.
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131949 - 2023-06-13 08:17:53