Friends have recently bought a caravan and asked for any hints that we had about great places to visit. At the rate that these ‘snippets’ of advice are going, this will be a book before I finish telling them where to bloody well go. Now I’m going to start this list with Victoria because that’s where these guys live. And by region to not confuse anyone. For more details all are listed in WikiCamps.

Victoria – Northeast & High Country

Yarck. Living on the Mornington Peninsula we find that when we’re heading to the northeast of the state it’s much less stressful to avoid Melbourne by peeling off Eastlink, through Ringwood and Chirnside Park then taking Victoria Rd up to Yarra Glen and the B300 to Yea. That way Yea is an easy place to park for a pit stop and pick up those last-minute supplies. Yarck is not much further on from Yea and the old Recreation Reserve provides level grassy camping, has flushing toilets, a ripper pub and a brilliant bakery. And…there are nice views and no traffic noise. What more could one ask of a one-nighter.

Skipworth Reserve, Jamieson on the Upper Goulburn River. It is so good that even the locals camp here. There’s a feeling of remoteness, yet it is only a few minutes’ drive to either Jamieson or the Kevington Pub (AKA The Kevy). Continuing up the road you wind your way through gold mining towns like Gaffney’s Creek to the rather isolated but intriguing Woods Point. This is one of our top favourites. There are drop toilets, fire pits, river water. And there are trout in the river.

Nug Nug Reserve, up in the Ovens Valley about 10kms south of Myrtleford is a delightful little campground that is managed by the locals. There are flushing toilets, cold showers, power and water from the Buffalo River that borders the camp. There are trout in the river here too.

Whorouly Recreation Reserve. The good folk of the town are happy to let us grey nomads camp for a small fee, it’s good security for their property. There are flushing toilets, hot showers and a bbq. The locals are friendly, the pub is a ripper, and the café is just across the oval.

Brown Bros, Milawa. What good people the Brown family are. They allow free camping in their car park opposite the winery. There are no facilities on offer but a pleasant lunch and a wine tasting usually means that your load will be heavier than when you arrived. You must contain your grey water.

Yackandandah, is a town that was forgotten for a while. It probably didn’t help when the government of the day decided to move the Sydney Melbourne ‘road’ to nearby Chiltern. This town is filled with old shops selling paraphernalia, wisteria draped picture-book cottages, and a seriously good pub called the Star Hotel where local musicians have jam sessions on Friday nights. Better still is the tiny caravan park nestled between two trout streams. There are English daisies on the lawns and specimen shade trees. If you don’t feel like exploring nearby Beechworth, Eldorado, Kiewa and Ovens Valleys you can ditch the car because the main street is a short block away. Good Lord, I forgot to mention the French bakery, the lamb and mint pies from Gum Tree Pies, the bespoke felt hat maker and the gin distillery. Trust me this is a town you’ll want to return to time and again. Yackandandah Holiday Park, all caravan park facilities.

Kergunyah, in the Kiewa Valley is not far from Yackandandah. There’s an old hall and a picturesque caravan park beside the Kiewa River. It’s a spot to chill and watch the sheep as the sun goes down over the mountains. Kergunyah Store & Caravan Park, all facilities.

Chiltern, on the western side of the Hume Highway this little town was forgotten when that Sydney Melbourne Road became a highway and moved a few k’s east. The town is small with some heritage buildings and a pretty caravan park overlooking Lake Anderson. Lake View House, the home of female author Henry Handel Richardson is nearby. This is a great base from which to explore Rutherglen and Albury. Lake Anderson Caravan Park, all facilities and pretty as a picture.

The Park, Mt Beauty. On the outskirts of the township of Mount Beauty and situated on the Kiewa River. This is a lovely destination caravan park with all facilities. And fresh mountain air.

Northeast Drives

The King Valley. With several free camps, wineries and a mountain stream this is a delightful drive between regions. Basically, it’s up from Mansfield and over the range to Milawa. The bushrangers’ outpost of Power’s Lookout has panoramic views of the area. It is a must stop to go aaaah. The Whitfield pub is good to whet the whistle, so too Pizzini Wines if you need to top up the caravan cellar.

The Upper Murray region from Tallangatta to Khancoban is a treat with oodles of free campgrounds beside the swift running Murray and fresh mountain air, places like Burrowye Bend, Jingellic, Walwa, Tintaldra and Towong Reserve. Get out the solar panels as facilities are rare but there is river water for the tanks. Swinging back inland Corryong’s caravan park Colac Colac (Clack Clack) is a peaceful riverside delight and the nearby hamlet of Cudgewa has a rather good pub. Because the road up past Mt Kosciuszko to Thredbo and Jindabyne is unsuitable to caravans, Colac Colac is a good spot to leave the van and take the sometimes heart stopping and always breathtaking drive up to Lake Jindabyne. This drive will have you reciting The Man from Snowy River (Banjo Paterson) and, you can pay your respects at his grave in Corryong.