Category: Top Spots

Freedom Camp, NSW, Top SpotsLeave a comment

Coopernook, NSW

Itching for Hitching

We turn off Highway One to visit the Coopernook Pub, it offers free camping in the back yard for the price of a beer. The pub overlooks the Lansdowne River and the remains of a large iron bridge. We have a beer but decide to move on to check out the Coopernook Forest Campground. Brian who has a fear of dirt roads is just about hyperventilating as we drive the 3kms to the park. Suddenly the trees part and there before us is a wide, open mowed grassy area with shade trees and enough space for about thirty camps. There … Continue reading Coopernook, NSW

Caravan Parks, Qld, Top SpotsLeave a comment

Evening Star

Itching for Hitching

Evening Star Tourist Park is a working station and caravan park a mere nine kilometres out of Charleville, Qld and when we call in (winter 2014) it is managed by cheery Neil and Dot. The place is so good we book a second night as soon as we’re set up. It’s as neat as a pin with a real bush feel. There are spacious gravel sites and ensuite amenities surrounded by red dirt and mulga scrub. There is a licensed bar and camp kitchen that is run by Lenny the muso and his wife Annette who is the camp cook. … Continue reading Evening Star

National Park, NSW, Places, Top SpotsLeave a comment

Woody Head

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At Iluka, NSW which is opposite Yamba on the mouth of the Clarence, we choose to stay at the Woody Head camp ground in the Bundjalung National Park. The camp ground is in a sheltered basin overlooking the ocean and surrounded by World Heritage rain forest. We set up on a large level site and have lunch with a wild turkey and a couple of old ducks. There are a lot of people camped here but it is incredibly quiet, except for the screeching of the lorikeets and the pounding of the surf. Back at camp we enjoy the solitude … Continue reading Woody Head

Freedom Camp, National Park, Places, Point of Interest, SA, The Characters You Meet, Top Spots1 Comment

Pildappa Rock

Itching for Hitching

About 15kms off the Eyre Highway near the town of Minnipa in South Australia, Pildappa Rock stands high and proud above the wheat fields. The Eyre Peninsula is known for its granite monoliths and nearby Mt. Wudinna is 2nd largest to Uluru. Our mate finds a perfect campsite beside the wave face of the Rock and we constantly marvel at its size and the lichen stripes and patterns. Our other fellow campers are sprightly eighty year old retired Clarence Valley farmers in a camper trailer. We climb the rock and watch the sun set over the wheat fields. Our neighbour … Continue reading Pildappa Rock

Freedom Camp, Places, Top Spots, Vic2 Comments

Nug Nug, Vic

Itching for Hitching

Just a short 10kms south of Myrtleford in the Ovens Valley there is a delightful bush camp called Nug Nug. Managed and well maintained by local residents there is lush green grass and both native and specimen trees beside the gurgling Buffalo River. There are toilets, a BBQ and power and river water are on tap. A small daily fee is charged. Myrtleford is a great base for exploring the Ovens Valley and there is no shortage of local produce. It may have a funny name but Nug Nug is a place where you end up staying much longer than … Continue reading Nug Nug, Vic

National Park, Places, The Characters You Meet, Top Spots, WA2 Comments

Big Brook Arboretum, Pemberton

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In Western Australia the National Parks have a system of camp hosts. Camp hosts are volunteers who stay on site for about six weeks at a time. Their task is to manage the camp and the fees and keep the amenities clean. The system works very well and the camp grounds are a credit to the camp hosts. When we arrive at Big Brook Arboretum it is being hosted by Jim and Flo. “It’s a Conservation Park so dogs are allowed”. Says Jim as he puts his arm around Flo. We sit around the campfire and celebrate Jim and Flo’s … Continue reading Big Brook Arboretum, Pemberton

Freedom Camp, Top Spots, VicLeave a comment

Ayson’s Reserve

Itching for Hitching

We often camp at Ayson’s Reserve just outside of Elmore in Victoria. It is on the Campaspe River. Ayson’s is the original site of the Elmore Field Days before it became too large. It is perfectly flat with enough room for what looks like a hundred camps. There are toilets and a dump point. It is well grassed and maintained and stretches for about a kilometre along the river bank. This is a perfect spot to be in hot or cool weather. In summer you wake to the screech of cockatoos and the smell of hot dry bush. Which way … Continue reading Ayson’s Reserve

Freedom Camp, Top Spots, VicLeave a comment

Charlton Travellers Rest

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A favourite spot of ours is the Travellers Rest at Charlton, Vic. It is on the Calder Highway halfway between Melbourne and Mildura and it caters well to tourists. The manager Phil Brock makes everyone welcome. There are camp areas for those requiring power as well as ensuite sites and at the far end of the park there is a donation box area with water available for those free camping. A swing bridge crosses the river and links both areas of the park. Near the bridge there is a small herb garden for campers to use. There’s plenty of parking … Continue reading Charlton Travellers Rest