TOP 10 PLACES TO STAY...
We have compiled our Top 10 places to stay to hopefully help other travellers when looking for somewhere to stay. We have obviously stayed in many more parks and free camps than this, but have tried to pick out our favourites to date. In the future this list will be updated with new and exciting places to stay as we travel further around the country .
In our experience, we have found that talking to other travellers, particularly in the free camp spots, invaluable. They are keen to have a chat and tell you their story and share tips about things to see and places to stay.
If you would like further information about any of these places, other places we may have stayed or have any suggestions for places we should stay, please email nicole@travellingoakeys.com - we love to hear from our readers.
TOP 10 PLACES TO STAY...
- Cairns Coconut Holiday Resort, Big 4, Qld
- The Devil's Marbles, NT
- Elliott Heads Caravan Park, Qld
- 1770 Camping Grounds, Qld
- The Boulders, Qld
- Gregory Downs, Qld
- Archers Point, Cooktown, Qld
- Karumba Point Sunset Caravan Park, Qld
- Lake Awoonga, Qld
- Longreach, Qld
CAIRNS COCONUT HOLIDAY RESORT, QLD
There is no doubt this has been the best place we have stayed to date. While Mum was with us we decided to splurge and spend a couple of days here. It is a kid's haven - 2 swimming pools with slides, jumping pillows, go-karts, mini golf and even pancake Sunday!! It is quite expensive, but it has everything you need. You could stay for a week and not have to leave the resort for anything!
To find out more about Big 4 Parks visit their website.
THE DEVIL'S MARBLES
Since leaving home, we had many people tell us "don't miss the Devil's Marbles", so I was really keen to go here. It is part of a National Park, so there are limited facilities, but at only $7 a night for the whole family you can't really expect too much. We loved our stay here and the Marbles are amazing to see - you could walk around and look at them for hours. We suggest late afternoon as the best time to look at the marbles, as it is cooler, and magnificant to watch the sun set over them - not to mention the fabulous photo opportunities.
The camp grounds are easy to access and can easily take large vans, such as us. Check out our Map page to see where they are located.
This was one of our first major stops on the trip and I have never forgotton it. We hadn't planned on staying here long, but when we arrived we new we had to stay a week. It was magical with secluded beaches that had crystal clear waters. The caravan park had lots of space, for the bigger vans, and all had shady, grassy sites.
The park is approximately 20mins drive east of Bundaberg, but well worth the drive. Check it out on the Map page.
This was another park that we stayed at early on the adventure - but how could you forget it. Situated right on the beach it is a perfect Queensland holiday destination. 1770 and Agnes Waters are both focused towards the tourists, but it is quite a lovely park, with a true beach feel to stay at. The park itself is very narrow to get into for the bigger vans, such as ourselves, but we did fit.
This free camp spot was a nice surprise. We had found it in the Camps 4 book and because it was free, we weren't expecting such a nice campground. There are only 5 sites there, but they are large enough to take 2 vans per site and there are toilet and shower facilities here. The sites are all grassy with lots of shade and only a short walk to The Boulders. It is a very popular campspot, so I would advise getting there early in the day as it fills up pretty quickly.
Check out our photos of the campsite and The Boulders.
GREGORY DOWNS
This was another unexpected favourite of ours. Another free camp site, however there are limited facilities - only toilets. The camp is right on the river which flows quite well, so the kids can float down on tyre tubes or boogie boards and have loads of fun. This camp site is usually well populated with travellers heading out to Lawn Hill National Park. We had loads of fun here and Chris even managed to catch a fish while here - so thumbs up from us all!
ARCHERS POINT, Cooktown
We hadn't even heard about this camp spot until we were talking to some other travellers who suggested it, and being the adventurous family that we are, thought we would give it a go - and boy are we glad we did. Another beautiful camp right beside the ocean - but you had to be careful of the crocodiles - other than that it's wonderful. We didn't actually see any croc's but had been warned that they had been seen in the area on occasions.
The road in to Archers Point is about 15kms of dirt, very good dirt with some minor dry creek crossings, but is a bit rough getting into the camp site - although we made it in and out so not too bad in the end. Very secluded area with no phone or internet service - but a great spot to relax by the beach with a cold beer or two!!
KARUMBA POINT SUNSET CARAVAN PARK
This park is a fisherman's dream! Located right next to the boat ramp and only a quick walk to the water - you could fish till your hearts content, then bring your catch back to the park to clean them in the provided areas.
The park is fairly large and more than happy to accommodate larger vehicles, like us. Karumba really is a must see as not only is there great fishing, especially barra's, but the sunsets over the water are really quite magical - especially at the local pub with another beer or two!!!
LAKE AWOONGA
Boynedale Bush Camp was our first real "free camp" on the trip and it really tested out all the solar and batteries we installed. It is a bit tricky to find and there is about 2kms of dirt road to arrive at the camp - but it is a nice spot to stay. There is one small toilet block, fire pits and plenty of space - the area is generally well populated with other travellers, mostly fisherman and about 30mins drive to closest town. We really enjoyed our time here - with the boys fishing every day and Lexie and I cooking up yummy sweets - how could you not enjoy it?
LONGREACH
We really do love our free camping - seeing as six of our top 10 places to stay are free! This spot can be found in the Camps Australia Wide books, and is about 4kms out of Longreach, situated beside the Thompson River. It is a very large area, with toilet and shower facilities and always seems to be heavily populated. It is a short stroll down to the river where you can throw a line in and try your luck in catching a yellow belly or throw a pot in overnight for some red claw.
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THE TRAVELLING OAKEY'S
Chris, Nicole,
Jack, Logan and Lexie