20 July 2021

Camping area for kids

| ozmackem
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Been ‘camping’ a few times with my 6 year old boy in the back garden to get him used to the ‘camping’ experience. He realy wants to do some ‘proper’ camping now, so I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for somewhere the two of us could go.

I really want to avoid serviced campsites with plug sockets and showers and on-site shops and the like, and am looking for somewhere safe where we can wake up in the morning without being surrounded by other tents, or can sleep at night without being serenaded by drunken youths. I’m presuming there are plenty of places in Namadgi that are not too far off the beaten track and are reasonably easy to get to.

READ ALSO The best campgrounds near Canberra

Anyone got any suggestions as to where we could find such a place? Or information about such places?

Cheers in advance.

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Definitely try Wee Jasper – pet friendly, kid friendly. The main camping area has showers, toilets, playground and bbq, all right on the river. Other camping reserves not so many facilities but still fantastic and all have proper toilets. Micalong Creek has terrific swimming hole! It’s only 1 hour from Canb.

Oops – bad spelling on Orroral.

Saltwater Beach is booked out during school summer holidays. Don’t even bother making the drive without ringing the National Parks office first. If you avoid Victorian school holidays and Victorian long weekends, you should be fine.

Mt Clear is pretty good. Aurural Valley is good too. Avoid both in high fire danger weather.

Clown Killer2:59 pm 21 Jan 10

For a trip a little further afield you could try Saltwater Creek in Ben Boyd National Park. Great fishing, a nice beach, the occasional seal and really nice camping spots amongst the trees. It gets really busy in peak times – Summer school holidays, easter etc. but I’ve been there in February and March and there might be one of two other campers there. The road it can be a bit rough, but very do-able in a 2WD if you take it easy.

Brou Beach south of Bodalla – has a dry dunny – no shower. Beach not optimum for swimming – steep shelving, but the camping is nice, the other users, it being off the track a bit tend not to be of the bogan fringe and in season the fruit bats are a joy to watch – and there is a lake to paddle a canoe around in.

Lilli, The road to Mt Clear campsite is a combination of sealed and unsealed roads, which is able to be driven by two wheel drive vehicles. Your VW should be fine if you don’t mind a few bumps and a bit of road dust. You must turn left of the dirt road to access the campsite, if you just veer left you’ll not miss it. The Namadji visitor centre is along the sealed part of that road a couple of clicks past Tharwa on the left, you shouldn’t miss that too. I can’t help you with the price.

walking by quietly8:47 pm 16 Dec 09

Try Micalong Creek at Wee Jasper. 100km easy drive from Canberra. It’s quiet 99% of the year and you can swap the shower for a swim in the waterhole complete with waterfall (ok it’s only a small one but it’s great on a hot day).

For anyone who has recently been to Mt Clear: what is the road like on the way out there? I had a look via the map provided and can not really tell whether the last approx 10-15k are sealed or unsealed? We only have a small VW hatchback and I’m wondering whether this would make the drive or not?

Also, are the campsites clearly indicated when you are approaching or are they easy to miss? Last silly question: where on earth is Namadgi Visitor’s Centre and how much is a camping permit?

Sorry for all the questions – I haven’t been camping by myself (used to go with Scouts) so I’ve never really had to worry about these things previously!

I second Woods Reserve, I was there last weekend. If you want to go a little further, Abercrombie Caves out behind Goulburn is fantastic, with a great river, caves to explore, yabbies to catch and not too crowded but probably other kids for him to play with.

Here ya go, http://www.tams.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0013/13243/campinginnamadgi0504.pdf. Any of these are recommended and are listed in order of distance from the burbs.

Annon Gungan, Yes, there are several short bushwalks to lookouts with spectacular views. Take a camera and binoculars. Cunninghams Gap is at the top of the great dividing range along the inland road from Brisbane thruogh Sydney, and is a place bushwalkers and campers should experience.

AussieRodney8:48 pm 15 Dec 09

+1 for Honeysuckle Creek, Orroral Valley, Mt Clear & the several sites south of Wee Jasper.

And get him into Scouts if that works for you.

anonymous gungahlian12:33 pm 15 Dec 09

Has anyone ever been to “Cunningham’s Gap” near Warwick, QLD? (probably not since it’s 1,100KM’s away from Canberra) I’ll be camping there with my Aunty, Uncle and Parents this Christmas. It looks good from what I’ve seen on their website, but… any opinions?

May I suggest Mt Clear Campground? Slightly further to drive, but still close, and very nice. There is a creek, and a nice fire trail if you have the ability to take pushbikes. Bit far out for any hoon behaviour, although that probably isn’t too much of an issue at Honeysuckle or Orroral Valley, both of which I also recomend.

Conan of Cooma10:36 am 15 Dec 09

“Proper” camping? High country huts in Kiandra, Lake Jindabyne or Eucumbene, Pinch and Snowy river junction (near Vic border), anywhere down the cost…

Honeysuckle Creek is usually pretty quiet. Not sure about the hoon factor potential at night, but it’s a fair way out of town. Good potential for snow in winter as it’s at 1700m or something. Mt Clear campsite is not far before the NSW border.

The Cotter is fine. There are toilets and showers but no shop, no power and a 6yo will think you are in the middle of nowhere. There is a bushwalk up to Cotter Caves on the other side of the river, great spots for rock-hopping and watching bats at night, and the odd roo hopping around in the evenings.

The firewood provided at the Cotter has several properties that more resemble concrete, so unless you are incredibly strong and fit with a big mother of an axe, I would suggest buying a bag of firewood to take down. There are electric BBQs with tables under a shelter at one end of the Cotter campground.

There are a couple of proper campsites out around Wee Jasper that would probably suit.

Woods reserve down in Corin Forest is not too far at all, and a great campsite area. They have gas and wood bbq’s, toilets and some good walking to be done around the area.

There are no camp sites on the Mount Franklin Road. Closest thing is to get a permit for bush camping in the upper Cotter catchment.

grunge_hippy said :

orroal valley down in namadji is nice. i dont know if it was affected by the fires, but it had a toilet (no shower) and was quite pleasant.

+1 to that!

Also good up at Honeysuckle Creek site. Same route as Oororal Valley but turn off to right before your drop into Naas Creek/Valley. If you go up a really steep hill (Fitz’s Hill) than ya gone too far. If you go up Fitz’s Hill, then Oororal is just over the crest (about 2km).

Enjoy

I haven’t been there but friends have commented about Honeysuckle Creek (I think) in Namadgi that is supposed to be pretty good.

If you don’t mind a bit of a drive – Errinundra Nat Park just over the border in Vic is pretty good and not overrun by other campers.

Theres a camp site down on the Mount Franklin Rd

Many years ago, I took my kids just to the Cotter area – it’s the camping ground on the left hand side when travelling from Weston. Both kids went on to enjoy camping and adventurous activities mainly through Scouts, including one to his Gold DofE.

Good luck – I like your approach.

grunge_hippy6:39 pm 14 Dec 09

orroal valley down in namadji is nice. i dont know if it was affected by the fires, but it had a toilet (no shower) and was quite pleasant.

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