# Great Australian Camping



## Wanderer

Australia is blessed with massive open spaces, on the coasts close to and also well away from developed regions as well as in the vast inland, there being numerous National Parks for outdoor experiences and many if not most having their own unique features.

All so great for camping and hiking, even if transport to some for visitors can be a little difficult.

Australian Geography, a national organisation which produces great magazines and other outdoor information on our natural features has produced a list of 18 greatest camping locations.
Australia's 18 top camping spots - Australian Geographic

You can view the gallery, a right click on a picture and then a left on properties and you'll have the location, or just click on Launch Gallery to go through the 18 - http://www.australiangeographic.com.au/outdoor/view-image.htm?index=0&gid=5709

Do you have any great locations of your own?
I'll be thinking of mine.


----------



## ck10_9

Cape York was my favourite spot - Awesome


----------



## Mick

The Great Ocean road for me!


----------



## discoveringmelbourne

I love camping! thanks for the ideas.


----------



## ltodd

On the camp sites do you have to have your own tent or do you just pay to use the ones there. Thinking of trying to camp as much as i can when travelling the east coast but dont really want to take a tent.


----------



## Wanderer

ltodd said:


> On the camp sites do you have to have your own tent or do you just pay to use the ones there. Thinking of trying to camp as much as i can when travelling the east coast but dont really want to take a tent.


You'll not really find any camp sites with tents to use like there are in Europe if that's the experience you relate to, and the nearest you could get will be an onsite caravan in a caravan park at about $40-50/n at cheapest and more for small cabins.
You can get yourself pretty cheap igloo style lightweight tents for about $30 - $50 and seeing as once you get a bit north from Sydney, you'll not likely be seeing any rain from July for a couple of months, something cheap like that would last OK.
National Park o/n fees are about $5-6 and camping grounds about $15/n but you''ll find national parks are well out of towns and so a bit difficult to get to though some hostels will have contacts re local transport.


----------



## ltodd

Woud it be easier to just use hostels then? ive heard people have done trips on fraser island and camped, are the tents included in these trips?


----------



## Wanderer

ltodd said:


> Woud it be easier to just use hostels then? ive heard people have done trips on fraser island and camped, are the tents included in these trips?


There are plenty of hostels about and they do offer a reasonably priced travelling accommodation option and a good way to meet othr travellers too.
There are various Fraser Island trips, some run by tourist companies that may involve use of tents though some will be cabin based and more expensive.
The cheapest way that most backpackers do it is via a hostel from either Noosa, Rainbow Bay or Hervey Bay and they get a group of 6, 8 or even 10 backpackers together and stick them in a 4WD vehicle with camping gear included and off they go on a DIY trip, the only problem being that you'll have no idea of the competence of a driver and it'll be group dynamics that to some extent determines the trip enjoyment.
Accidents are happening more frequently on Fraser Island and there have been deaths and serious injury _[ but that can occur anywhere ]_ , the government tightening up on regulations to make the DIY trips more of a tag along approach, ie., there'll be several vehicles under the guidance of one driven by a company driver I imagine.
If you google Fraser Island, you'll get quite a few sites illustrating what's available and even in Sydney you'll find information via hostels, YHA, or even perhaps the Sydney Tourism Bureau, there being a large one in the Rocks area adjacent to the Circular Quay ferry terminal.


----------

