Best Camping Spots in NSW (2026)

Below the quick comparison, every campground gets a short write-up: what it’s like, what’s there and who it suits, with a link to the full guide. At the end are five more campgrounds we had a look around but didn’t stay at.

Quick picks: the best campgrounds in NSW compared

The table shows what each campground costs, whether there are showers, what you need to get in and whether dogs are allowed.

Best overall: The Pines, Watagans

The Pines scored 9.4, the highest of any campground we’ve reviewed. It’s free state forest camping in Olney State Forest, less than two hours from Sydney, with campsites spread out under a shaded canopy of slash pines and plenty of fire pits. Dogs are welcome, and fallen wood is fine for campfires.

There’s no booking, so it’s first come, first served, and it can get crowded on a busy weekend. If it’s full, three more free camping areas are a few minutes away.

Best creekside camp: Jounama Creek

Jounama Creek, in Kosciuszko National Park near Talbingo, scored 9.1. The sites run along a flowing creek with mountains behind, and ours had its own picnic table and fire pit. It’s a long stretch of campground, so you’re not close to anyone, and it’s only a $6 booking fee. We loved it here.

There’s no drinking water (the creek water needs treating), no showers, and it’s close to the highway.

Best facilities: Bungonia

Bungonia, a few hours from Sydney, is the most comfortable campground on this list: hot showers, flush toilets, a camp kitchen with gas cooktops, and walking tracks to the gorge lookouts. It’s not busy either, and the possums come out after dark.

At $24 a night plus park entry it’s steep, campfires aren’t allowed, and there are a lot of flies in summer. It makes a good first night on the way west.

Best Snowy Mountains base: Denison

Denison is a wide, open campground just off the Snowy Mountains Highway near Adaminaby, and a great base for the Snowy Mountains. There’s a lot of space between the fire pits, it’s only a $6 booking fee, and the kangaroos graze around the campground at dusk.

It’s very open, with little shade or shelter from the wind, there’s no drinking water and the ground is uneven, so bring a leveller.

Best outback stop: Woolshed Flat, Cocoparra

Woolshed Flat in Cocoparra National Park is a small bush campground on red earth near Griffith, and your first real taste of the outback if you drive from Sydney. It’s free with a $6 booking fee, big enough that you’re not near anyone, with lots of kangaroos and wallabies and a free barbecue under a picnic shelter.

The road is dry-weather only, there’s no phone signal, and bring covered shoes for the ants.

Best Wollemi camp: Coorongooba

Coorongooba scored 8.2. It’s a free national park campground at the end of Glen Davis Road, in the western reaches of Wollemi National Park, and a proper off-grid camp, with toilets, picnic tables and barbecues, and a 2WD can manage the road in the dry.

There’s no water and no reception, and the road can get boggy after rain.

Best free 2WD camp: Mount York

Mount York is a free, no-frills campground near Mount Victoria in the Blue Mountains, with history and big views. The road in is sealed all the way, so any car can get there, and there’s no booking.

There’s a pit toilet, but no water or power and no pets. It’s best in spring or autumn.

Best near the beach: Killalea

Killalea, near Shellharbour, is the coastal option: hot showers, flush toilets, a full camp kitchen and full phone reception, with Kiama a short drive away. It’s a good pick for a weekend from Sydney when facilities matter more than space.

It’s pricey at $35 a night for a small site, there’s a two-night minimum and no campfires, and the sites are close together, so it can be noisy.

Most remote: Finchley, Yengo

Finchley Campground sits deep in Yengo National Park, about 30 km from Wollombi on unsealed roads. It’s a low-key, back-to-basics camp with valley views, zero reception and next to no facilities, which is exactly the appeal.

There’s a composting toilet and fire pits, but no water, bins or power. The last stretch tests your clearance, so a 4WD is best.

Best 4WD camp near Sydney: Burralow Creek

Burralow Creek is in the Blue Mountains National Park, about 100 km from Sydney, reached by an 8 km 4WD track from Kurrajong Heights. The drive in is half the fun, and the campground is a quiet retreat once you’re there.

It’s 4WD only, with steep, narrow sections that need low range, and there’s no drinking water.

Best river camp: The Diggings, Turon

The Diggings sits on the Turon River in Turon National Park, about 10 km from Capertee, with quiet river views and gold rush history. The drive in includes a river crossing and a steep track down, so it’s 4WD only.

There are pit toilets and fire pits, but no water, no reception and no pets.

Best river crossings: Woolshed Flat, Turon

Woolshed Flat is the other Turon National Park camp, beside the Turon River with its gold-rush past. Getting there means three 4WD-only river crossings, which are easy on a dry day but can be impassable after heavy rain.

There are pit toilets, picnic tables and fire pits, but no water and no pets.

Best outback history: Mungo Main

Mungo’s main campground, about 110 km from Mildura, is unlike anywhere else on this list: surreal landscapes, rich Aboriginal heritage and real outback silence. The road in is unsealed, but a 2WD can manage it in the dry.

It’s $24.60 a night plus a vehicle entry fee, and there’s no water, bins or power, so come prepared.

Best cliff views: Mount Airly

Mount Airly, in Mugii Murum-ban State Conservation Area near Capertee, sits beneath towering sandstone cliffs and feels untouched. The road in is unsealed and steep in places, but a 2WD can manage it when it’s dry, and there’s hiking and old mining ruins nearby.

There are no toilets and no water, so you need to be fully self-sufficient.

Also worth a look

We didn’t stay at these five, but we had a good look around and wrote them up:

• Casuarina Camping Area, the one we’d try first if The Pines is full: free, shaded and a five-minute walk away.
• Turpentine Camping Area, the quiet one in Olney State Forest, with no toilets and no crowds.
• Olney Headquarters Camping Area, the open, practical camp with toilets and barbecues right on Watagan Forest Road.
• Three Mile Dam in Kosciuszko, with sites right on the shore of a small lake near Selwyn Snow Resort.
• Bullocks Hill, a simple bush camp under the snow gums, sheltered from the wind.

How to choose a campground in NSW

Start with what you’re driving and how much comfort you want. The best camping spots in NSW range from free bush camps with nothing but a toilet to paid campgrounds with hot showers, and many of the most remote camps are 4WD only.

Most national park camps need a booking, and a few of the free camps are in state forests, the only places where dogs are allowed. NSW campgrounds come in three types:

• Free camp

  Free no booking

  First in, first served. Often in a state forest, with a pit toilet at most.

  Facilities

  A toilet at most
  Dogs

  Allowed in state forests
  Like

  The Pines, Mount York
• Bush camp

  $6 booking

  Most national park camps: free to stay, with a booking fee and basic facilities.

  Facilities

  Toilets; no showers or drinking water
  Dogs

  No
  Like

  Jounama Creek, Denison
• With showers

  $20+ a night

  Paid campgrounds with flush toilets, hot showers and drinking water.

  Facilities

  Hot showers, flush toilets, water
  Dogs

  No
  Like

  Bungonia, Killalea