Cambrian was the last campground we passed on our gorge day before the Brachina road, sitting at the northern end of the Bunyeroo Gorge Scenic Drive among native pines and red gums. We drove through for a look rather than staying, but it’s an easy, well-set-up bush camp, and with the Bunyeroo and Brachina drives on the doorstep it’s a sensible base.
What we like
- Picnic tables and shelters
- 13 numbered sites, well spread
- Native pines for shade
- Minutes from the gorge trail
- Fire pits and a long-drop
What we don’t
- No drinking water or bins
- Patchy reception
- Gas only in summer
About Cambrian CampgroundAbout
Cambrian sits on a creek line between the Heysen and ABC ranges, where the Bunyeroo road comes down out of the gorge to meet the Brachina Gorge Road. It has 13 numbered gravel sites for one vehicle each spread among the pines, with picnic tables and a couple of shelters, fire pits at most sites, a long-drop toilet block and a rainwater tank. Sites are allocated at $27.50 a night, so you book your number online before you come in, because reception down here is patchy.
Quick facts
- AddressCambrian Campground, Bunyeroo Road, Ikara-Flinders Ranges National Park, SA, AustraliaSee on the trip map →
- Phone receptionPatchy
- FacilitiesToiletsFire PitsPicnic TablesPicnic ShelterCaravan AccessCamper Trailer AccessNo Drinking WaterNo BinsNo PowerNo ShowersNo Pets
- Good to know13 numbered sitesGravel road, 2WD in the dryPatchy reception, book first
- Fees$27.50 a night per site$14.40 park entry
- 8.6/10Overall rated
- Book via Parks SA
Getting There
From Wilpena Pound, head north on the Flinders Ranges Way and turn onto the Bunyeroo Gorge Scenic Drive. The gravel road climbs over the Razorback, drops through Bunyeroo Gorge and crosses the flats to the campground near the junction with the Brachina Gorge Road. It’s rough and corrugated in places but fine for a high-clearance 2WD, caravans and trailers in the dry, and the signposted entrance is easy to find.
Campground LayoutLayout
The track leaves the Bunyeroo Valley Road at the information board and runs east to the creek, where sites 1 to 3 sit on a small loop at the north end, the toilet is in the middle, and sites 4 to 13 are strung south along the dry creek, with a couple of short loops off the track. Here’s how it fits together.
The Campsites
The sites are numbered posts on red gravel among the native pines and gums, well spread out, with the ranges on both sides. Several have a picnic table, and there are shelters with tables for shade in the heat. One site we looked at sat beside a tumble of rocks with the hills behind, and the pines give more shade than the camps further into the gorge. There’s a fire pit for the cooler months, with the usual rules: gas only over summer and no collecting firewood in the park.
Bring Your Own Drinking WaterDrinking water
The information shelter at the entrance has the park map and the self-registration station, with the rainwater tank beside it and the long-drop toilet block nearby. The tank water isn’t guaranteed, so bring your own drinking water, and there are no bins.
Things to Do NearbyThings to do
Brachina East Campground and the start of the Brachina Gorge Geological Trail are just around the corner, and the Razorback and Bunyeroo Valley lookouts are back up the Bunyeroo road. Acraman Campground is the small camp nearer the lookouts, and the rest of the park is in our Flinders Ranges National Park guide.
Summary
An easy bush camp with picnic tables, shelters, fire pits and a long-drop among the pines, right where the two gorge drives meet. Book a number, bring water and firewood, and use it as a base for the gorges and the lookouts.
A solid, easy bush camp at the top of the Bunyeroo road, with 13 numbered sites among native pines and red gums, picnic tables, shelters, fire pits and a long-drop.
It doesn’t have the gorge walls of Teamsters or the sunrise of Acraman, but it’s a comfortable base minutes from both drives. We drove through and would happily stay.
- Caravanners
- 4WD tourers
- Families
Yes. $27.50 a night gets a numbered site with shade, a fire pit and often a picnic table, right where the Bunyeroo and Brachina drives meet.
Recommended Gear for Cambrian Campground
Carry drinking water in good water containers, as the tank isn’t drinkable. A power bank covers the phones and lights with no power, a camping fridge keeps food safe in the heat, and the Hema Flinders Ranges Atlas & Guide shows every camp along the Bunyeroo and Brachina roads.
