Wirra Campground is about as easy as bush camping gets near Adelaide. It sits in Para Wirra Conservation Park, around 40 km north-east of the city, with the Barossa Valley half an hour up the road, and we stopped for a night on the drive from the Yorke Peninsula into the Barossa. You get a booked gravel site among the gums, a proper camp kitchen and free gas BBQs, and the city is close enough that it works as a first or last night of a trip.
What we like
- 40 km from Adelaide
- Proper camp kitchen with sinks
- Free gas BBQs
- Fire pit on every site
- Barossa half an hour away
What we don’t
- No showers or drinking water
- Little shade on the sites
- Only 6 sites for vans
About Wirra CampgroundAbout
The park protects a patch of open bushland on the traditional lands of the First Peoples of the Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges region, and the campground sits in the middle of it, close to the walking trails, the lake and the Nature Play Forest. National Parks and Wildlife Service SA runs it, and all 19 sites are booked online at parks.sa.gov.au before you arrive. When we checked, every site was $27.50 a night for up to five people, with the park’s $14.40 vehicle entry on top, and there’s a group site for up to 15. Check-in is from midday and check-out is at 11 am.
Quick facts
- AddressWirra Campground, Para Wirra Conservation Park, Yattalunga SA 5114, AustraliaSee on the trip map →
- Phone receptionGood
- FacilitiesToiletsBBQCamp KitchenFire PitsWalking TrailsCamper Trailer AccessNo Drinking WaterNo ShowersNo Power
- Good to know19 booked sitesSites 14–19 for vansGas only in fire season
- Fees$27.50 a night, up to 5 peopleplus $14.40 park entry
- 8.7/10Overall rated
- Book via Parks SA
Getting There
From Adelaide it’s an easy drive out through the north-eastern suburbs and into the hills, sealed all the way to the park, and the campground loop itself is firm gravel that any car or van can handle. The main west gate off Para Wirra Road is only open from sunrise to sunset, so if you’re coming in late, use the code for the east gate off Humbug Scrub Road that comes with your booking. That gate is campers only and works around the clock. Pay the vehicle entry online before you go.
The park also closes on Wednesday evenings until August 2027 for pest control, and on catastrophic fire danger days, so check the park page before you book a midweek night.
The Campsites
The sites are big, open bays of pale gravel fenced with timber posts and wire, each with a numbered post and a steel fire pit, spread around a loop through the bushland. Sites 1 to 13 are mainly for tents and swags, and several of them (4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11 and 12) are walk-in, with the car parked 5 to 20 metres from the tent pad. A small camper trailer still fits on 1, 3, 7, 11 and 13. Sites 14 to 19 are the ones for campervans, camper trailers, small RVs and small caravans, so if you’re in a rooftop tent like us or towing something bigger, book one of those six early. Site 10 is a group site for up to 15 people and three vehicles. We had site 19, which had plenty of room for the Prado, the tent ladder, our table and chairs. All the sites are wheelchair accessible.
The gums stand around the edges rather than over the gravel, so most sites are fairly open and an awning is worth bringing in summer.
Campground LayoutLayout
The road in from Wirra Road splits into two loops. The west loop has the tent sites, most with their own parking bay, plus the toilets, the camp kitchen and the group site. The east loop is lined with the six van and trailer sites, and trails lead off from both into the park.
Facilities
The camp kitchen is the best thing here. It’s a stone shelter with a green roof and picnic tables out front, and inside there are stainless steel benches and sinks along the walls. Dispose of your washing-up water in the sink rather than on the ground. Nearby is a brick barbecue with free gas hotplates and more picnic tables. The toilets are in a stone block a short walk through the scrub, including an accessible one.
There are no showers or power, and the tap water is untreated, so bring all your drinking water with you. Wood fires are only allowed in the site fire pits in the cooler months, usually from May to October, and you need to bring your own firewood because collecting it in the park isn’t allowed. Through the fire danger season it’s gas only. Dogs are allowed on a lead on the walking trails.
Wildlife Around CampWildlife
The welcome board says to watch for echidnas and kangaroos feeding at dusk and dawn, possums in the trees after dark and plenty of birdsong in the morning. Not everything around here is cute and fluffy, though. The next morning we found an eastern brown curled up on a fallen log near the sites, the only snake we saw on the whole trip. Eastern browns are highly venomous but would rather get away from you, so give it plenty of room, wear closed shoes and keep an eye on where you step in the long grass.
Things to Do NearbyThings to do
In the park itself, the Lake Discovery Loop is an easy 1 km walk around the lake, good for birdwatching, and the Gawler View picnic area, 3 km from camp, has the Nature Play Forest for kids and the pram-friendly Gawler View Nature Loop. There are also longer bushwalks and shared trails for bikes.
The bigger draw is the Barossa Valley, about half an hour’s drive away. We went straight there the next day. Rockford Wines, in an old stone barn near Tanunda, was our first stop, and Maggie Beer’s Farm Shop, with its deck over the pond, is worth a stop to stock up on picnic food for the next camp. That night we camped among the vines at God’s Hill Wines near Lyndoch, a Hipcamp with a cellar door and an Italian restaurant on site.
Summary
Wirra Campground is a simple, well-run bush camp close to Adelaide. You get booked gravel sites, a good camp kitchen, free gas BBQs and a fire pit on every site, with the Barossa just up the road. Bring your own drinking water and some shade, book a van site if you need one, and use the east gate code if you’re running late.
An easy bush camp on Adelaide’s doorstep.
Nineteen booked sites on firm gravel among the gums, a proper camp kitchen, free gas BBQs and a fire pit on every site, with the Barossa half an hour up the road. Bring your own drinking water and a bit of shade, and book one of the six van sites if you’re not in a tent.
- Campers
- Families
- 4WD tourers
Yes, as a first or last night near Adelaide. $27.50 a night plus park entry gets you a quiet bush site, a good camp kitchen and the Barossa close by.
Recommended Gear for Wirra Campground
The tap water isn’t drinkable, so bring enough in good water containers. Wood fires are out for most of the camping season, so pack a gas stove like the Dune single burner for when the BBQs are busy. There are no showers, so a portable camp shower is worth having, and a headlamp like the Black Diamond Astro 300 helps on the walk to the toilets after dark.
