The Best Free Camping Spots in Queensland, Australia

Connect with nature on a camping trip to Charlotte Plains in Queensland, Australia
Connect with nature on a camping trip to Charlotte Plains in Queensland, Australia | © Genevieve Vallee / Alamy
Sally Smith

With deserted beaches, wild forests and unique wildlife, Australia’s great outdoors has it all – and there’s no better place to experience it than in the Sunshine State, where you’ll find lots of places to pitch with zero charges to pay. The best free camping in Queensland may occasionally be inaccessible by road, but follow our guide, and you’ll find free campsites without a hitch.

Notch Point, Ilbilbie

This camping area is located in Ilbilbie, south of Sarina, and offers a proper outdoors experience. The camp has no facilities, so most campers bring their camping gear to help them navigate the rough terrain, among other things. The site only allows a maximum stay of 24 hours to enjoy the fishing spots and picnic areas. It can also be very windy, depending on the season.

Fletcher Creek

Lake Somerset and Somerset Dam

The campsites are located in the Lake Somerset Holiday Park. The area is free but offers a wide variety of facilities that charge a fee. There are mini-golf courses for kids, and you can hire sports equipment and are allowed to enjoy the sporting oval and the playground. Other activities available in the park include swimming in clear lagoons, boating and water skiing. The sunsets are especially breathtaking by the lakefront.

Bedford Weir

Bedford Weir is the most outdoorsy of the free camping sites. It is a man-made impoundment along the Mackenzie River, offering fun activities close to the camp, including fishing, bird watching, walking, water skiing, kayaking and swimming. It is an ideal family camp spot, due to the fact that it has a wood barbecue area and a playground nearby. Fans of the barramundi and saratoga fish are in for a treat, as you’ll find plenty of them here.

Cumberland Historic Mine Site

Cumberland Historic Mine Site offers campers beautiful scenery and has a rich mining history. It is best suited for people with camping trucks since the camp is a parking area. There are no camping facilities, so campers must bring their own supplies. Despite the lack of camping resources, it offers a serene and beautiful environment for bird watching. The billabong is covered with water lilies and attracts black cockatoos, willie wagtails, rare budgies and whistling kites, among other birds. The site is 35km (22mi) east of Georgetown and has no cell reception or power.

Lloyd-Jones Weir

Southwest of Barcaldine lies this camping spot, which most campers refer to as peaceful and tidy. It is located along the river and surrounded by trees, which provide a lot of shade. The campsite offers an opportunity to see various species of birds from the tree cover – something especially nature photographers appreciate. The camp has a sandy beach next to a lagoon with clear water. Swimming in the lagoon and sunbathing at the beach is truly living the dream! The area offers most facilities, including barbecue stands, clean water, power and cell reception.

Babinda Rotary Park

The Babinda Rotary Park is located off the Bruce Highway in the Cairns region. Although the area is wetter than most parts of Queensland, it is nonetheless one of the best places to camp in this part of Australia. Visit Josephine Falls to take pictures, and observe birds perching around the fall. Especially for photographers, this is a great campsite. There are also boulders that provide a real climbing experience. Campfires are allowed in the park as it gets quite cold.

Kroombit Tops National Park

Kroombit offers the ultimate outdoors experience for campers. Travellers across Australia are fond of this area. It has a changing landscape that offers beautiful scenery for photographers and a breathtaking experience. The WWII Liberator Bomber is still in the position where it crashed more than 50 years ago. The area has two camping sites with all the necessary facilities, but campers are advised to carry fresh water and avoid camping close to dead trees. Two-wheel-drive automobiles can handle the terrain, but four wheels will allow you to venture further.

These free camping spots provide the best nature has to offer. Since the areas are free, they tend to fill up very quickly during the holidays. Visit the camps during off-peak times to avoid overcrowding, and refrain from using caravans, as they tend to get stuck on the narrow roads of the campsites.

Did you know – Culture Trip now does bookable, small-group trips? Pick from authentic, immersive Epic Trips, compact and action-packed Mini Trips and sparkling, expansive Sailing Trips.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.

Culture Trip Spring Sale

Save up to $1,100 on our unique small-group trips! Limited spots.

X
close-ad
Edit article