Free camping in Australia: how to find spots and be a good camper

How we find spots

WikiCamps is a must-have app for travelling Australia, and it's the app we rely on to find our camps. Our very first night in Tasmania was a spot we found on WikiCamps the morning we got off the Spirit. As a backup, we also use CampsAustraliaWide, which is handy for double-checking a spot. There's more on the apps we use in our van life apps guide.

The filters we use

These are the filters we have on most of the time:

• Free, paid and donation camps, so we see everything.
• Campgrounds, caravan parks, hostels (some offer camping), sportsgrounds and farm stays.
• Access filtered to include motorhomes, so we only see places Ron can actually get to and use.
• Amenities like power, toilets and showers, switched on or off depending on what we need that day.

We also turn on the map layers for public toilets, day use areas, dump points and water filling points. Between them, you can plan where to empty, refill and stop for the day without much effort.

Read the reviews

We always read the reviews before we stay somewhere. Other travellers will tell you what the access is like, whether it's quiet, and whether anything has changed. Following other people's recommendations means we rarely have to worry about where we're sleeping.

The mix of places we stay

We don't have a set plan. We're going with the flow and deciding what we need on the day, or for the next few days. That might be a free camp because we're fully stocked, or a campsite because we need a shower, power and a load of washing.

• Free and donation camps: we use these as much as we can. If there's a donation box, please use it, because it helps keep these places open.
• National park camps: we love these. They usually need booking and a fee, which goes towards looking after the park. In Queensland, for example, you must book and pay for a camping permit before you arrive (Queensland Parks: camping bookings). In Western Australia, national park campsites are booked through Park Stay WA.
• Campsites and caravan parks: we book one now and again, when we need the facilities.
• Farm stays: there are some awesome spots to stay on working farms and stations. Bullara Station in WA is one example we loved.
• Booking a camp online: we've occasionally booked camps through Hipcamp, which lists private camping spots on farms and other properties.

When to book ahead

We only pre-book very popular spots, like Broome, and Shark Bay for Monkey Mia. Those book up, so plan well ahead.

Be conscious of school holidays too. Queensland Parks recommends booking at least 6 weeks ahead for the most popular camping spots, especially in peak periods like public and school holidays (Queensland Parks: camping bookings, checked 31 October 2026).

Self-contained vans

What "self-contained" means

Some free camps and rest areas are for self-contained vehicles only. There isn't one single national definition, and councils word it differently, but the idea is the same: you can sleep, cook, use a toilet and hold all your waste water inside your vehicle, without relying on the camp's facilities or letting anything onto the ground.

A couple of examples of how councils put it (checked 31 October 2026):

• Northern Midlands Council in Tasmania says self-contained means shower, washing, toilet, cooking and sleeping must be contained within your vehicle, and no grey or black water, or any other liquid, can be let out onto the ground (Northern Midlands Council).
• The Shire of Moora in Western Australia says you must provide your own water and toilet, and be able to capture grey water in the vehicle, with no external buckets (Shire of Moora).

Some definitions ask for more than others (a shower, for example), so read the camp's own rules before you pull in.

Ron's setup

Ron can be fully self-contained. He has a small 25 litre grey water tank for the sink, and a chemical toilet. When we need to, we hold our waste and limit how much we use until we reach a dump point.

Have we ever been turned away?

No, never. The only restrictions we remember were at some camps in the Northern Territory, especially around Darwin, which said caravans only, no campervans. We didn't try those. Our tip: check the camp's rules and the WikiCamps listing first, so there are no surprises.

The unwritten rules

Free camps are a privilege, not a right. We've seen camps disappear in the past, so it's always best to respect the area and your fellow campers, follow the rules, and donate where you can to keep them going.

• Give others space when you can. If there's room, don't park right next to someone.
• Never walk through someone else's spot. This is our pet hate. People cut through our spot, right past our open sliding door, and it feels like a real invasion of privacy. You wouldn't walk through someone's front garden because it was quicker, would you?
• Use the bins where they're provided, and if there aren't any, take your rubbish with you. Take everything out that you bring in (Queensland Parks: camp with care).
• Use dump points for toilet and grey water. Never empty them on the ground. Queensland Parks also says to empty chemical toilets only at approved toilet waste disposal facilities, and never into park toilets, because they can't cope with the waste or the chemicals (Queensland Parks: camp with care). WikiCamps shows dump points on its map layers.
• Respect time limits and signs.
• Use the donation box. If a camp asks for a donation, give one. It's what keeps these places open.
• Keep the noise down, especially at night.
• Leave it better than you found it. The Leave No Trace Australia principles are a good place to start.

Fires and fire bans

Fire danger ratings and total fire bans are set by each state and territory. Bans can be declared on short notice, and on a total fire ban day you generally can't light a campfire at all. In Victoria, for example, all campfires are banned on Total Fire Ban days (CFA: Can I or Can't I?). National parks and councils can also have their own fire rules all year round, so check the park or camp too.

Check the official page for wherever you're staying (checked 31 October 2026):

Safety

We rarely worry about where we're sleeping, and a lot of that comes down to a few simple habits:

• We always check the reviews. If other travellers recommend a place, that goes a long way.
• Ron was built so we can shut the door and feel safe. There's a hatch through to the cab, so if we ever needed to, we could climb through and drive off without stepping outside.
• If a camp feels even slightly unusual, we leave nothing outside. Chairs, table and everything else stay packed away, so we can leave quickly if we want to.

Parking up by dusk

Australia is full of wildlife that comes out around and after sunset, so we prefer to be parked up by dusk. It isn't a strict rule for us, more a cautious preference, and it's what we've found works on the highways we drive. It also means you arrive in daylight, so you can see the camp and pick your spot.

Finding your own favourites

We're not going to list our favourite camps. Honestly, we think you have to check WikiCamps yourself, because there are so many out there once you know where to look. Set up your filters, read the reviews, and you'll find your own.

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