12 September 2024
11 mins Read
You know its famed inner-city river, but did you know Brisbane is also home to extraordinary natural wonders? Camping in Brisbane and the wider region including North Stradbroke Island, Bribie Island, and the northern parts of the Scenic Rim, will open your eyes to incredible beach hopping, bushwalking, water sports, and stargazing. Grab your adventure kit and get moving with our guide to Brisbane’s greatest outdoor immersions.
Distance from CBD: 1.5-hour drive.
Price: From $20 per night for an unpowered campsite to approximately $390 per night for a homestead.
Located within the Sunshine State’s glorious Scenic Rim, a cluster of sweeping valleys, mountains and top-notch wineries in the foothills of the Great Dividing Range, Mt Barney Lodge is for totally switching off.
Offering limited mobile coverage and restricting its guest capacity to no more than 30 tents and a handful of camper trailers, caravans, and homesteads, it’s firmly focused on showcasing its surroundings.
Go on a camping holiday with your family at Mt Barney Lodge.
Guided activities take full advantage of nearby bushwalks and creek frontage, and they run a three-day Indigenous experience called Yarriba Dreaming to help you deepen your understanding of the land.
If you’re roughing it at one of their campsites, there’s an amenities block with hot showers and toilets, open campfires, drinking water on tap and basic necessities like ice and milk to purchase. If you’re considering one of the self-contained camper trailers, you’ve also got a kitchenette. Meanwhile, each caravan, cabin, or homestead has a bathroom.
Settle into the Boolamoola Homestead at Mt Barney Lodge.
Distance from CBD: Just over a 1.5-hour drive.
Price: From approximately $269 per night to approximately $329 per night, depending on which tent you choose.
More of a glamper than a camper? Familiarise yourself with Ketchup’s Bank Glamping in the Scenic Rim, a heavenly retreat perfect for couples.
Hit refresh at Ketchup’s Bank Glamping.
Fitted out with the type of comfort you’d typically find in a five-star hotel, this exceptional camping experience in Greater Brisbane is luxury at its wildest. Choose from a range of eco-tents or the newer Baya Tiny House as ultra-green hills and an abundance of wildlife send you a million miles away from home.
Stay in a luxe eco tent.
Each tent features bathroom facilities, a private campfire, a fully equipped kitchen, wi-fi, and more. If you opt for the high-end Baya Tiny House Eco Retreat, you’ll also score an indoor fireplace, loft area and private bar areas.
Distance from CBD: 1.5-hour drive
Price: From $40 per night for an unpowered site and from $49 per night for a powered site.
A lesser-known Scenic Rim gem, Lake Moogerah Camping offers an escape to the most stunning of natural settings.
Kayak along the tranquil waters of Lake Moogerah. (Image: Tourism and Events Queensland)
The lake itself, within Moogerah Peaks National Park, is ideal for fishing, frolicking, boating, or whatever water sport you’re currently obsessed with. There are no cabins but the location is brimming with nature trails, climbable (undeveloped) volcanic peaks, and that magnificent body of water so you’ll soak up the outdoors in style.
Sit by a bonfire outside your tent. (Image: Tourism and Events Queensland)
Toilets, showers, a camp kitchen with electric barbecues, boat ramps, a kids’ playground, a kiosk selling basic groceries, and a little mobile reception.
Distance from CBD: 2.5-hour drive.
Price: No entry fee however a Queensland National Parks camping fee costs $7.25 per person per night and you’ll need a permit. Book it all online before you go.
Clancys camping area is located within the lush Benarkin State Forest adjacent to Emu Creek and offers spacious grounds for all, including four-legged family members (if they’re kept on a leash). The grassy Brisbane camping spot caters for up to 60 people at a time so you’re promised your own space to really lean into disconnecting. Canoe, swim, fish, stroll (the nearby trails are great for mountain biking too) or sloth — it’s a beautiful spot for nature-focused fun.
Barbecue facilities, toilets, open fire facilities (BYO wood), and tap water. Also note, there’s no mobile coverage out here.
Distance from CBD: A one-hour and 10-minute drive.
Price: From $38.40 per night for a powered site to $185 per night for a cottage during peak season.
Get your outdoor fix while remaining close to beautiful Bribie Island’s central dining and retail strip, Welsby Parade, at Bongaree Caravan Park. The laidback accommodation offers powered campsites, cabins, and two top-tier cottages and you’re within walking distance of two boat ramps to help you kick your escape into top gear. You’re also across the road from the popular Pumicestone Passage, a 35-kilometre channel of crystal-clear water within Moreton Bay Marine Park. Delicious dips come on tap.
Barbecue facilities, a camp kitchen, an amenities block with toilets and showers, a coin-operated laundry, and a small kiosk.
Whisk away to Moreton Bay on a jet ski. (Image: Tourism and Events Queensland)
Distance from CBD: Just under a 2.5-hour drive.
Price: No entry fee however a Queensland National Parks camping fee costs $7.25 per person per night and you’ll need a permit. Book it all online before you go.
A magnet for 4WD fans, the three-kilometre Ocean Beach Camping Area offers absolute beachfront bliss.
Stay in a beachfront campground set behind the dunes. (Image: Tourism and Events Queensland/Larissa Dening)
You’re set behind the dunes and near the remnants of historical Fort Bribie, not that you’ll want to leave that shimmering water for very long. Pitch a tent right next to your wheels and experience some of the best beach camping Greater Brisbane has to offer.
Wake up next to pure bliss at Ocean Beach. (Image: Tourism and Events Queensland/Larissa Dening)
Barbecue facilities (BYO wood), micro-flush toilets, a toilet dump point, and cold showers.
Distance from CBD: A 1.5-hour drive.
Price: From approximately $45 per night for a small, powered site and all the way up to just under $700 per night (approximately) for an overwater three-bedroom villa.
Settle into a forest glamping retreat at Sandstone Point Holiday Resort. (Image: Tourism and Events Queensland)
A caravan park in Brisbane’s greater region guaranteed to win the hearts of mini adventure seekers is Sandstone Point Holiday Resort.
Rent out a kayak and explore Bribie Island. (Image: Tourism and Events Queensland)
Featuring a mammoth, jaw-dropping range of family-friendly attractions and multi-sized villas (including a handful of posh overwater ones), glamping, two-story villas, camping and caravan sites, it’s a camping holiday with all the creature comforts.
There’s a restaurant nearby if you need to refuel. (Image: Tourism and Events Queensland)
Plus, it’s located right on Pumicestone Passage so nature’s playground is a stone’s throw away.
A swim-up bar (enough said), multiple pools, a jacuzzi, mini golf, a water park, a pump track for bikes and scooters, a jumping pillow, a fire pit, a tennis court, a kids’ playground, a bocce court, a gym, a bar, a restaurant, and even more. Seriously.
Distance from CBD: A little under a 1.5-hour drive.
Price: Pitch a tent from $27 per night, grab a drive-on site from $33 and glamp from approximately $160 per night.
Seek out the largest lake in South East Queensland for a camping adventure centred entirely on all that brilliant blue.
Set camp on the serene Lake Wivenhoe. (Image: Tourism and Events Queensland)
Lake Wivenhoe Camping manages two sites, the Captain Logan Campground and the Lumley Hill Campground, where guests can take advantage of the lake’s calm, boat-free conditions right on their front step. Basic unpowered and powered sites are available, as are several glamping tents fitted with queen beds, kitchen utensils, and plush linen.
Be surrounded by lush greenery near Lake Wivenhoe. (Image: Tourism and Events Queensland)
Electric barbecues, picnic tables, hot showers, toilets, a dump point, purchasable essentials, and canoe hire.
Distance from CBD: Just under two hours by car.
Price: No entry fee however a Queensland National Parks camping fee costs $7.25 per person per night and you’ll need a permit. Book it all online before you go.
Just a two-hour drive away by car, you’ll reach Archer Camping Area. (Image: Tourism and Events Queensland)
Rest your head deep within a subtropical rainforest at the beautiful Archer Camping Area. It’s as stripped back as camping comes but don’t let minimal facilities deter you. This site’s setting beside Neurum Creek is the stuff of holiday dreams and its stargazing vistas will keep you snap-happy even after the sun sinks. Swimming, bike riding, bushwalking, and kayaking are the order of the day, every day, so brace yourself for the restorative R&R you’ve been longing for.
Pitch a tent within a subtropical rainforest. (Image: Tourism and Events Queensland)
Septic toilets, shower cubicles (BYO hose though), and fireplaces.
Distance from CBD: It’s a 45-minute drive to reach the SeaLink North Stradbroke Island ferry terminal (which transfers vehicles too) before jumping aboard for another 25 minutes if you’re without a car and 50 minutes if you’ve got one. Once you’re on the Island, you’re within walking distance from the grounds.
Price: From approximately $49 per night for an unpowered site to upwards of $300 per night for fancier options.
Traverse the scenic North Gorge Walk on North Stradbroke Island. (Image: Tourism and Events Queensland)
Holiday time on North Stradbroke Island is so wonderous it deserves direction of its own — which is why we’ve created an ultimate guide to camping on North Stradbroke Island for you to check before you go.
Minjerribah Camping manages all camping throughout the island, offering six unique locations across Dunwich, Amity Point and Point Lookout. Spanning basic campsites to cabins and glamping, the options are all treated to convenient beach access and idyllic swimming, and some of them also provide sensational 4WD adventures on the sand.
The glamping tents at Minjerribah are equipped with modern comforts. (Image: Tourism and Events Queensland)
It depends on the campground but you’ll typically have toilets, showers, a coin-operated laundry, undercover barbecue areas, boat ramps, and some phone coverage.
Distance from CBD: A 15-minute drive.
Price: From approximately $50 per night for an unpowered site, all the way up to a little under $400 per night (approximately) for a penthouse cabin.
One of the best caravan parks in central Brisbane, Brisbane Holiday Village is home to a range of accommodation options.
Brisbane Holiday Village offers an unpowered site that costs $50 per night.
Situated in Eight Mile Plains, south of the city, it’s close to Brissie’s hottest tickets — not that you need to leave the grounds if you don’t feel like it. Families are spoiled with a range of kid-skewed activities and play areas and there are dining facilities if you’re feeling extra lazy.
You’ll find barbecue facilities at Brisbane Holiday Village.
Barbecue facilities, a restaurant, a pool with a splash area, mini golf, a kids’ playground, a tennis court, coin-operated laundries, several amenity blocks, a bike track, a multi-purpose sports field, and more.
Distance from CBD: One hour’s drive.
Price: From $35.30 for a powered site.
Kick up your heels and just breathe at Bells Caravan Park in Clontarf where caravanners and campers converge to soak up a beach life close to Brisbane city. It’s right near Hornibrook Pier, a chilled-out locals’ fishing spot, plus a bowls club if you feel the need to get social. Otherwise, it’s all about gazing out at Bells Beach and doing a whole lot of nothing, aka living the dream, at this Brisbane camping spot.
A camp kitchen, two amenities blocks with showers and toilets, and a coin-operated laundry.
Distance from CBD: A one-hour and 20-minute drive.
Price: From $45 per night for a powered site, and from $150 per night for a double villa.
Head to Brisbane’s north to discover Scarborough Holiday Village and its all-year-round holiday vibes. Located on the Redcliffe Peninsula, Scarborough is famed for protected swimming and a charming village lifestyle, and this Brisbane camping spot puts you right in the heart of it. Choose from caravan sites plus one and two-bedroom villas complete with fully equipped kitchens, air conditioning, and a deck to help you breathe in the salt-kissed sea breeze.
Choose from caravan sites with fully equipped amenities at Scarborough Holiday Village.
An amenities block, laundry, barbecue facilities, a kiosk, and a cafe.
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