Australia So Much to See

A. Most coastal Shires in Western Australia do not permit camping outside of authorised area.  There are many free and low cost options along the south coast in addition to caravan parks in towns and near the coast outside of towns.  Travelling from east to west, we will start with the Esperance Shire. 

Esperance area

National Parks campgrounds.  No campfires permitted.  Barbecues provided at some campgrounds.  No pets.  Generators permitted in specified hours at some campgrounds only.  Booking are not applicable.  Campgrounds under pressure during the summer months and school holidays.  Prices quoted subject to change.  See Camping fees to confirm up to date camping fees. Note concession fees apply for eligible card holders

Cape Arid National Park  - see also details of campsites, for updated fees.  Campgrounds not bookable. 

Cape Arid National Park commences 134 kilometres east of Esperance via Fisheries Road. 

Lucky Bay campground features a camp kitchen with a gas barbecue and burners, hot and cold running water (untreated) and a dishwashing sink. There are showers with solar water heating. 62 kilometres south west of Esperance via Merivale Road and Cape Le Grand Road. Suitable for caravans.  Park entry fees apply.  $20 per person per night ($15 concession).  Campground upgrades completed with 56 sites open at Lucky Bay.  Sites must be booked and cannot reserve specific sites. 

Cape Le Grand National Park - bookings essential

Cape Le Grand campground features a camp kitchen with a gas barbecue and burners, hot and cold running water (untreated) and a dishwashing sink. There are showers with solar water heating. 57 kilometres south east of Esperance via Merivale Road and Cape Le Grand Road. Suitable for caravans.  Park entry fees apply.  Camping fees $20 per person per night ($15 concession).  14 sites. Sites must be booked and cannot reserve specific sites. 

Stokes National Park - no bookings

Benwenerup on the western shore of Stokes Inlet features two camp kitchens with gas barbeques, a dishwashing sink, food preparation surfaces and picnic tables and benches. The camp kitchen and toilets have been designed for wheelchair access.  Turn south into Stokes Inlet road 80 kilometres west of Esperance.  Suitable for caravans.  Park entry fees apply.  Camping fees $15 per person per night ($10 concession). 

Fanny Cove by the beach in the Stokes National Park to the east of Stokes Inlet is a small camping area suitable for camper trailers or tents and has a toilet and picnic tables.   Access by four wheel drive track from Farrell Road. Park entry fees apply. No camping fees. 

Shoal Cape is a very small camping area suitable for small campervans or tents, in the vicinity of Fanny Cover to the east of Stokes Inlet.  Three sites only.  Access by four wheel drive track from Farrell Road.   Park entry fees apply.  No camping fees. 

Skippy Rock, Margaret Cove is a small nine site campground on the coast to the west of Stokes Inlet.  Pit toilet.  Suitable for campervans, small caravans and trailers, and tents.  Access from South Coast Highway with access also from Springdale Road.  Park entry fees apply.  Camping fees $10 per person per night ($7 concession).  

Other camping accommodation

There are a number of private camping options, farmstays and low impact sites in addition to the following. 

Duke of Orleans Bay Caravan Park, 90 kilometres east of Esperance via Fisheries Road and Orleans Bay Road

Condingup 67 kilometres east of Esperance on Fisheries Road allow free camping on the recreation ground, toilets provided.   

Shire of Esperance Campgrounds - see also Camping Rules and details of campsites

Campfires not permitted during the summer months, generally from 1^st November to 30^th April but subject to change according to seasonal conditions.  Most, but not all, allow pets under the usual conditions.  Some of these are four wheel drive only and not suitable for caravans.  Distances are approximate when taken from Council brochure. 

Israelite Bay 200 kilometres east of Esperance via Fisheries Road. Four wheel drive access; no facilities.  No pets. Now fee free.

Kennedy River 110 kilometres east of Esperance. For wheel drive access.  Toilet.  Pets permitted. Now fee free.

Alexander Bay 100 kilometres east of Esperance via Fisheries Road and Alexander Bay Road.

For wheel drive access.  Toilet, non potable water.   Pets permitted. $15 per site per night

Membirup 90 kilometres east of Esperance.  Four wheel drive access. No facilities. Pets permitted. Now fee free.

Quagi Beach campground.  Turn south into Farrell Road 64 kilometres west of Esperance for 12 kilometres unsealed road. Suitable for caravans.  See it on video from  WA Now and Then.  Toilet, cold shower and non potable water.  Although accessed through the Stokes National Park, the campground is not within the National Park, and pets are permitted.  $15 per site per night. 

For those travelling on the Coolgardie-Esperance Road:

Gibson Soak Hotel 26 kilometres north of Esperance on the Coolgardie-Esperance Highway offer free camping for self contained campers on an area of vacant land adjacent to the highway.  CLOSED April 2018.

Salmon Gums Community Caravan Park, 106 kilometres north of Esperance on the Coolgardie-Esperance Highway.  Powered sites $20 and unpowered $10 per night with full caravan park amenities including a washing machine (twin tub).  No dump point. 

Munglinup Beach campground near the Oldfield River Estuary 130 kilometres west of Esperance.  Munglinup Beach Road turns south from Springdale Road.  Toilets, cold showers, non potable water. Pets permitted.  $15 per site payable at the private # Munglinup Beach caravan park which you will pass 2.5 kilometres before reaching the campground.   

From Esperance to Hopetoun you can take Springdale Road and Southern Ocean Road which goes close to the coast, rather than the South Coast Highway.  There are low cost virtually unserviced beachside campgrounds at Starvation Bay 44 kilometres east of Hopetoun via Southern Ocean Road, and Mason Bay 34 kilometres east of Hopetoun via Southern Ocean Road and Mason Bay Road.  If travelling from the east, via Springdale Road and Starvation Harbour Road, the Southern Ocean Road from Starvation Bay to Mason Bay.  These campgrounds have pit toilets only.  On line booking and payment of $19 per site per night is required.  See our Review of Mason Bay. 

If following the South Coast Highway,130 kilometres west of Esperance, Munglinup 24 hour Rest Area. 

opposite the Munglinup Roadhouse has use of flushing toilets plus showers for $2, pay at the roadhouse opposite, money goes to the local fire brigade. The shower is in a locked room in the same building as the toilets but requires a key from roadhouse on payment of the donation. Suitable for overnight.  There is also a Caravan Park at Ravensthorpe. 

An additional designated as 24 hour Main Roads Rest Areas is Meridian, four kilometres west of Ravensthorpe.  This unsealed rest area is behind a little vegetation, but close to the highway.  Tracks into the bush been bollarded off.  

A short distance off the highway via Fitzgerald Road (north), there is a picnic area commemorating the school in this former Fitzgerald townsite which would be relatively quiet to park overnight. 

The Main Roads rest area 80 kilometres west of Ravensthorpe and 34 kilometres east of Jerramungup at Jacup near the Fitzgerald River Bridge is large and suitable for stopping overnight; no amenities.

Esperance to Bremer Bay

Bremer Bay to Albany

Fitzgerald River National Park 

Four Mile campground at Culham Inlet, seven kilometres west of Hopetoun via Hamersely Drive. Suitable for tents, campervans, trailers and larger caravans, 10 sites.  Pit toilets, change room suitable for a portable shower, barbecue and picnic area.  Park entry fees apply.  Camping fees $20 per person per night ($15 concession).  Must be booked

St Mary’s Inlet near the St Mary River mouth.  Pit toilets.  Suitable for campervans, small caravans and trailers, and tents. Accessed from Point Ann Road.  Park entry fees apply.  Camping fees $15 per person per night ($10 concession).  No bookings.  

Quaalup historic homestead (1858) , in a pocket of private land surrounded by the Fitzgerald River National Park has been restored by the present owners as Quaalup Wilderness Retreat, where they offer camping sites (unpowered or minimal power) and chalet accommodation 47 kilometres north of Bremer Bay by all seasons roads, or 180 kilometres north east of Albany.  We found the nine kilometres of road through the National Park to Quaalup Homestead very corrugated, but that would depend on when last graded.   The “short cut” from Bremer Bay is dry weather seasonal access only track and probably not suitable for towing a caravan. It can only be used when the mouth of the Wellstead Estuary can be crossed. 

Tozers Bush Camp is just twenty two kilometres from Bremer Bay via the Bremer Bay-Borden Road and Ocumup Road, with 48 unpowered camping sites in 700 acres of beautiful bushland bordering the Fitzgerald National Park. Walking and bike trails.  A wonderful variety of exquisite native orchids can be seen during spring.  Spacious camp kitchen and entertainment area, with microwave, fridges, sinks, gas cooktops and television. Hot showers and toilets. $30 per night for two.  Pets at managers discretion. Phone 0428371015 or email tozersbushcamp@gmail.com or see them on Facebook

Hopetoun offers 48 hour parking for fully self contained in a parking area alongside The Esplanade near the beach. 

There is also a Caravan Park at Hopetoun, one at Ravensthorpe and two caravan parks at Bremer Bay.

Millers Point on the Pallinup River Estuary Millers Point accessed via Millers Point Road from the Bremer Bay Road; on the Beaufort Inlet (Pallinup River Estuary) with pit toilets only at $10 per person per night collected by a Ranger.

There is a Main Roads WA rest area alongside the Pallinup River Bridge which is a pleasant rest area to stop and refresh; no amenities. 

Boat Harbour is accessed by Boat Harbour Road which leaves the South Coast Highway eight kilometres south west of the Pallinup River Bridge. A small camping area at Boat Harbour accessed by a four wheel drive track, and is not suitable for caravans.   Donation.

Waychinicup National Park Campground, pit toilets.  Small sites suited to walk in with a tent, and a few suitable for small campervans $15 per person per night ($10 concession).  No bookings.  Access track and campsite sizes exclude caravans.  Park entry is fee free.  Access track leaves Cheyne Road 13 kilometres from the South Coast Highway.  Cheyne Road is 48 kilometres north east of Albany.

National Parks and Council campgrounds on the east side of Albany

Three areas with small camping areas are accessed from Homestead Road which leaves the South Coast Highway.  Most of this road is unsealed.  These are free of charge.  Norman’s Beach campground is a six site campground by the Norman River Inlet and can be accessed by small caravans via the unsealed Norman’s Beach Road.  Betty’s Beach is a small settlement of cottages. Flushing toilets. Limited space (not available during the February to April fishing season).  A steep rise from the settlement excludes caravans. East Bay has a small parking area and because of the size and a steep rise on leaving the campground it excludes caravans.  Seven day limit applies to these during peak season. 

There are an number of Caravan Parks in Esperance plus Bathers Caravan Park 3.5 kilometres east of the town.

For fully serviced sites, # Munglinup Beach Holiday Park caravan park receives good reports from visitors. 

For Caravan Parks in and around Albany see this

Albany Caravan Parks list.  Note prices may have increased since this brochure was published in 2016.  See also WA Holiday Guide.

Cheynes Beach Caravan Park is 67 kilometres east of Albany via South Coast Highway and Cheyne Road.   

Cape Riche community low cost campground on a lovely bay 18 kilometres from Wellstead which is on the South Coast Highway 79 kilometres south west of Jerramungup. $20 per site per night. 

See our Travelogue of the South Coast

For Free and Low cost in camping around Albany see City of Albany bushland camp sites  

Wellstead Bush Camp, on a working farm just off the South Coast Highway 79 kilometres south west of Jerramungup. Powered campsites and amenities $10 per person per night.  No water hook up. 

Wellstead Rest Area, dump point, water, and toilets, but no camping.