Having grown up in Western Australia, we were hugely excited to cross the Nullarbor Plains and start finding the best of the best camp sites in South Australia. We’ve been travelling on our Lap of Australia for some time now, and will be adding to this post for many months to come.
Our favourite camp sites are pristine, away from civilisation, low cost and require a 4WD to get to, but not everything on this page ticks all of those boxes! We grab what we can, and have found a huge number of camp sites that thoroughly exceeded our expectations.
If you are looking for amazing places to camp in South Australia, grab a drink, kick back and start flicking through the links for each of these great places.
Bunda Cliffs
There are few camp sites in South Australia that are more stunning than the Bunda Cliffs, and your choice of camp site is almost endless along these massive towering cliffs. If you want to camp in a truly unique location, check out the Bunda Cliffs Camping options.
Scotts Beach
Western Australia has seriously good beaches, and are often rated as the best in the country. However, after spending 3 nights at the amazing Scotts Beach, I can see that South Australia easily competes. This slice of coastline has absolutely everything, and is truly picturesque.
Eyre Peninsula
If you want to read the summary post, check out Eyre Peninsula Camping
Wittelbee Conservation Park
If you are after low cost beach or cliff side camping not far from Ceduna, the Wittelbee Conservation Park is a great place to pull up for a stay. We had a magic camp site on the edge of a small cliff, and thoroughly enjoyed our stay in a fairly protected area despite the wind howling in onto the beach.
Point Brown
We love free camping, and it doesn’t get much better than pristine camping at Point Brown. This was one of our most scenic camp sites so far, and only upset by Mosquitoes that were worse than I’ve experienced in a long time.
Perlubie Beach
Streaky Bay has some stunning places to explore, and Perlubie Beach is one of the most well known beaches in South Australia. We spent 3 amazing nights beach camping on Perlubie Beach whilst we explored the area, and would happily head back again.
Fitzgerald Bay
On our way into Whyalla, we decided to stay at a free camp right on the gulf, and it turned out to be one of the best camps we did on the Eyre Peninsula. The Fitzgerald Bay has some truly stunning camping opportunities, and its completely free!
Whyalla Caravan and Tourist Park
Whilst Caravan Parks aren’t usually our thing, we needed to stock up and get some washing done badly, and quite enjoyed our stay at Whyalla Caravan and Tourist Park. If you want to know more about the park, and what you can do in the area, check this out.
Point Gibbon and Cowell Camping
In search of more amazing Eyre Peninsula Camping, we headed south and checked out all of the camp sites between Cowell and Point Gibbon. We ended up spending 3 nice nights at Point Gibbon, and have written a post covering everything you need to know about booking, paying money and a little trap that we nearly got caught out by!
Carrow Wells
There’s been some real highlights on the Eyre Peninsula so far, and Carrow Wells rates up there with the best. We snagged an amazing camp site right next to the beach, which was turquoise, clean and beautiful. If you want a free/donation camp site that is truly stunning, Carrow Wells might be for you!
Red Cliff Beach
Despite getting hammered by a storm at Red Cliff Beach, we thoroughly enjoyed the area, and its completely free. You can also camp at the creek just further north, but this is far nicer
Moonlight Bay
Just further south of Red Cliff Beach lies an even better free camp, called Moonlight Bay. There’s a heap of camping options that overlook a couple of stunning bays, with plenty of little rock pools for the kids to play in, and great views.
Bayview Park in Port Lincoln
If you are chasing a cheap, great camp overlooking the whole of Port Lincoln, you can’t go wrong with Bayview Park. It’s got plenty of room, and we enjoyed 4 awesome nights here, including a massive thunderstorm and 60mm of rain.
Fisherman Point
Our first camp site in the Lincoln National Park was at Fisherman Point, and its a cracker. The sites are easy to access, the views are fantastic on a couple of them, and the scenery is really beautiful. If you were to pick one, easy 2WD access spot in the Lincoln National Park it would have to be Fisherman Point.
Engine Point
If you can’t get out to Memory Cove, our favourite place to stay in the Lincoln National Park would be Engine Point, in the south camp ground which has some grass, direct, easy access for fishing and a small beach nearby. If you get good weather, its a truly amazing location and we loved our stay here.
September Beach
At the furthest point of the beautiful Lincoln National Park lies a very well known camp ground by the name of September Beach. When the sun is out this place is truly stunning, and although we also copped a storm here we had a great stay.
Memory Cove
Our favourite campground by a country mile in the Lincoln National Park was Memory Cove, which is a pristine little bay at the end of a long, rough 4WD track. It’s the hardest place to get to in the Lincoln National Park and the reward is completely worth it. We spent 3 amazing nights here, and loved every minute.
Mikkira Station with the Koalas
Coming from WA, we’d never seen a wild Koala in our life, and being able to camp at Mikkira Station amongst a huge number of wild Koalas, some just metres from our camp was a pretty incredible experience. We found at least 30, and some were within arms reach.
Yangie Bay
Our first nights stay at Coffin Bay National Park was in Yangie Bay, as a bit of a base to see if we could drag the camper trailer in further. The camp site here is OK, but it doesn’t win any awards for best camping on the Eyre Peninsula. It is however, easy to access and a good base.
Black Springs Campground
After a night at Yangie Bay, we were keen to move on, and much preferred the Black Springs Overflow camp. We dragged our Reconn R2 out after a bit of a look the day earlier, and were rewarded with great views, a cheaper camp site and much more peace and quiet.
Hall Bay and Horrocks Lookout
We had an amazing stay at Hall Bay, and loved Horrocks Lookout. The beach and coastline here is absolutely amazing, there’s plenty of room and its completely free to camp. We did get hammered by fine sand on the last afternoon, but it is a spectacular place.
Camp Nyroca
We’ve stayed at some random places over the years, and Camp Nyroca is another one. This is a Scout Camp, with a heap of swings, lots of green grass and tree’s and was a fantastic break from the coast with our little kids. Just watch out for the cheeky chickens!
Walkers Rock
There’s so many amazing coastal towns on the Eyre Peninsula, and Elliston is a truly awesome place. We spent a number of nights camped at Walkers Rock, and despite not really liking it initially it grew on me, and we left wanting to hang around for even longer!
Point Labatt and camping nearby
After checking out the amazing sea lion colony at Point Labatt, we retreated a few kilometres down the road to a free camp nearby. This looked stunning, and we had amazing views in the morning but the bee’s and ants chased us out fairly early. Not all camp sites are amazing, but we still had fun here.
Pildappa Rock
Coming from WA, we wondered if Pildappa Rock would be as good as Wave Rock, and we were pleasantly surprised. We didn’t spend a night here, but it looked like a truly fantastic place to pull up and kick back.
Gawler Ranges National Park
South Australia is well known for its coast, but there’s a whole heap of inland camping that is nothing short of exceptional. We had two amazing days exploring the Gawler Ranges and looking at the beautiful rock formations all over the park. There’s a heap of 4WD tracks to explore and if you like Emu’s, you’ll see plenty!
Yorke Peninsula
If you want to read the summary post, check out Yorke Peninsula Camping.
Alford Recreation Park
With seriously strong winds blowing, we decided to cut our drive short on the Yorke Peninsula and pull into Alford Recreation Park. This is a donation camp, and we thought it was really good. If you need a place to pull over for the night, its certainly worth a stay.
Moonta RV Overnight stop area
Another fantastic donation camp on the Yorke Peninsula is in Moonta. This is a great little oval with no grey water collection requirements, and short drive or walk into town. You can also head to the free water park on the beach at Moonta Bay which is fantastic.
Kadina Showgrounds
We were keen to get the kids to a Christmas Parade, and timed it perfectly to be in Kadina for their one, which was fantastic. Our nights accommodation was an unpowered site at Kadina Showgrounds, which is in the middle of town, and realistically a pretty reasonable camp site, only a short walk to the shops.
Parara Campground
If you are keen on a feed of Blue Manna Crabs, and its the right season there’s a number of places on the Yorke Peninsula that are popular. We spent a night at Parara Campground and caught a decent feed of crabs without much effort, and the area around Ardossan is really nice too.
Balgowan Camp Ground
Some camp sites are truly surprising, and Balgowan Camp Ground is the best value camping on the Yorke Peninsula, at a tiny camp ground in town, overlooking a stunning beach. The pricing for an unpowered site is the same as the shire run camp sites but you get so much more!
Wauraltee Beach
If you want to literally camp on a beach, and pay zero dollars for the privilege, then you can stay at Wauraltee Beach, outside of the shire run camp ground. We had one of our best days and afternoons at Wauraltee Beach before it blew up the next day.
Burners Beach
There’s lots of different camp sites on the Yorke, and we really enjoyed a couple of nights at Burners Beach. This is located not far from Point Turton, and has a quieter section to the north, and a main camp to the south. If you want something that isn’t the Point Turton Caravan Park, this is a great option.
Pondalowie Bay Camp Ground
If you are looking for a great, central camp site in the Innes National Park then Pondalowie Bay is the place to go. A short walk through the fishing village and you’ll find yourself on a stunning beach, and there’s heaps of great attractions nearby.
Gym Beach in the Innes National Park
Our favourite camp site in the Innes National Park was at Gym Beach. Its far more quiet, peaceful and the beaches are equally as good. Want to know what camp site we thought was best too? Find out here!
Swincer Rocks
Our all time favourite camp site on the Yorke Peninsula was Swincer Rocks, with a spectacular location just metres away from the water to make it extra special. The beach here is brilliant, and I thoroughly enjoyed my birthday here, but we nearly drove past it!
Flinders Ranges
Pichi Richi
On the way to the Flinders Ranges, we stayed at a stunning free camp not far out of Quorn, right next to the railway. We only spent about 15 hours here after a hectic day in Port Augusta, but thoroughly enjoyed it and would happily stay there again.
Mern Merna Station
Our first station stay in the Flinders Ranges was at Mern Merna, where we did the Burnette 4WD track and enjoyed some truly stunning sunsets over the ranges. Our camp site was a good introduction to the outback, with warm weather, plenty of flies and limited greenery around, but we left having thoroughly enjoyed our stay.
Parachilna Gorge
If you are after free camping in the Flinders Ranges, you’ll stumble across Parachilna Gorge. I remember being quite shocked at how stunning the gorge is when we first arrived, and spent a good 30 minutes driving around and looking at the endless camp sites. We ended up with a little stream out the front and had a very enjoyable stay here.
Moolooloo Station
Driving from Parachilna Gorge to Moolooloo Station through Glass Gorge was a great introduction to how green the Flinders Ranges can be with good rainfall. Our stay at Moolooloo was nothing short of stunning, with one of the most picturesque camp sites that we stayed at in the Flinders Ranges. We had a private bush camp and seriously rated it.
Arkaroola
I was expecting Arkaroola to be way over hyped, but can firmly say it deserves its reputation as a premiere location in the Flinders Ranges. We had a great camp site, did more incredible 4WD tracks in 3 days than ever before and rated the property and scenery up there with the absolute best that we’ve ever been to.
Chambers Gorge
Keen to keep the cost down, we spent a great night at Chambers Gorge on the way from Arkaroola to Willow Springs. The views from camp in combination with a sunset made for a truly magnificent place, and we all enjoyed a very relaxing afternoon in the shade. If you want another free camp in the Flinders Ranges, this is it!
Willow Springs
Time and time again the Flinders Ranges shocked me, and rolling into Willow Springs was no exception. With big green rolling hills and views to die for we were given a stunning bush camp with access to the amenities that are the cleanest I’ve ever seen. In the coming days we got soaked with rain and watched our amazing camp site transform into an island with creeks running everywhere.
Brachina and Bunyeroo Gorge
If you are chasing something a bit different in the Flinders Ranges, Brachina and Bunyeroo Gorge are completely worth a drive. Brachina has a camp ground, and there’s one near Bunyeroo, but they are both close together and truly stunning
Rawnsley Park Station
There’s some big places in the Flinders Ranges, and rolling into Rawnsley Park Station re-iterated how big of a business it is. We really enjoyed our stay at Rawnsley Park Station, in the bush camping area where we had our own private little stream with views that were nothing short of sensational.
Argadells
Our final stay in the Flinders Ranges was an unplanned one at Argadells, which finished our trip with the ultimate bang. The views, 4WD tracks and hikes were by far and away the best that we saw in the Flinders Ranges, and on a property that is not very well known or used. If you are going to stay somewhere in the Flinders, make it Argadells!
Stony Creek Bush Camp
To wind our Flinders adventure up, we spent a couple of nights at Stony Creek Bush Camp. Caravan parks aren’t normally our thing, and this place is the perfect balance, with the stunning Wilmington area to explore including Alligator Gorge.
Around Adelaide
Pink Gum Campground
In the Onkaparinga National Park lies a great camp site, not too far from Adelaide. This has fantastic hikes, amazing views and is a nice place to hang out for a couple of days.
Belair National Park Holiday Park
If you want a quiet, magic and bush camp style caravan park near Adelaide, you won’t go past Belair Holiday Park. We ended up here as it was the cheapest camping near Adelaide, and thought it was a fantastic caravan park, and we don’t normally like them!
Fleurieu Peninsula
Deep Creek Conservation Park
There are only a handful of places in South Australia that we’ve fallen in love with almost immediately, and Deep Creek Conservation Park was one. There’s a heap of different camping areas, with spectacular hiking, amazing views and a fantastic atmosphere.
Rapid Bay
One of the most scenic places we’ve ever camped at was Rapid Bay. Looking at the turquoise water, huge hills and beautiful beach had me wondering on more than one occasion if we were still in Australia. Rapid Bay is hugely popular, but its a magic place and we’d 100% recommend staying here.
Blissful Peace in Aldinga Beach
Whilst searching for somewhere to camp on our way up to Adelaide, we stumbled across Blissful Peace just out of Aldinga Beach, and spent a couple of great nights there. This is a Hipcamp that is reasonably priced in a great location.
South Australia Limestone Coast
42 Mile Crossing Campground in the Coorong
The Coorong National Park is a beautiful place, and we were really surprised at how good the 42 mile crossing campground was. With nice grassy spots to park, a short drive to the beach and lots of bird life you can’t go wrong.
The Granites
The beaches around Kingston are stunning, and you can camp in the car park at the Granites, which is a brilliant place. I didn’t like it initially, but the beach is stunning and it really grew on me.
Kingston RV Park
In terms of camping near the coast that is cheap, well set up and easy to access you can’t go past the Kingston RV park. We spent two nights here and thought it was a truly fantastic setup.
Southend Tourist Park
An unexpected visit to Southend resulted in us finding a truly magic location, and a fantastic value caravan park right on the beach. We spent two nights here, and would go back to Southend in a heart beat.
Mount Gambier
Bellum Hotel Camping
If you are looking for somewhere different to stay, the Bellum Hotel offers free camping out the back. We spent two nights here, and despite missing out on a meal as they were closed due to staffing issues had a great time. There is a fair bit of road noise, but hey, its free!
Kromelite Road Rest Area
Not far out of Mount Gambier is a fantastic rest area backing onto the pine plantations. We spent two nights camped here and thought it was a brilliant place to base yourself for exploring the many Mount Gambier attractions
Lake Leake
Our last camp site in the Mount Gambier region was Lake Leake, and it exceeded my expectations thoroughly. It’s probably a bit too far out to base yourself for the Mount Gambier region, but its worthy of a stop regardless.
