7 of the best camping spots near Perth

There’s nothing better than throwing the camping gear in your car and getting away from the city for a couple of days. There are so many amazing places to camp at, and you don’t have to travel for hours on end to get to them.

Here are 7 fantastic camp sites near Perth, where you can literally pack on a Friday afternoon, head away and still get a great weekend in. Nothing is better than camping close to Perth on a weekend, believe me! If you are looking for campsites near Perth, check out Camping near Perth post.

If you want to spread your horizons a bit, check out 30 of the best spots for WA Camping. These cover some of the most amazing sites through the Kimberley, Coral Coast, Pilbara and down south.

Alternatively, if you want something closer to Perth, check out 5 Amazing camp sites near Perth you’ve probably never heard of.

1) Walyunga

Walyunga National Park is probably the closest legal bush camping near Perth. Located just one hour north east of Perth, it’s a fantastic spot to check out.

I’ve often described this place as a cross between Dwellingup and Serpentine. It has the beautiful Avon river flowing through the National park, a myriad of walking trails, BBQ and picnic facilities and most importantly, a place for you to camp!

You need to book the camp sites, which you can do by ringing 9290 6100 and speaking to a ranger. The camp sites are located a few minutes drive away from the main picnic and river side area, but are in a nice cleared section of bush. If you are looking for camping north of Perth, this ticks the box.

As it is a National Park, day passes apply (unless you have an annual pass). It’s $12 per vehicle. The Camp fees are the usual $7.50 per night.

The wildflowers are spectacular here in season, and with plenty of tracks to walk on you’ll see heaps of them. If you want to know more about the national park, you can read the full post here: Walyunga National Park.

2) Lane Poole Reserve

An hour and a half south of Perth lies Lane Poole Reserve, just out of Dwellingup. We’ve been going to Lane Poole Reserve every year for a long time now, and always love it.

There are 10 different camp sites which vary from huge open areas to more private sites that only house two sets of campers. In terms of Perth Camping, this probably takes the cake overall.

The beautiful Murray River runs right through the reserve, and is fantastic for swimming, canoeing, white water rafting and fishing.

Fires are permitted when the fire danger is low, and it is a brilliant spot to enjoy a good fire on a cold evening. It does get very cold in the middle of winter, so take your warm gear!

There are plenty of 4WD and mountain bike tracks in the area too.

Again, National Park and camping fees apply. The entry fee is $12 per vehicle, unless you have a National Park pass. Camping fees range from $7.50 per night to $10, depending on where you stay.

You can read the full post here; Dwellingup.

3) Waroona Dam

Lake Navarino, or Waroona Dam, has long been a popular place to camp. Today, you have to stay at the Holiday park, as the bush camping on the edge of Waroona Dam was closed due to too many people doing the wrong thing.

Waroona Dam is pretty big, and is well known for skiing and fresh water fishing. There’s also fantastic 4WD tracks around the Dam and plenty of places to relax and soak up the scenery.

Fires are permitted in season, and the camping fees range from $12 to $17 per person per night, depending on where you camp, if its peak season and if you need power or not.

4) Belvidere

If coastal camping is more your thing, Belvidere is a great little spot we found a few years back. The actual camp site is a few minutes drive back from the beach, tucked in between Leschenault Inlet and Belvidere Beach.

It’s not quite beach camping near Perth, but its close enough! At only an hour and 40 minutes away from Perth, its easily doable on a Friday afternoon. Keen for more Beach Camping WA options? We’ve got you covered.

The beach here is soft, and you will need a 4WD to drive along it. It’s substantially quieter than Preston and Myalup Beach, but the fishing is just as good.

It’s a DPAW camp site, and the fees are $7.50 per person per night. There is also provision for camper trailer and caravans here, and the firewood is usually provided.

If you want to read the full post, you can find it here; Camping at Belvidere.

5) Honeymoon Pool

If you’ve ever seen the Collie River, you’d know its a beautiful spot to stop and soak up the scenery. Honeymoon Pool is a DPAW camp site located right along the bank of the river, and is 2WD and 4WD accessible. It’s just 2 hours south of Perth, and is a stunning part of the world.

The Lennard 4WD track is well worth the drive, but be aware that it does get closed once the rain hits, to avoid substantial damage to the track.

6) Martins Tank

An hour and a half south of Perth, 10 minutes drive from the coast lies Martins Tank. It’s another DPAW camp site, set amongst the peppermint trees.

This was done up in 2013, and caters for tents, caravans and camper trailers. Camp fires are permitted in season, and fees are $10 per person per night.

This camp site must be booked online in advance.

7) Wellington Dam

The last, but certainly not least camp site near Perth is Wellington Dam. At just over 2 hours south of Perth its a great drive to an even better location. Potters Gorge is the formal DPAW camp site, which has recently been refurbished and caters for a number of campers. This site however, gets extremely busy very quickly.

If you have a 4WD, there are plenty of other camp sites around the dam if you are prepared to do a bit of driving. Even on a popular long weekend, we had no issues finding a handful of good campsites along the banks of Wellington Dam, and ended up camping in a beautiful location.

Camping outside of Potters Gorge is the only site on this list that meets the Free Camping near Perth criteria.

Look after these places

It is a huge privilege being able to access these amazing camp sites. Don’t wreck them for everyone else; take your rubbish home, go to the toilets responsibly, have a fire with some common sense (when allowed) and don’t be a muppet.

Keen to find more camp sites? Check out these options Campsite near Perth.

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