Jones Bridge Camp, overlooking the Tumut River
We love a good free or donation camp, especially if its on a creek or river. Jones Bridge had a heap of great reviews on Wikicamps, and we thought we’d pull in and check it out after a couple of great nights at Blowering Dam.
We stayed overnight, and thoroughly enjoyed it before heading to a free camp at Yass, and then back to Moss Vale Showgrounds to get our Isuzu Dmax Aircon fixed again.
Where is Jones Bridge?
You’ll find this place roughly 10 minutes out of Tumut, making it a pretty popular place to stop. It’s just off a bitumen road that is infrequently used, with a bit of traffic noise, and it backs onto someone’s property, and the river.
We had no plans to head into Tumut until departure, but then our 5 year old boy ran around the camper trailer and split his head open on the cutlery draw corner, that was sticking out. A quick visit to the hospital for some glue (they were fantastic), and we were home just in time for bed! Another thing to add to our list of things that have gone wrong on our lap of Australia!
Where can you camp?
There’s two sides to Jones Bridge. The main campground is on the Tumut side, and the other side is accessible from further along the road. You cannot get across the river here!
Both campgrounds are very small, with room for maybe 8 – 10 caravans or motorhomes before it starts to get squishy. Park considerately so others can fit in, and share the views if you can, or you can park off the water with a bit more space.
We camped in the main camping area closest to Tumut, and jagged a nice waterfront view, but you will have neighbours quite close to you.
What are the camping requirements?
You must be self contained to camp here. That means a toilet on board. You don’t have to contain your grey water, and most people were just sensibly draining it away. Apparently the ranger does come around and kick people out if they don’t have toilets. We’ve got a portable toilet, which I assume meets the criteria, as no signage said otherwise.
What does it cost?
This is a donation camp, with a big steel pole for you to drop money in. If you’re making use of the camp, put some money in; its worth it, and goes towards the maintaining of the campground.
What amenities are there?
There’s a few fire pits at Jones Bridge, and that is it. There’s no toilets, rubbish bins or anything else, so leave no trace!
The river, and fishing
You can get trout and carp in this river, which flows out from the dam. It is incredibly cold, and the water level varies considerably, but it’s a pretty stunning view to look at from camp!
Is it worth a stay?
The views here are magnificent, and we thoroughly enjoyed it. We were closer to more people than we normally like, but for an overnight stay it was marvellous. We left a donation, and continued north to find more great camp sites, but if you’re in the area, this is absolutely worth a night or two if you can get a good spot.
