The Diggings on the Turon River; brilliant low cost camping
We love 4WD accessible camping that is near water and good value, and The Diggings on the Turon River ticks all of these boxes and more. In actual fact, this is the third ‘The Diggings’ campground that we’ve been to; there’s one in Eungella, one at Thredbo and now this one, on the Turon River, and in the Turon River National Park.
I’d actually read this was one of the best camp sites in NSW, and was keen to see if it really lived up to the reputation. After coming from Coorongooba Campground and Ganguddy Dunns Swamp, this had to be pretty good to top it!
Where is The Diggings Campground?
You’ll find this place just near Capertee, right on the Turon River. You actually need to cross this to stay at the camp site, so pay attention to any recent rains or it might be impassable.
How hard is the 4WD Track?
From what we’d read on the NSW national parks website, and from comments of others, we expected some extreme 4WD track to get in. In reality, it’s a walk in the park for any experienced 4WDer, even towing. That is of course, in the dry; it’d get fun real quick with a slippery track!
It takes you 15 minutes to get here from Capertee heading down Lochaber Road, and then onto Lochaber Link Road. You’ll eventually get to a Y junction, where you can take Steep Hill track down (one way), or you can continue down the two way track.
We took Steep Hill Track, and asides from being fairly steep, with a couple of little holes to avoid, it was very easy. Lock it in first gear low range and let the engine braking do maximum work, and you’re laughing. With our 2.3 tonne Hybrid Camper behind us we had to use the brakes a few times, but it was fairly easy to get to the bottom, and you soon arrive at the Turon River.
When we arrived it was no more than 40cm deep, and we cruised through without even stopping to look. There’s a small hill climb in good condition to get into the main campground from here, and then its just a matter of finding a place to stay.
Overall, the 4WD track is very easy, and quick.
Bookings and costs
You need to book this camp site, and its $6 for the booking, and that’s it. It’s really good value, and exactly what we look for in a camp site.
What’s at the camp site?
The camp site follows the Turon River in a big arc, and there are open spots on either side of the river, if you poke around enough. The main campground though, is up higher and completely covered in grass, with a number of fire pits around, and toilets in the distance.
You’ll share this with a number of wallabies and kangaroos, and by the looks of it, a heap of pigs must come through and decimate the cliff edges in search of food.
We found a magic spot to camp with the kids easily able to walk down to the river, and splash around in the shade for hours on end; absolute bliss.
Other camp sites and 4WD tracks
If you continue, you can check out a couple of other camp sites, and there’s more 4WD tracks around here than you can poke a stick at. If you have Newtracs you can see these pretty clearly.
Is it worth a stay?
We really rated this spot. It ticked all of the boxes for us. Quiet, cheap, 4WD accessible, and the ultimate playground for our kids. What’s not to like? It’s also really quick and easy to get to, and in a magic part of the world.
We’d quite comfortably come back for longer, and rated it as one of the best camp sites in NSW. Have you been to the Diggings on the Turon River? What did you think of it?
