The Washpools Campground; stunning creek side camping
I love nothing more than pulling into a new camp site, and being wowed by amazing views, great camp sites and anything that’s unexpected, and The Washpools in Towarri National Park was yet another place that took our breath away.
We only spent a night here on our way further north, but could have easily spent more; its a beautiful campground that everyone should check out.
Where is the Washpools Campground?
You’ll find this magic part of the world about 22 minutes drive North West of Scone, and a couple of hours North West of Newcastle in NSW.
What are the amenities?
This has the standard toilets that you’ll find in the national parks, along with some pretty neat firepits that were a different design to what we’ve seen in the past. A lot of the camp sites have great views over the water as well, but there’s nothing else provided.
What does it cost?
This is a standard NSW national parks campground, but the fees don’t seem to be consistent depending on where you go. For an adult its nearly $25 a night here, and we paid about $37. Input your family configuration onto their website, and you’ll get a price.
Do you need a 4WD?
No, but I would imagine that the water crossing could get deeper after rain, and taking a lower 2WD through would be a mistake. The crossing is concrete and very safe in terms of getting bogged, but having some extra clearance is great.
There’s a short section of gravel that has some corrugations and lumps, but its doable in anything but a very low clearance 2WD.
Does it suit caravans?
Yep, there’s no issue getting caravans or motorhomes in here, and we saw quite a few.
Pack your food away
Now, this is pretty general camping advice anyway, as you never know what is about, but our neighbours found that there’s a very friendly Quoll living here, which decided to raid their rubbish bins at 4AM, tipping nachos everywhere, and getting covered in sour cream! They showed us photos, and I’d have loved to see it in person, as its one animal we haven’t seen yet!
The Washpools Walk
If you continue driving just beyond the Washpools Campground, you’ll get to the day use area where you can walk up the creek. We did a small amount of this, but after the rain they’d had, it was really slippery, and you’re walking on a pretty average angle which tilts towards the fast flowing water, and we both decided it’d be when, not if one of the kids (or Sarah) slipped and got badly hurt, so we turned around and came back.
It’s a beautiful part of the world though.
Is it worth a stay at The Washpools?
This place really surprised me. It’s stunning in so many ways, and the perfect place to hang and unwind. You should absolutely book a stay here; its beautiful.
