Einasleigh Free Camping; riverfront bliss
There’s very little that compares to a free bush camp with amazing views over a river, and there’s a heap of Einasleigh Free Camping that ticks this, and more. We’d just come from the truly epic Jardine Station, and decided to call in at Copperfield Gorge, before looking for a camp site nearby that we could call home for a night.
Einasleigh Free Camping options are not massive in range, but if you look around, there’s some pretty magic places to call in and camp.
Where is Einasleigh?
Einasleigh is 4 and a half hours North West of Townsville, and just over half way to Croyden. It’s located on a gravel road between the Gulf Development Road and Kennedy Development Road, and realistically, is in the middle of no where. It is only about 20km away from the beautiful Jardine Station, which is also worth a look.
Where is the Einasleigh camping options?
Einasleigh has a couple of different options for camping. The first is just a few kilometres out of town, down a small track that is not signed, or very well used. This takes you to a handful of places where you can camp right on the river, and some of them are absolutely mint.
If you continue south though, you’ll get to a bridge where you can also camp, which is popular too. We didn’t stay here, but it looked reasonable, and despite the fact that you need to allow for water trucks to come through and pick water up, it’s also a nice spot.
What amenities are there?
These camp sites have nothing in the way of amenities. You need to bring what you need, and leave no trace. You might find a basic fire pit set up in some of them, but certainly no toilets, running water or anything else!
Do you need a 4WD?
Some of these sites are suitable for 2WD and AWD vehicles, but there’s a couple that you’d struggle to get in and out of. Always park at the top and walk down to check it (especially if you’re towing!) or it can end with hours of recovering a bogged vehicle.
Can you swim?
Interesting question. I’d like to think its safe, but we didn’t know, and the water is absolutely deep enough, and big enough to house a salt water crocodile. We stuck our feet in where the water was really low level, and flat, and you’d see anything, but weren’t game to go anywhere near where a crocodile could be.
We saw a couple of freshwater crocodiles floating and sunning themselves, but they’re not an issue if you leave them alone.
Watch the vlog
Want a different perspective? Here’s our vlog from the stay:
Are these worth a stay?
We spent a night at the first Einasleigh River Camp, in a spot only just large enough for our setup to get down and turn around (and certainly 4WD only), metres from the water (but on a bank), and with beautiful views. It was warm, but you’d struggle to find a nicer camp site, and we seriously rated it.
