The Gorge Camping Grounds; epic camping near Brisbane
Every now and again, you stumble across a camp site that blows your socks off, and The Gorge Camping Grounds near Lake Moogerah did exactly that. If you’re looking for the best camping near Brisbane, this should be very high on your list of places to visit.
Where is The Gorge Camping Grounds?
This magic spot is located just over an hour South West of Brisbane, not far from the bottom of the Cunningham Gap.
What’s there?
When you arrive, you’ll come through a normal farm gate, and then there’s a couple of buildings and cottages, along with the amenities. Nothing looks overly spectacular from here, but once you get beyond this, and look down the slope, you are met with a magic little river.
If you drive on further to the more ‘remote’ camp sites, there are several spots right on the beautiful water, with the babbling creek flowing past, or wider sections that are much deeper.
The property isn’t massive, but its certainly large enough to find yourself a slice of paradise, and I can’t emphasise this further. We camped in the furthest camp site, and its one of the nicest spots we’ve stayed in. In many ways it reminded us of Blencoe Falls, but without the substantial drive to get there and back! You are literally an hour away from Brisbane!
What does it cost to camp?
Adults are $10 a night here, with kids over 5 a further $5 a night. We thought this was pretty reasonable, given what you can pay elsewhere.
The water is freezing
We’ve swum in a heap of different places in Queensland, and its not uncommon to be surprised at how cold it is. The Gorge water was super cold, and that was in late October. It was almost painful to swim, although it was pretty amazing.
Make sure you book
You need to book before you arrive here. The property is large, but not big enough for random people to drop in, and you most certainly will not get one of the nicer spots without booking in advance. You can do this by texting Val on 0415 793 775.
Amenities at The Gorge Camping Grounds
There’s a number of fire pits at the Gorge Camping Grounds that you can use, when the weather is suitable. There’s also a small toilet and shower block. The shower is a bucket of water though, so don’t expect anything fancy, and just be prepared to swim, or bring your own shower arrangement.
Alternative camping options nearby
If you’re keen to check the area out, but can’t get into The Gorge Camping Grounds, you can actually camp on the property on the other side of the river, called Yarramalong Park. This is slightly more expensive, but has more amenities, and is absolutely stunning too. We never called in, but saw a number of visitors from this property swimming in the River.
You should know that this means you might get some noise travelling across the water too, and if someone on the other side decides to have a bit of a rave party, you’ll be in it too.
The Gorge is stunning
If nothing else, this place is worth a day trip, and a splash around. It’s so close to Brisbane, has incredible views and is just a magic part of the world. We’ll be back, for sure.
