📍10 Best Places To Go Camping In Bundaberg’s Vicinity (Cheap Or Free) To Reconnect With Nature. (2025.)
WANT TO FIND THE BEST PLACES TO GO CAMPING IN BUNDABERG?
While Bundaberg Rum may be what puts Bundaberg on the map, the beautiful city has so much more to offer than that. From its status as the largest turtle nesting site on mainland Australia to being the gateway to the southern Great Barrier Reef, it is a must-visit destination.
And the nature-vibes don’t just stop there. Whether it’s the islands, coast or countryside calling you, there are tonnes of incredible landscapes, lakes and wildlife opportunities to discover, and if you want to stay the night, or maybe even a few, here are my picks for the best free and cheap places to go tent camping in Bundaberg’s vicinity if you like peaceful escapes, searching for nocturnal animals, stargazing, warming up by a campfire or just turning up spontaneously because of a last-minute decision or you were road tripping and didn’t know where you’d be when like I do.
Note: These are affordable nature-based campgrounds, where you can pitch a tent, not overnight rest areas on the road or in towns nor commercial campgrounds, which are great and I enjoy staying at those places, but these are where you can get the full rustic camping experience and immerse yourself in nature.
👉 My top 3 picks for camping around Bundaberg:
- Lady Musgrave Island, Capricorn Cay National Park.
- Burrum Point, Burrum Coast National Park.
- Auburn Camping Area, Auburn River National Park.
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Best Camp Grounds Near Bundaberg.
1. Lady Musgrave Island.
Capricorn Cays National Park.
It’s no secret how much I loved remote camping on Lady Musgrave Island as there’s never been a place I left feeling so intrinsically connected to, which is why it is first on this list.
Located 100km north of Bundaberg, this spectacular pristine coral cay is the Great Barrier Reef’s second southernmost island and harbours such a rich biosphere, that it felt like I was in a National Geographic documentary, it was that teaming with wildlife!
Underwater, the coral formations were utterly spectacular and coming across giant sharks sleeping on the sea floor and eyeballing the majestic sea turtles swimming directly towards me while snorkelling during the day was as unforgettable as seeing the hard-shelled reptiles haul themselves up on the beach to lay their eggs during nesting season at night, which was incredibly magical.
But that’s not all. Despite its small size, the island is inhabitant by what seems like thousands of birds from species such as bridled terns, shearwaters, boobies, herons and silver terns, with black noddies holding the highest population. Add to the fact that the latter are tree-dwellers and seem to like to hang around the campground the most, just a forewarning, their guys poop like their field bombing you with enemy artillery fire, so getting shat on ends up being a campers right of passage, but a tarp for your campsite is a must.
But even with that shitstorm happening daily, and the camping transfer across with the Lady Musgrave Experience being sub-par, it didn’t at all hinter the fact that staying at this bare bones campground for seven days was unequivocally the best wildlife experience I ever had by far.
- Accessibility: Boat only.
- Number Of Sites/ Surface Type: 21 firm sandy sites.
- Facilities: Drop Toilets, Decompression Chamber.
- Cost: Cheap to stay on the island, but expensive to get across.
- Distance From Bundaberg:
- Things To Do Nearby: Snorkelling or diving the Great Barrier Reef.
- Best Time To Visit: October – December.
Woodgate National Park.
Back on the mainland, another place you can camp near the ocean is at Burrum Coast National Park. Located along the Bundaberg region’s southern coastline surrounding the town of Woodgate, this lovely place is a great place to enjoy the seaside nature scene and do some picturesque walks, swim or kayak at the gorgeous Theodolite Creek or head out on the boat in the Isis River. Yep! That’s no joke, that’s actually what it’s called.
But don’t be concerned with the estuary’s alarming name though, it has nothing to do with Iraqi terrorists, so you need not worry about any of those guys menacing your adventures, (although there are magpies that swoop during the 6 weeks of the swooping season starting Spring.) but you might want to take scopes with you, anyway. Binocular scopes, that is, because this is a fantastic bird-watching site.
It also has two excellent camping areas: Burrum Point & Kinkuna Section.
2. Burrum Point Camping Area.
Burrum Point camping area lies at the southern tip of the national park and has easy access to pristine beachfront and river frontage. Unfortunately, it’s not a conventional vehicle accessible, so you’ll either need a 4WD or use a boat to access it. Or if you want to add more adventure to your trip, you can do the more physically challenging activity of walking along the Melaleuca track (12.3km return) or kayaking across the Iraqi terrorist group river from Burrum Heads.
Just a forewarning though that the low tide can expose a decent amount of the sandy river bed. I wanted to kayak across, but there was so much of it between the shore and deeper water, so I didn’t end up doing it. However, it was also getting dark when I arrived too, so it wasn’t the best idea to depart then anyway.
- Accessibility: High Clearance 4WD or boat.
- Number Of Sites/ Surface Type: 13 sites on sandy surfaces.
- Facilities: Flushing toilets, cold showers.
- Cost: Cheap.
- Distance From Bundaberg/ Drive Time: 70km, 1hr.
- Things To Do Nearby: Swim at the beaches, boat on the Burrum River to Burrum Heads, walk the adjoining trails, or kayak a
- Best Time To Visit:
3. Kinkuna Section.
In the northern half of Burrum Coast National Park lies the large Kinkuna Section campgrounds. This is even more 4WD territory as the roads are not just rugged to get there, but the coastline along there is open to exhilarating and liberating activity oh beach driving! You could alternatively boat across from the ramp at Walkers Point or even Burrum Heads.
It is also one of the most basic and remote campgrounds of the mainland where you will need to haul everything in with you and the facilities are even less present. To give you an idea of how little is there, it has less than the aforementioned Lady Musgrave Island, as at least that place has a toilet installed there. Here you need to bring your own portable dunny.
- Accessibility: High Clearance 4WD or boat.
- Number Of Sites/ Surface Type: Sandy.
- Facilities: Picnic tables, no toilets.
- Cost: Cheap.
- Distance From Bundaberg/ Drive Time: 64km, 1hr 15min.
- Things To Do Nearby: Swim at the beaches or Theodolite Creek and walk the trails with Burrum Coast National Park.
- Best Time To Visit:
4. Paradise Dam.
Changing up the beach scenery for the lovely views of the impounded Burnett River, Paradise Dam lies upstream from the stunning rum capital of Australia. While it looks like it’s just available for day visitors, it’s actually one of the best and is a beautiful little-known, off-the-cuff free campground near Bundaberg.
All I had to do was call the caretaker (whose number was on signs around the car park on the boat ramp level) from near the kiosk where there was mobile phone reception and inform them of my intentions to camp there and I was good to go for the night. And because it faces west, it’s the perfect place to watch the setting sun.
Plus, both the picnic areas have gorgeous views overlooking the river and dam wall that you can enjoy from the sheltered tables or BBQs and the drive-down area at the side of the boat ramp makes launching a kayak to explore this beautiful place easy as pie.
Wongi State Forest.
Directly south of Bundaberg lies the beautiful Wongi State Forest, home to two beautiful campgrounds. Both these stunning spots nestled in nature make them the perfect affordable base to explore the nearby heritage city of Maryborough and neighbouring Hervey Bay, the whale-watching capital of Australia or even use it as a launchpad to cross the Great Sandy Strait and roam the wilds K’gari (Fraser Island), the world’s biggest sand island and home to the country’s largest remaining dingo population.
5. Lenthalls Dam.
Although Lenthalls Dam is more reminiscent of private campgrounds with it being gated and having a check-in desk and clerk, it is actually managed by the Fraser Coast Regional Council and fits the rustic bill nicely as there is no drinking water, no electricity, no hot showers, no public phones and no waste dumping facilities, which is why I am putting it on this list.
Plus, it is a gorgeous spot! You can pitch your tent or park your rig right by the lake and kayak almost directly out of your campsite with the boat ramp being not too far away. There are a couple of beautiful lookouts within walking distance that overlook the water, and thanks to the campground facing a westerly orientation, you can cap off the day with a magical sunset over the water.
Forewarning: The last stretch of the road just before the dam is quite corrugated. It also featured some large holes, but luckily the road is wide so there’s usually plenty of space to go around. I managed to get there in a conventional 2WD, but it was a bitch sketchy in some places.
- Accessibility: Conventional vehicle with caution.
- Number Of Sites/ Surface Type: Grassy sites near the lake
- Facilities: Picnic areas, BBQs, toilets and cold showers.
- Cost: Cheap.
- Distance From Bundaberg/ Drive Time:
- Things To Do Nearby: Visit Maryborough or swim at the Wongi Waterholes.
- Best Time To Visit: The warmer months makes being out on the lake much more pleasant.
6. Wongi Waterholes.
Taking the rustic brief up a notch, the Wongi Waterholes near the end of Lenthalls Dam’s southernmost branch quickly became one of my favourite places to camp on the Fraser Coast’s mainland. This spectacular hidden gem is a must-visit, whether just for a day trip or as a beautiful place to spend the night.
Taking the rustic brief up a few notches, the Wongi Waterholes near the end of Lenthalls Dam’s southernmost branch is a gorgeous spot you don’t want to miss because it is a spectacular hidden gem that the quickly became one of my all-time favourite camping spots. This is because while the camping spot itself is as basic as they come, (although they do surprisingly have cold showers), it’s the waterhole at the nearby day-use area that makes it such a special place.
As it’s in the middle of a working forest and looks incredibly unassuming until you walk right up to it, what you’ll find is a small but pristine wild swimming lagoon that makes it feel like you’ve discovered a little oasis in a desert of trees. Plus, it helped that there was a rope swing leading into the water and that it was a beautiful temperature from splashing around it.
As for spending the night, it’s perfect, because it’s out of the way, allowing you to spend a peaceful evening under the stars. You may even see a possum or two!
- Accessibility: Conventional vehicle with caution.
- Number Of Sites/ Surface Type: 100 people are permitted to stay in the open and undefined shady campground
- Facilities: Cold showers, flushing toilets.
- Cost: Cheap.
- Distance From Bundaberg/ Drive Time: 115km, 1hr, 30min.
- Things To Do Nearby: Swim at the Wongi Waterholes, visit Maryborough, or boat or kayak at Lenthalls Dam.
- Best Time To Visit: The warmer months for swimming in the lagoons.
7. Wuruma Dam.
Wuruma Dam Camping.
One of the most surprising free camping places within Bundaberg’s reach is Wuruma Dam. Located 200km south-southwest of the heritage city, this stunning overnight haunt is great for those wanting to get off the beaten track and explore the North Burnett’s largely unvisited interior.
And it’s not only zero cost, but zero inconvenience, as unlike Paradise Dam where you have to call to book on arrival, this one you just turn up and set up, making it fantastic for spontaneous adventures. The only caveat is that the layout is more akin to a caravan park, which while the spaces are reasonably sized, there’s no privacy from one person to the next. I also had to deal with people playing loud music and talking even louder over it but that could happen anywhere public with no authorities to monitor it.
Those things aside, the lake is beautiful. The lookout of the dam wall is a short walk or drive away, and further down the road at the boat ramp, it is also a gorgeous place to go boating and kayaking at a location that is off the beaten path.
- Accessibility: Conventional vehicle.
- Number Of Sites/ Surface Type: 40 designated camping areas.
- Facilities: Boat ramp, toilets.
- Cost: Free.
- Distance From Bundaberg/ Drive Time: 210km, 2hr 35mins.
- Things To Do Nearby: Water activities such as swimming, kayaking and boating. Lookout.
- Best Time To Visit: Year-round.
8. Auburn River Camping Area.
Auburn River National Park.
When it comes to camping near Bundaberg within 3 hour’s drive of the rum capital of Australia, no place is as wonderful as Auburn River National Park. Some things that make this place so special is that it’s just off a road that not many people travel along, there are only 5 lovely campsites, which means it’s never overly busy and the sites are reasonably far apart and subset, offering some privacy. Plus, it’s surrounded by trees and is within walking distance of the day-use area and the beginning of all the tracks, which leads to this place being the phenomenal hidden gem it is: the scenery.
This tiny national park is one of the most ruggedly spectacular riverine landscapes I’ve ever seen travelling in Australia. This is significant thanks to its unique geography and ongoing geological processes which have caused the large slabs of soft pink, anciently formed granodiorite to crack and erode over millions of years due to the continual movement creating the breathtaking boulder-strewn landscape it is today, making it one hell of a visual impact that you wouldn’t expect, especially since the surrounding terrain doesn’t give much of an indication of what you’ll find here.
- Accessibility: Conventional vehicle. A 4WD is recommended in wet weather.
- Number Of Sites/ Surface Type: 5 gravel sites.
- Facilities: Bush toilets, a gas BBQ, shelter shed, picnic tables and communical fire rights.
- Cost: Cheap.
- Distance From Bundaberg/ Drive Time: 231km, 3hrs.
- Things To Do Nearby: Auburn River National Park walks.
- Best Time To Visit: Year-round.
9. Tolderodden Camping Area.
Tolderodden Conservation Park.
If your road trip takes you out near Eidsvold, it has another beautiful campground located just 7km west of town. The Tolderodden Conservation Park is a lovely wide open space with plenty of trees, picnic tables and woodfire BBQs to use right by the Burnett River, so it’s a gorgeous peaceful setting.
There is also one walking trail that leads to a small rocky outcrop in the hills beside it, but it was super foggy when I visited, so unfortunately, I can’t tell you what the view was like.
- Accessibility: Conventional vehicle.
- Number Of Sites/ Surface Type: 60 shady grassy sites.
- Facilities: Bush toilets, wood-fired BBQs, picnic tables.
- Cost: Cheap.
- Distance From Bundaberg/ Drive Time: 185km 2hr 20 minutes.
- Things To Do Nearby: Walk the 700m return walking track. Visit Eidsvold township.
- Best Time To Visit: Year-round.
10. Kalpowar Camping Area.
Kalpowar State Forest.
If you like cycling adventures, then the camping area at Kalpowar State Forest is a great way to get into the action first thing in the morning and ride until sunset. It’s just a few kilometres away from one of the access points from the Boyne-Burnett Rail Trail and is a large open space to set up camp and enjoy a night under the stars before hitting the trails the next day.
And what’s great about the trail leaving from the old Barimoon train station is that it is one of the best parts of the mammoth cycle path are just a short distance away. Follow it north from the site and there are four consecutive railway tunnels you can ride through not far along, with a 5th a little further along, with many more to discover in the opposite direction. Keen riders can even go from town to town.
- Accessibility: Conventional vehicle.
- Number Of Sites/ Surface Type: 200 people can camp in the undefined open grassy campsite, which has plenty of shade.
- Suitable For: Tent camping, camper trailer camping, caravan camping & large groups.
- Facilities: Bush toilets, picnic tables (some sheltered).
- Cost: Cheap.
- Distance From Bundaberg/Drive Time:135km, 2hr.
- Things To Do Nearby: Trail bike through the forest.
- Best Time To Visit: Year-round.
Conclusion: Best Bundaberg Camping Sites.
For those who like to spend their days exploring the great outdoors and their nights under the stars, there are plenty of cheap or free rustic campgrounds near Bundaberg, within 3 hour’s drive allowing you to reconnect with nature while discovering some of the best landscapes, lakes, scenic roads, trails and islands.
If you are planning to visit Bundaberg, consider looking at these other posts.
