Free camping in WA

Travel & Touring | WA Road Trips

20 July 2023 By: Brendan Batty

If camping was a competition you could beat other people at, peak performance must be finding the perfect free campsite.

Maybe it's at a beach overlooking the ocean. Perhaps it's in the outback by an actual oasis. Potentially, it's on a wide river, with a boab at your back and barra jumping in front. And there's enough 4G reception to post a picture to Instagram.

Free camping is certainly not a new concept, but its 'rediscovery' by young nomads is driving a whole new generation to hit the road in search of that perfect patch of freedom.

The seminal directory of Australian free campsites, Camps Australia Wide (which first came out in 2001), almost certainly influenced that rediscovery, and today WikiCamps, which includes free as well as paid sites, picks up on what Camps Australia began all those years ago.

Free camping sounds awesome. Can I do it anywhere?

Definitely not. You need to be in a spot that’s been designated as a free camping site. Western Australia has around 1000 of them, from the dunes overlooking the Great Australian Bight at the South Australian border to every corner of the Kimberley. But a word of warning – some of these campsites aren't worth what you pay. Others are everything a campsite should be, so you’ll need to choose wisely.

One thing to note is that there is not a lot of free camping on offer in WA’s national parks, but on the whole, its campsites are usually inexpensive anyway. Though you’ll need to strictly stick to the areas allocated for camping in national parks and reserves or risk a fine.

Where you can free camp is one of the most common topics among campers and caravanners anywhere they gather long enough to chat. It's also the entire purpose of apps like WikiCamps or books like Camps Australia Wide. The former is a crowd-sourced directory of campsites across Australia, and the latter is a curated guidebook to the same. Both are good, although WikiCamps, as a collection of people's experiences, doesn't always represent legality.

There are various reasons why camping, free or otherwise, is restricted in many places. Environmental concerns often exist, as camping can damage or degrade important ecosystems. Other times there are safety concerns.

RELATED: Beachfront campsites in WA »

Counter to that, some businesses, towns or shires have set up designated free camping sites to encourage tourists to visit and spend money. For example, the Harvey Regional Council has set up three free camping grounds in its towns, often across the road from the local shops and cafes, to encourage visitation. The sites are part of a trial that will run until March 2024.

Can anyone free camp?

The free camping options across WA are so varied that almost any traveller can make the most of them. There are free camping sites in bushland, across the outback, on beaches, and even in some towns.

Of course, there are free camps that are less enticing. A quick check through Wikicamps shows at least 76 sites described as some variation of a gravel pit.

If you’re hoping to visit some of WA’s bucket-list destinations while free camping every night of your trip, you will either be left disappointed, or you'll do a lot of extra driving to ferry yourself back and forth from your chosen free camps to the best attractions.

Many free camps, or at least those supported by councils, also restrict who can camp there. Often, unless you're in a caravan, campervan, or motorhome that's fully self-contained, you're not allowed to set up camp there. Other camps are just too remote or located on a track that’s simply too rugged to be heavily visited.

The vast majority of free camps are little more than a clearing, and if there are facilities, they're limited to simple toilets and, sometimes, a tap. Many also have stay limits, often 24, 48, or 72 hours. Rules vary, but Camps Australia Wide and WikiCamps are often reliable sources of information on what is and isn't permitted.

If you’re on a longer trip, free camping sites are definitely a great way to lower your overall travel costs if you use one or two for short stays in between your major stops or even just as an excuse to visit a small town you'd otherwise drive through.

What setup do I need to free camp?

Presuming most free camps have little to no facilities, you'll need to be self-sufficient. For most people, that means having enough power in their caravan or RV to keep everything running for the duration of your stay.

Fortunately, most modern caravans come ready-made for short stints without power. You’d probably have everything you need if you can also carry water and have somewhere to go to the toilet that doesn't degrade the surrounding environment.

If you're just starting out, any RV that has a 100-130Ah auxiliary battery, 150-180W of solar charging, and nothing more energy-sapping than a small fridge and some LED lights should allow you to free camp for as long as you have enough water to drink and food to eat.

Where are the best free camps in WA?

Once you get past the 'gravel pits', try some of these:

Bettys Beach, Albany

Overlooking Two Peoples Bay, east of Albany, this is a simple campsite with access for all campers. It's pet-friendly, and you can fish or whale watch from the beach. There is a seven-day limit, and facilities are limited to toilets. There are only six spots, so it fills up quickly, but it's not the only option in the region - there are also free campsites at East Bay and Norman's Beach.

Barred Creek, Dampier Peninsula

If you have a four-wheel drive and don't mind camping on the beach underneath pindan-red cliffs, the beaches north of Broome, accessed via Manari Road, are as epic as camping gets. Bring everything you'll need, including a contained toilet, as there are no facilities here. There is a 72-hour limit.

24-hour self-contained RV Stop, Geraldton

Free campsites in the middle of major towns are rare, making Gerladton's RV stops so good. There's an obvious time limit, and you must be in a self-contained RV, although there is a second stop for non-self-contained vehicles (i.e., roof-top tenters or campervans without an inbuilt toilet and grey water tank) around the corner. Neither are suitable for tents or camper trailers, however.

Peak Charles Campground, Peak Charles National Park

Peak Charles is a small mountain with 360° views from the top in one of WA's more remote national parks, north-west of Esperance. Below, its simple campsite among the open woodlands is a great place to take it all in. It's also one of the state's few free national park campsites. Facilities are limited to toilets and fire pits.

Granite and Woodlands Discovery Trail

This isn't a single campsite. Along the 300km Granite and Woodlands Discovery Trail, which stretches between Norseman and Hyden, including Wave Rock, there are 16 points of interest, many of which allow camping. None have much more than flat space and fire pits, but they're free, and the birdlife is spectacular. The trail is gravel the whole way so is better suited to four-wheel drives. Camping in tents is also allowed.

Peace Gorge, Meekatharra

If you’re after an epic red-dirt campsite in the outback, Peace Gorge, a few kilometres west of Meekathara, is just perfect. Big, flat, and in the shade of giant red boulders. There are no facilities, but you are allowed fires and pets.

Lake Ballard, Ularring

Famous for The Salt People, the art installation of statues across the salt lake by Antony Gormley, the free campsite on its shore is flat, open, and the epitome of outback campsites. It's pet-friendly, allows campfires, and has toilets. It's also a popular stop for people doing the Great Central Road shortcut from Yulara.

Membinup Beach, Esperance

The beaches around Esperance are picture-perfect, and so is this simple campsite amongst the dunes about 70km east of town. It's a rough road in, but still suitable for two-wheel drive vehicles in the dry or four-wheel drives if you want to camp further into the dunes. Bring everything you need as there are no facilities.

Final thoughts

If you’re new to camping or caravan travel, you might have been told stories of epic free camping adventures and people who have never paid for a night's camping, no matter where they went. In reality, most of the best campsites in Western Australia have a fee, and in most cases, those fees are entirely reasonable. If you really want to experience the best of WA, budget for camping fees. They're worth it.

Image credits: Tourism WA, Crickey Campers