Family camping · New South Wales & the High Country

Some of the best camping in New South Wales is forty minutes from home.

We're a family out of Sydney who keep going back to the same handful of holiday parks — and have finally started writing down what we've learned. Which sites to ask for. When the wind turns. What we'd leave at home next time.

8parks covered

2kids along for it

0sponsored stays

A wave breaking over the wall of North Narrabeen ocean pool as the sun rises over the sea — North Narrabeen rock pool, 06:50 *— the swell coming over the wall at sunrise*

The index

Every park we've stayed at

Drive times are door-to-boom-gate, not Google's optimistic version. Status shows what's written and what's still sitting in the camera roll.

Park	From Sydney	Best window	Why we go	Guide
Sydney LakesideNorth Narrabeen, on the lagoon	45 min	Year-round	Ocean pool at one end, lagoon at the other, no highway in between	Published
Ocean BeachUmina Beach, Central Coast	1 h 20	Year-round	The one you can leave for after school on a Friday	Drafting
Myall ShoresBombah Point, Myall Lakes NP	3 h 15	Sep – Apr	Flat water, no phone signal, the ferry crossing	Drafting
JindabyneSnowy Mountains, NSW · 920 m	5 h 30	Jun – Sep · Dec – Feb	Base camp for both the snow and the summer walks	Photos needed
Darlington BeachArrawarra, north of Coffs Harbour	5 h 45	Apr – Oct	Big park, big pool — the kids never ask to leave	Photos needed
Merimbula BeachSapphire Coast, far south NSW	6 h 00	Nov – Mar	Oysters, the boardwalk, water you can actually swim in	Photos needed
Thredbo & PerisherKosciuszko NP · 1 365 m / 1 720 m	5 h 45	Jun – Sep	Winter, with a car full of gear and two excited boys	Photos needed
BrightOvens Valley, Victorian Alps	8 h 00	Mar – May	The autumn colour is worth the extra two hours	Photos needed

Trip guide · North Narrabeen

The weekend you can do without taking leave

Get up at six and the whole point of the place shows itself.

The holiday park sits on the southern edge of Narrabeen Lagoon, which means you can be standing on the sand at the ocean pool eight minutes after unzipping the tent. In early March the sun comes up around twenty to seven, and for about fifteen minutes after that the swell runs straight over the pool wall.

Then walk it off. The Bicentennial Coastal Walkway climbs the headland at the northern end of the beach — a short, steep track that opens onto the view back over the lagoon, the sandbar and the whole park laid out below you. It's the shot that makes people ask where you were.

Two practical things. The lagoon side is calm enough for small kids and the ocean side is genuinely not, so pick your site accordingly. And it's a council park on a popular stretch of the Northern Beaches — long weekends book out months ahead.

Drive: About 45 minutes from Sydney, no highway involved
Sunrise: 06:40 in early March — the pool is at its best in the fifteen minutes after
Walk: North Narrabeen Headland, part of the Bicentennial Coastal Walkway (Palm Beach to Manly)
Water: Ocean pool at the headland end, flat lagoon water at the other

View from North Narrabeen Headland over Narrabeen Lagoon, the sandbar and the caravans of the holiday park below — From the headland *— the park, the sandbar and the lagoon*

North Narrabeen beach curving away to the north, seen from the coastal walkway at dawn — Looking north *— from the coastal walkway*

One morning, March 2021

Sunrise to seven fifteen

Every photo on this site is ours. No stock, no borrowed shots.

Narrabeen Lagoon at first light, the sandbar curving through still water with the holiday park beyond — Narrabeen Lagoon *— 07:02*

North Narrabeen ocean pool at dawn with the sun just above the horizon — The pool *— 06:50*

Sun rising over the sea beyond the wall of North Narrabeen ocean pool — The pool *— 06:50*

A small cove below North Narrabeen Headland with cloud lit gold at sunrise — Below the headland *— 07:11*

Dawn light on the coast from North Narrabeen Headland, banksia scrub in the foreground — The headland *— 07:11*

Narrabeen Lagoon seen through coastal scrub from the headland walking track — From the track *— 07:06*

Interpretive sign for North Narrabeen Headland on the Bicentennial Coastal Walkway — The walkway sign *— where the track starts*

Gear

Things we've owned long enough to judge

Only gear that's been on at least three trips. If something failed, it says so — that's the entire point.

Shelter

The tent, six seasons in

What's held up, what's leaked, and the one modification that stopped the condensation problem for good.

→ Still using it

Sleep

Keeping kids warm at 920 m

Sleeping bag ratings are optimistic. Here's what actually worked for a 7- and a 10-year-old in a Jindabyne July.

→ Replaced twice

Power

Twelve volts, honestly

We spent too much on this before working out what a powered site already gives you for free.

→ Would not buy again

Digital guide · instant download

The Snowy Mountains Winter Planner

Forty pages of the things we had to learn the expensive way — laid out as a plan you can follow rather than a blog post you have to skim.

Day-by-day itineraries for 3, 5 and 7 nights, built around school holiday dates
The full packing list, split by who carries what
Where to buy chains, hire skis and fill the car without the resort markup
Wet-weather plan B — because one trip in three, you'll need it

$19AUD · PDF · yours forever

Get the planner

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