South Australia is a state with SO much to offer, so much to see and so much to do. You can visit the amazing Grampians Nationalpark, travel one of Australias most remote tracks, the Oddanatta track, see Lake Eyre, live underground in Cooper Pedy, explore the incredible Eyre Peninsula and if you’re on the highway towards WA you’ll soon reach the Nullarbor.

It has actually been a little hard to chose the best camping spots that we’ve visited, because I am tempted to say that they were all the best. I did include A LOT of the camping spots, that we visited – simply because I think you should visit them as well, if you find yourself in the area.

Some of the campgrounds are within national parks, others are close to cities, some are in the very outback. Some are free, some are expensive and some are fairly cheap. Always consider which season you travel in – maybe the campground will be overcrowded or maybe no one will be there to check on you 😉

Oddanatta Track – Coward Springs Campground

CAMPING FEE: $15 PER PERSON/NIGHT

Pros
Halfway between Marree and William Creek
Perfect for slowly getting used to the outback/desert life
Hot mineral spring
Wood-fired showers and clean toilets

Cons
LOTS of flies (bring a net for your hat)
No water around here (but thats normal around here), unless it has rained
Gets pretty crowded late in the afternoon, so get there early, or you’ll end up sleeping in the day-visitor parking lot with no shade

Things to do:
If you find yourself here, you probably have a good idea, of where you going. You’re either going towards Marree or William Creek and you’re probably seeing Lake Eyre. You can go to Lake Eyre South Viewing Point, Halligan Bay Point or hang out in the small town of William Creek. They have excellent food at the one and only restaurant and they offer flights over the lake and the Breakaways. I have heard those flights are pretty amazing! Marree is a bit “bigger”, they have a small grocery store with delicious freshly baked bread and a pub and restaurant as well.

Lincoln Nationalpark – Fisherman Point

CAMPING FEE: $12.5 PER VEHICLE/PER NIGHT + VEHICLE ENTRY FEE $12

Pros
View of the beach and easy access to the beach
Toilets
Rainwater to use for cooking and showering

Things to do:
We did a long walk along the coast from here and came across Donington Lighthouse and September Beach. Take a walk along the beach. Have a swim if you feel like it. Collect hundreds of shells on the beach.

Lincoln Nationalpark – Horse Rock East Campground

CAMPING FEE: $12.5 PER VEHICLE/PER NIGHT + VEHICLE ENTRY FEE $12

Pros
Beautiful sunsets from this spot
Only space for two cars, so you’ll have privacy
Easy access
Camp five meters from the beach

Cons
No toilets and no water
Right off the road (could be noisy, if there was a lot of traffic)

Port Lincoln – Fishery Bay

FREE CAMPING

Pros:
Beautiful view of the bay
Free camping

Cons:
No toilets or water

This is definitely one of our top favorite places, that we have camped so far. We camped several nights out here, because we really enjoyed the amazing view, the quietness and being the only ones there. If you camp here in summer it’s probably a bit more crowded, but you’ll be able to swim on the beautiful beach!

Things to do:
Have a walk at Fishery Bay Beach or take a swim. Visit Whalers Way just down the road (get a key from the visitor centre). Drive to the other side of the bay and take in the breathtaking views as seen on the right photo. Drive to Port Lincoln and hang around here. Visit Lincoln Nationalpark and camp here.

Port Lincoln – Mikkira Station

CAMPING FEE: $30 PER VEHICLE/NIGHT

Pros:
Koalas everywhere!
Emus everywhere!
Showers & toilets
Non-drinkable water
A historic site

Cons:
You’re basically just sleeping in someones huge garden
You need a key from Port Lincoln Visitor Centre

Things to do:
Mikkira Station is not great because its beautiful. It’s great because you get to camp right by the koalas. A big colony of koalas have decided to live here, so they hang around in the trees and you can get close enough to take great pictures! You can also go for a walk around the park, see the historic old building and spots emus and kangaroos.

Whyalla – Point Lowly

CAMPING FEE: $15 PER VEHICLE/NIGHT

Pros:
Diving and snorkeling spot (giant cuttlefish come here)
Toilets & cold showers
Water
Beautiful view of the ocean

Things to do:
Go see Point Lowly Lighthouse, which is in walking distance from here. Go diving or snorkeling with giant cuttlefish. Take a walk as far as you’d like from here to Fitzgerald Bay. Take a walk on the Freycinet Trail. Visit Fitzgerald Bay and camp here. Drive 30 mins to Whyalla and take a walk to Hummocks Hill, visit the Maritime Museum or go on a tour on a tour at the Steelworks. There is actually plenty to do in Whyalla, so Point Lowly Campground could be a great spot to be.

Gawler Ranges Nationalpark – Kolay Hut Campground

CAMPING FEE: $12.5 PER VEHICLE/NIGHT + ENTRY FEE $9

Pros:
Toilets & wood-fired shower
Non-drinkable water
Amazing stargazing (Gawler Ranges is known to have a beautiful night sky due to the remoteness of the park)
Feels like you’re all alone in the world
Relatively easy access in 4wd

Things to do:
Climb the mountain just opposite of the campground. Visit Kolay Mirica Falls. Admire the amazing nature around the campground. Have a walk around the area. Take in the quietness, have a bonfire and enjoy the night sky.

Flinders Ranges Nationalpark – Wilpena Pound

CAMPING FEE: $16 PER SITE/NIGHT + $10 EXTRA ADULT + $11 ENTRY FEE

Pros:
The campground is HUGE, so it almost feels like bush camping, even though you’re not
Toilets & hot showers
Fire pits
IGA (yep thats right, not the best one though) & café
Visitor centre on site
A handful of walks/hikes starts here

Things to do:
Go on a hike. We can recommend Mount Ohlssen-Bagge and others recommended St Marys Peak hike. There are lots of other more or less challenging walks as well. Enjoy the surprising quietness you’ll experience, even though there are plenty of other people camping around you – but the area is huge!

Flinders Ranges Nationalpark – Trezona Campground

CAMPING FEE: $16 PER VEHICLE/NIGHT + $11 ENTRY FEE

Pros:
A lot smaller than Wilpena Pound
Toilets
Fire pit
Picnic benches

Cons:
No water or showers

Things to do:
Trezona Campground is pretty great, because it’s real bush camping. You can do a walk from here called Trezona Hike, which takes you on a geological journey of the park. Other than that, you can enjoy that you’re far from civilization and if you’re visiting in winter like us, you might be lucky to be one of the few people camping here.