Five beach campgrounds to get around

But if you’re more into camping you can take your pick of some spectacular oceanfront campsites anywhere in the country and it costs next to nothing. So if you’re thinking of packing the car with gear and heading to somewhere where your toes stick out of the tent and into the sand, here are a few suggestions.

The Great Ocean Road can get pretty busy, especially in summer with hordes of holidaymakers filling the campgrounds of the seaside towns. For a bit of seclusion, and a sensational beachfront location, try camping at Johanna down past Apollo Bay. There’s no power, the dunnies don’t flush and it is BYO everything, but the view is sensational and the somewhat wild beach attracts plenty of surfers.

You don’t have to drive far out of Sydney to find Coledale. It’s about an hour south along the Grand Pacific Drive and about 18kms north of Wollongong, but what a find for campers. The local surf lifesaving club has set up a campground on the edge of the sand and provided plenty of facilities: showers, toilets, power and even electric barbeques. The views of the Pacific, and maybe the odd passing humpback whale, are simply magnificent.

This is the Coorong, the magical stretch of coastline and wetlands towards the Victorian border made famous by the book and film Storm Boy. Because it’s a national park camping is regulated so you can’t throw down a swag anywhere, but then there’s Ocean Beach. Set up your campsite, brew a tea and watch the waves roll in. Pelican sightings are pretty well guaranteed.

Okay, so Esperance is a long drive from Perth but the Cape Le Grand National Park about 60km further east is worth it. And Lucky Bay is a great place to camp, in coastal bushland alongside a pristine white sandy beach perfect for swimming, fishing and snorkelling. It’s accessible by car, but you’ll have to bring your own stove and if you want to tow a boat there’s a ramp right there. And guess what? The kangaroos come right down to the beach for a swim too. Secluded, exciting, beautiful and definitely beachside.

North Stradbroke Island shelters Brisbane from the Pacific, but stick your car on the ferry, head for Cylinder Beach on the island’s north-eastern point and there’s surf galore. Better still, the campground is a cracker. There’s absolute beachfront so you can wander from your tent into the sand, go for a swim or maybe spot a whale or a manta ray. There are full facilities including showers, loos, barbeques and even wifi. It’s like having your own temporary beach house at a fraction of the cost.

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