Finding where to go camping

One of the biggest barriers to camping for people new to 4wding/Jimny life is finding where to go. I can’t hope to cover everything here or even make an infinite range of suggestions but here’s some resources to find options. I’ve also made a few suggestions of spots people might consider going to.

I’ve also included something a bit random here while we’re talking about camping resources: various things to help you understand nature a bit.

Finding campsites

WA specific camping resources

Generic options for finding campsites

  • WikiCamps
    This is probably #1 for finding campsites, especially free ones. The app in particular is great for letting you filter out various options.
  • Hipcamp
    Another popular option for finding campsites is Hipcamp. I’ve used it a lot less, but I know a lot of people do find it a useful resource. It definitely is more targeted to paid campsites and experiences, but still can be valuable and is a quick way to see what’s around.
  • Free camping Australia
    If your main aim is to find free campsites, usually close to main transport routes, then this can be a great way to find options. I often use this on roadtrips especially for understanding overnight stops on a long roadtrip; interim options, if you will, rather than campsites as a destination.
  • Finding a camp site that might have less light pollution
    One of the greatest things about getting out into nature is experiencing the wonder of a really dark night sky. Something that’s worth getting your head around is light pollution and what it might be like at a camp site you pick. While there’s a few options out there, my favourite for ease of use and data visualisation is https://www.lightpollutionmap.info.

Combining some basic, potentially solo’able 4wding and camping

I think for a lot of people just driving an hour or two on a main freeway to go to a campsite gets pretty limiting in terms of experience the outdoors and having a fun experience. Here’s some things where you might do a day trip and some 4wding, then do some camping before heading home

0-100 km from Perth

Avon Valley & Julimar State Forest
While not next to each other, you can combine some time exploring the Julimar State Forest (which has a bunch of different terrain all close to each other) with camping in the Avon Valley. The Valley campground is a favourite option of mine and well worth using. Either stay here and then head over to Julimar the next day, or spend some time on the tracks and retire to the campsite before evening hits and relax before heading home. While you’re not far from home, it’s a great way to feel like you are a million miles away!

MundAl segment 1 to Dwellingup
MundAl is a 4wd track made up of segments, mostly gravel roads as opposed to anything tricky, between Mundaring and Albany. There are a bunch of segments, and segment 1 takes you from the Perth Hills to Dwellingup (and then onto Collie, but that’s more than 100 km from Perth). This is a live track and so you get the current coordinates emailed to you just before departure to deal with any road or track closures along the way. It’s a good way to find some interesting bits to check out and have a guided route that is easily done solo.
There’s a lot of camping around Dwellingup to use; taking the MundAl route it’s a few hours from Perth but only a bit over an hour back on the highway.

Dryandra woodlands
The Dryandra national park is a great place to go and try to spot a numbat (among other things). There’s a heap of little gravel roads through the woodlands and you can do a bunch of exploring (slowly!) during the day and find yourself some spots that you might spot a numbat nearer to dawn or dusk. Campgrounds such as the Gnaala Mia campground are a really good way to make an overnight stay of it, too.

100-300 km from Perth

Captain Fawcett and Dwellingup / Lane Poole

This is barely past the criteria and is accessed a bit past Dwellingup. Again I’d suggest staying around Dwellingup or maybe Lane Poole for a first time camping experience, but the Captain Fawcett track is very accessible by everyone including stock Jimnys going solo. Note that this track is only open in the dry months, so use the Facebook page to see if it’s open.

Beach tracks between Augusta and Cape Leeuwin

There’s a heap of beach tracks all along the western coast near August and Cape Leeuwin, also with a bunch of campgrounds. I reckon one of the most beginners friendly option is the 15 minute track into Kilcarnup Beach. Drop your tyre pressures down to 12-15 psi, cruise down, park up and enjoy the beach. Plenty of campgrounds around, too, just take your pick really! The Prevelly caravan park is a good spot (though never camped out from it with the Jimny), as are a bunch of the more off-grid style campsites which support the Cape to Cape walking track. Contos camp ground is an excellent one, though is quite popular so worth booking ahead.

Midwest

Once you get off the main highways, especially the unsealed roads of the midwest, it can be exceptionally pretty. Wildflower season (early spring, basically) is the best time to explore this part of the world; exactly where you go will depend on what route you pick so use the free tools above to find somewhere to stay. It’s a great weekend away from the city as we head out of the rainy months of winter to go and explore the open skies and endless horizons.

300-500 km from Perth

Great Southern

Pretty much anywhere you can get off the main roads down in the great southern can be a great wekened away from Perth. Cosy Corner, as the name suggests, is a cosy place to stay, and there’s a few beaches and inlets to explore via various tracks.

500-1000 km from Perth

Holland Track
I’ve done this trip solo (well, two people in 1 car solo); it’s doable as there’s plenty of options around the toughest of the sections. Probably not ‘first ever 4wd trip’ solo, but very doable even with a stock Jimny.

The most interesting part of the track is the bottom half near Hyden, you could do that in a day or two and turn around and go back to Hyden and check out Wave Rock, or continue on north all the way to Coolgardie then drive back to Perth. I’ll give a plug here for the Wave Rock Short Stay camp sites, it’s a very good setup to have a camp near Hyden before kicking off a trip on the Holland Track.

Esperance

Zero direct recommendations here as I’ve not managed to drag the Jimny along anything near here, but it’s well worth poking around the roads and tracks near Esperance and staying at some of the lovely beaches while you’re down there. It’s a long weekend sort of activity, but certainly worth the road trip and a good base for a camping trip.

1000+ km from Perth

Nullarbor

Just in case you ever find yourself doing a trip across the Nullarbor to head east, or even just before you have a few days… this is totally worthwhile. There’s a heap of free camps all along here out the back of the rest areas and you wouldn’t know you’re right next to a major intercontinental highway. The Eyre Bird Observatory near Cocklebiddy is well worth a look, and stay anywhere you can along the entire stretch and you’ll have an enjoyable ‘in-nature’ experience while making your way across the country.