The NT’s best free and budget camping spots

The Northern Territory is bigger than France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland and Austria combined, yet only 250,000 people (less than 1 per cent of the Australian population) call it home. If the NT was a sovereign nation, it would be the least densely populated nation on Earth.

It is a place of unparalleled open space and uncrowded freedom. No other country has more Nature and Culture dual-listed UNESCO World Heritage sites than Australia. We’ve got four. And of those four, two are in the NT (the world-famous Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park and Kakadu National Park).

To experience a place with so much space and freedom, big sky, towering escarpments, impressive natural beauty, incredible wildlife, sublime sunsets, real outback experiences and nature and rich Aboriginal culture in spades (Kakadu has been inhabited continuously for at least 40,000 years) — not to mention so many wetlands, waterholes and waterfalls you’ll lose count! — a self-drive touring and camping holiday is pretty hard to beat.

Comprising seven official tourism regions (MacDonnell, Lasseter, Katherine Daly, Litchfield Kakadu Arnhem, Alice Springs, Barkly and Darwin), the NT is as diverse as it is large. In this article we’ll cover each of these diverse and gorgeous regions as we delve into some sensational free and budget-friendly campsites.

This stunning campground has a caveat as it’s not easy to get to … in the sense you can only access it via the Jatbula Trail which is a one-way 62km walk in Nitmiluk (Katherine Gorge) National Park, from the Gorge (Nitmiluk) to Leliyn (Edith Falls). 17 Mile Falls camping area is the third campground on the walk, and you must book in advance as the walk is popular among tourists and locals alike. For bookings visit the Parks and Wildlife Commission Northern Territory’s Parks Booking System website.

The adjacent falls run year-round and create a picturesque and serene backdrop for campers. There’s plenty of space here and toilets but not much else in the way of facilities, including no drinking water, so campers must be completely self-sufficient. Some fees apply; for bookings visit the Parks and Wildlife Commission Northern Territory’s Parks Booking System website. 

This breathtaking remote beachside campground set among open eucalypt forest is well lauded for its serene atmosphere and beachfront scenery. It’s a bit of trek from Darwin (about a 29-hour drive) and Kakadu National Park (27 hours), but the drive is stunning and once you see the sea in all its glory, it’s more than worth it.

The beach is a white-sand oasis aptly nicknamed ‘Little Bondi’. The campground is relatively small with enough room for five beach campsites (maximum of six people per campsite), and facilities are limited to a composting toilet. If you choose to go for a paddle or a dip here, be sure to be on the lookout for stingers during the wet season and for crocodiles all year round.

Campers must be self-sufficient and bring a plentiful water supply since there is no potable water. Please be advised that you need two paid permits — one from the Dhimurru Aboriginal Corporation and one from the Northern Land Council — to enter this area. This spot is only accessible by four-wheel drive vehicle. Camper trailers and caravans are not permitted. Book here. 

Located in the World Heritage site of Kakadu National Park, Maguk (Barramundi Gorge) is a beautiful natural waterfall and plunge pool bordered by steep gorge walls. This is a great spot for bush camping (only a short walk through beautiful monsoon rainforest to the plunge pool) and is popular due to its quiet yet picturesque surroundings.

Facilities include a pit toilet, picnic area with tables and firepits. The campground is suitable for tents and camper trailers but not caravans. Please be advised that a 4WD vehicle is required for access and a Park Pass (entry fee) is required to enter Kakadu National Park (Northern Territory residents are exempt). Camp fees (payable in cash only to the onsite campground manager) are low at $6 per night for adults, $3 for children and $15 for a family. Bookings are not required since the campground works on a ‘first-in, best-dressed’ basis.

Whilst camper trailers are permitted, caravans, generators and alcohol are not. 

This family-operated holiday park (and member of Family Parks, the only holiday park chain with member parks in both New Zealand and Australia) is a staple of Alice Springs, being the closest to the town centre and opposite the Araluen Arts Centre and museum.

Formerly named Stuart Caravan and Cabin Tourist Park, Alice Springs Tourist Park is an oasis in the desert. The park itself is massive with accommodation options ranging from two-bedroom villas and family or budget cabins to a variety of powered and unpowered sites for caravans, camper trailers and tents. The powered sites all have individual power, water and sullage (on grass or concrete), whereas the unpowered sites are grassed, shaded and have water available.

Facilities are very generous including a communal camp kitchen with fridge, barbecue areas, TV room, swimming pool, mini mart, two fantastic amenities blocks, children’s playground and much more. Fees apply and may be higher due to extensive facilities.

Alice Springs Tourist Park is the perfect base for daily forays into the West MacDonnell Ranges, or as the point of departure if heading to Watarrka National Park (Kings Canyon). You can book here.

This conveniently located and charming caravan park less than half an hour from Darwin city (by car) is popular for its proximity to Berry Springs Nature Reserve, Territory Wildlife Park, Kakadu National Park and Litchfield National Park. Accommodation options include a range of ensuite, powered and unpowered sites suitable for all caravans, campervans, camper trailers, motorhomes, big rigs/fifth wheelers, buses and tents, luxurious and budget cabins and variously sized units. The park is pet-friendly with a large, fully fenced dog exercise area.

Facilities are substantial with two amenities blocks, large coin-operated laundry room inc. ironing capabilities, two large camp kitchens with microwave ovens, fridges, toasters, electric kettles etc., four free barbecues and more. Fees apply and may be higher due to extensive facilities.

Please note that online bookings between 4pm and 8am are not serviced, therefore be sure to phone (08 8983 1026) to ascertain booking availability. If you are likely to arrive after 5pm, you will need to phone the office prior to 4pm. Book here.

Located cheek-by-jowl with the famous Karlu Karlu / Devils Marbles boulders, this campground is a popular spot for its stunning natural scenery and calm ambiance. It has unpowered caravan/camper trailer sites, a designated tent camping area, pit toilets, fireplaces with barbecue plates and shaded picnic tables. You must bring your own firewood and water supply. As this is a Category B campground, camping fees apply, being $10 per adult, $5 per child (5–17 years) and $25 per family (two adults, four children) and campsites must be booked and paid for prior to arrival via the Parks and Wildlife Commission Northern Territory’s Parks Booking System website. Generators, drones and pets are prohibited, with the exception that pets on a leash are permitted in the day-use car park (not the campground).

This main campground is often fully booked (especially in the dry season), and whilst there is an overflow campground, motorhomes, camper trailers and caravans are not permitted.

*Hot tip* Only around 8km southward along the Stuart Highway you’ll find the Devils Marbles Hotel (around 395km north of Alice Springs or 113km south of Tennant Creek) which has powered and unpowered sites (fees apply), barbecue facilities, a licensed restaurant with beer garden and a swimming pool for overnight guests. It sells ice and fuel and has a range of air-conditioned cabin accommodation available (some with ensuite bathrooms, some share bathroom facilities with the caravan park) if you want to have a break from sleeping under canvas. Booking is easy through their website.

Boggy Hole is a Category B campground (without any facilities) located in Finke Gorge National Park. It is only accessible by high clearance 4WD. As a Category B campground in a national park managed by Parks and Wildlife Commission Northern Territory, camping fees apply, being $10 per adult, $5 per child (5–17 years) and $25 per family (two adults, four children) and must be booked and paid online. Boggy Hole is not suitable for caravans however it is suitable for swags, tents and offroad (high clearance) camper trailers. It’s also highly suitable for taking a refreshingly cool dip in the waterhole!

Finke Gorge National Park is accessible year-round for high clearance 4WD vehicles only (there are deep water crossings up to 700mm deep), excepting when heavy rain means that the access road will likely be closed. Be sure to visit the NT Road Report website before you drive to the national park, especially if you are departing from Alice Springs, because if the access is closed you’ll have driven close to 280km out-and-back for nothing, and you’ll have missed out on experiencing the natural wonders, local wildlife, walking trails and scenic lookouts, as well as the red cabbage palms (Livistona mariae) of Palm Valley. Not to mention the clear and cool waters of the spring-fed, permanent waterhole which, curiously, is anything but boggy.

Located along the Hay River Track in the Simpson Desert, this free campsite is very bare and secluded but offers a serenity scarcely found elsewhere. While there are no facilities apart from fires being permitted, it all adds to the experience of this remote campground. All campers must be fully self-sufficient. The Hay River Track is graded as medium, so you do need a high clearance 4WD with some low range required to access this bush camp. We also advise having some 4WD experience or training before tackling this one, and not going it alone. 

This free bush camp about an hour’s drive northeast of Darwin is located on Gunn Point Peninsula, set back from Murrumujuk Beach (also known by Darwin locals as Gunn Point Beach). There are no rubbish bins, no toilets, no potable water, no medical facilities and no vehicle track maintenance.

The vast lion’s share of Gunn Point Peninsula is gazetted as a Crown Lease, held by the Northern Territory Land Corporation. In a nutshell it means that it is private land available for public, recreational use.

The waters of the Gunn Point Peninsula are known for good fishing, and there are boat ramps at Leaders Creek Fishing Base and Saltwater Arm. Be sure to check tide times before heading to either. The waters are also known for saltwater crocodiles (Crocodylus porosus) and box jellyfish (Chironex fleckeri), so it’s safest not to swim at Murrumujuk Beach … regardless of how tempting the ocean looks.

Whilst you are permitted to drive on Murrumujuk Beach (maximum speed 40km/h), you are not permitted to camp on the beach itself, nor along the cliffs. Your campsite must be a minimum of 10m back from the cliff edge.

As this camping area is not in a national park, your pooch is permitted, as long as it is under your control (both off and on the leash).

You do not need a permit, so camping is free. So are the sublime Top End sunsets. 

This rest area on the Tablelands Highway is a great place to relax for the night after lots of driving — plus is the perfect place from which to see the beautiful NT sunset. The free camping spot is dog friendly and has plenty of space for motorhomes, camper trailers, caravans or fifth wheelers to park up for the night (remember that the maximum stay is 24 hours), as well as tent camping.

There are no facilities apart from a firepit, couple of shaded picnic tables and rubbish bins, so all campers must be completely self-sufficient, particularly since there are no toilet facilities and because the water tank here has a sign which reads, ‘WATER MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR DRINKING’. All conventional vehicles can access this site, however a 4WD is recommended for the Tablelands Highway given that it is only a single lane of bitumen and in many places along its 375km length, the bitumen has seen been days.

This rest area should be fairly quiet at night, although as the Tablelands Highway is more of a ‘beef road’ than a highway, any vehicle driving past at night is far more likely to be a noisy 53.5m road train hauling cattle than a whisper-quiet electric vehicle!

Lucky last, this free and pet-friendly rest area is a popular spot not too far from Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. The spot is completely exposed in the sense there are no trees or other shade/shelter options apart from a covered picnic table. This is the kind of rest area where you would be wanting to roll out your awning as one of the very first set-up tasks you undertake, since one of your best friends in the Red Centre is decent shade.

The rest area welcomes motorhomes, caravans, camper trailers, motorbikes and big rigs. Facilities are limited to the aforementioned picnic table, bins and a water tank, so campers must be self-sufficient otherwise.

This rest area only allows overnight camping for a maximum stay duration of 24 hours. The land beyond the rest area is Aboriginal Freehold Land and entry is prohibited.

*Hot tip* Whilst there is plenty of space here, in the event that there are no spots left (or if the Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Logistics have closed it for works), head to Curtin Springs Station, about 85km east of Voyages Ayers Rock Resort (including Ayers Rock Campground). As well as a range of cabin accommodation from budget twin to family rooms, Curtin Springs offers powered sites from $60 per night or you can camp on their unpowered sites free of charge. Powered sites should be booked in advance; however, Curtin Springs Station does not accept bookings or reservations for their unallocated unpowered sites, which operate on a first-come, first-served basis. Whilst the campsites themselves are free, campers staying on these unpowered sites must pay a $4 per person shower charge. There is a barbecue area but no camp kitchen. By all means arc up your generator and your campfire but be sure to turn off the generator during the early evening and extinguish your campfire completely before retiring to bed. BYO firewood. And shade! 

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