Victoria’s best free and budget camping spots: part two

In the first part of Victoria’s best free and budget camping spots we covered camping areas in the Great Ocean Road, Gippsland, Central Highlands, Lakes and High Country regions. If you missed it, check it out here .

In this second part, we’re continuing with more Victorian camping options that won’t bust the budget.

Remote and rustic, requiring 4WD access and full self-sufficiency, this site is perfect for adventurous explorers.

En route to the renowned Billy Goat Bluff Track from Licola and about a five-hour drive northeast of Melbourne, this is a classic bush camp right in the thick of the High Country. A swathe of 4WD tracks in this stunning part of Victoria abounds.

The camping area itself is somewhat Spartan, including only a long drop toilet and non-potable water, so all campers must be fully self-sufficient. The sites are suitable for tent camping, offroad caravans and offroad camper trailers. There is no booking system, so sites operate on a first come, first served basis. A high clearance four-wheel drive vehicle with low range is thoroughly recommended. 

Surrounded by Alpine National Park, this basic site is ideal for 4WD-based tent or swag campers seeking tranquillity and day hiking opportunities, provided that you are self-sufficient.

Owing to very steep, slippery and challenging terrain, Parks Victoria advises against towing camper trailers on several tracks in this vicinity (including Davies Plain Track, McCarthys Track and Limestone Creek Track), with the notable exception of the section of Limestone Creek Track between the Benambra-Limestone Road and the camping area, along which offroad camper trailers can travel. If you intend to continue on driving along Limestone Creek Track to the junction with McCarthys Track near the Victoria/NSW border, leave your camper trailer behind.

Trailers are not permitted on Cobberas Track, Ingeegoodbee Track or MacFarlane Flat Track. Please note that at time of writing all three of these tracks are closed for repair following storm damage and localised flooding. Further, near Davies Plain Hut a section of Davies Plain Track is similarly closed.

Be sure to visit the Parks Victoria website to ascertain the status of tracks before embarking on your journey.

Serene forest of beautiful mountain ash trees (Eucalyptus regnans) abounds around here.

This free campground (no fees are payable, and no bookings are required) about 90km east of Melbourne primarily accommodates vehicle-based camping (suitable for 2WD vehicles) however there are also a couple of sites for campers with tents only.

There are toilet facilities, and each site has its own firepit. In the day visitor area (picnic area) you can avail of a picnic shelter, picnic benches and wood-fired barbecue. So, it would be a good idea to bring your own firewood for the barbecue and/or the campsite firepit. Dogs are permitted, if under control and on a leash.

The turnoff along Ada River Road is on the Yarra Junction-Noojee Road, after Powelltown and before Noojee (travelling from Melbourne). 

For tent camping or small caravans, Dandos Campground is a lovely grassy campground situated on the Gellibrand River in the Otway Ranges, roughly southeast of Gellibrand. Take Gellibrand East Road from Gellibrand on the Colac-Lavers Hill Road, then continue on once it becomes Lardners Track. If it feels like you’re heading away from the direction of Dandos Campground when driving along part of Gellibrand East Road, it’s because you are.

Once it becomes Lardners Track, though, you’ll start heading roughly east for a bit and then bear more towards the direction of the campground. At the junction with Sayers Track, turn left and then left again at Dandos Road.

The shady campground, accessible to conventional 2WD vehicles, is expansive and has about 20 sites. This is just as well since it can get pretty full during summer school holidays in particular, not only with campers but also with bushwalkers using the day visitor area and four-wheel drive travellers wanting to use the toilet facilities, picnic tables or firepits with barbecue plates.

Campground bookings are not required and there are no camping fees. As this location falls outside the bounds of Great Otway National Park, dogs are allowed here, provided they are leashed and under control at all times.

Contact: exploreoutdoors.vic.gov.au/activities/camping/dandos-campground 

We include this section with the caveat that Rest Areas exist to help manage driver fatigue, not drive when tired and in doing so, hopefully not add your number to the road toll. Here at A247 Gear, we acknowledge that Rest Areas are not camping areas; they are safe areas beside the road where motorists can pull over off the roadway to rest.

Be sure not to stop in any heavy vehicle rest areas; these are exclusively for commercial heavy vehicles (and no, your motorhome does not count) and it is illegal for general and recreational vehicles to use them.

If you are looking for somewhere to set up for multiple nights, don’t do so in a Rest Area. It is neither designed to be, nor is it capable of being, a camping area or a caravan park.

Pitching a tent or otherwise setting up camp is not permitted. You can pull up your general vehicle and recreational vehicle at a motorist rest area or a combined motorist and heavy vehicle rest area in Victoria and stop there to rest (not camp) for up to 20 hours. Some areas of Victoria might have different time limits. 

As one example, the Surf Coast Shire Council has an RV-friendly 48-hour stop area in Winchelsea that permits overnight parking for self-contained RVs only (tents, swags and sleeping in cars are prohibited), for a maximum duration of stay of 48 hours.

Fires are not permitted and nor are alcoholic beverages. Generators are only permitted between 9am and 8pm. As it is a council facility, all the local By Laws apply and authorised officers from the Surf Coast Shire Council patrol the site regularly to ensure that people are doing the right thing. Anyone overstaying their welcome, making noise after 10pm or lighting a fire will be moved on. There are accessible toilets and free barbecue facilities with picnic tables in the new Barwon River Gathering Space shelter which was opened in early 2024. An RV dump point is located near the Barwon Hotel.

The area is located very close to the main Melbourne to Warrnambool railway line which carries freight trains as well as V/Line’s passenger services, so this is something to bear in mind if you are sensitive to noise.

As you’ll not be paying for a site, be sure to give some of your patronage to local businesses in Winchelsea during your stay! 

This free overnight rest area (also designated by Parks Victoria as Cherrypool Camping Area, Cherrypool State Forest) is located on the Henty Highway (A200) which connects Horsham and Hamilton.

Cheek by jowl with Grampians (Gariwerd) National Park and a stone’s throw north of the Rocklands-Cherrypool Road intersection, this free campsite has drop toilets, picnic tables and a rubbish bin. Campers will need to be self-sufficient as there is no potable water and the nearest fuel and shops are at Wartook (Happy Wanderer Holiday Resort & Caravan Park, whose general store and commercially available fuel are open from 9am to 6pm) about 30km away, or Haven General Store (open 7am to 7pm weekdays and 8am to 7pm weekends) just under 50km away on the outskirts of Horsham.

For self-avowed fishos (or even just campers inclined to flick a lure), Rocklands Reservoir isn’t far away if you’re keen to try and catch Murray cod, brown trout, rainbow trout, redfin or golden perch (yellowbelly). You will need a recreational fishing licence and you should acquaint yourself with closed seasons, minimum lengths and bag limits on the Victorian Fisheries Authority website. It might also be worth trying fishing in the Glenelg River, right next to the Cherrypool Camping Area.

This is a free camping area with no booking system, and therefore it operates on a first in, best dressed basis. 

This volunteer-maintained campground has plenty of space, a sheltered picnic area with a camp kitchen with power outlets (bring your own appliances) and an electric barbecue. There are also picnic tables, flushing toilets, hot showers (a code is required; contact details are on the signage), a dump point, rubbish bins, fireplace (BYO firewood supply) and several water taps (the water can be drawn for cooking etc. however RVs are not permitted to connect up to these). Dogs are allowed and must be restrained, under control and quiet at all times.

Smythesdale Gardens Rest Area (formerly Botanic Gardens Reserve dating back to the 1860s) is beautifully maintained by the Smythesdale Progress Association. Donations contribute to the upkeep of the gardens, campsites and facilities, and are most welcome. They can be lodged at the Ampol Foodary Smythesdale, around a 500m or so walk in a northeasterly direction along the Ballarat-Skipton Rail Trail.

With a maximum duration of stay being three nights, campers can stay long enough to take in the sights and history of Smythesdale, as well as radiating out to explore the region on foot, by bike and/or through scenic drives. Walkers and cyclists shouldn’t miss visiting the impressive heritage-listed Nimons Bridge on the Ballarat–Skipton Rail Trail where it spans the Woady Yaloak River (the same river that runs near the Smythesdale Gardens Rest Area).

In 2024, Regional Development Victoria committed $100,000 towards the Smythesdale Public Gardens Upgrade Project, which is going towards upgrading works such as improved visitor information signage, more park furniture and improved drainage.

The Smythesdale Gardens Rest Area is already a fantastic campground, perfect for one, two or three nights of relaxing peace and quiet. With the state government funding, it’s only going to get even better. 

Related articles

Queensland’s best free and budget camping spots — part one

Queensland’s best free and budget camping spots — part two

Queensland’s best free and budget camping spots — part three

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