Places to Camp in the Yarra Valley

Whether you’re a rookie adventurer or a seasoned tent pitcher, a little R&R in nature can still include a few home comforts.

Camping is 5 million star accommodation, but go glamping, and it could be 5 kazillions! Or, if you want no mobile phone reception for an enforced tech-free break, try free-range camping – great on a budget and the best back-to-nature experience.

Glamping & Off-grid options

So floors and walls are essential to you, but you’d still love the feeling of nature surrounding you without losing out on the creature comforts. Glamping is the perfect compromise – a meeting of the outdoors and the indoors – decorated!

• Big 4 Park Lane Yarra Valley Holiday Park - Glamping – Pods and Belle tents, in natural settings for families and individuals, personal decks, ‘styled rooms’ and private en suites – all within a holiday park setting with loads of facilities and close to Healesville.
• Big 4 Taggerty Holiday Park – Bell tents, safari tents (powered and unpowered options) set on the Acheron River – the most luxurious camping experience ever.
• CABN – Off-grid tiny house accommodation - no pressure! In locations only you will know about for a completely private escape.

Caravan & Camping

Today’s caravan parks are part places to stay, part theme parks and part community. Think occupied kids all day, pools and playgrounds, modern facilities, proximity to townships, and the river! And all your neighbours are friendly – including the fauna. Plus, there are cabins if the idea of towing a van or packing a tent overwhelms you. Here are five of the best holiday parks in Victoria – you could even visit each one!

Warburton Holiday Park – With one kilometre of Yarra River frontage, this 22-acre campground lets you enjoy life riverside. Recently refurbished, cabins, sites and facilities are all premier class. Excellent tubing down the river and BBQs for every meal – don’t you love outdoor dining? (and it’s adjacent to the new Warburton Water World Splash Park, too – a bonus for the kids.)

Big 4 Park Lane Yarra Valley Holiday Park Healesville – Stunning landscapes and native Australian wildlife on 60 acres of tastefully landscaped grounds and loads of bushwalks to explore. Plenty of waterside locations, so rest and rejuvenate to your heart's content by one of two pools, the trickle of Badger Creek or the serene Lake Picaninny. Where’s that novel you’ve been meaning to read all year?

Big 4 Taggerty Holiday Park – On the banks of the Acheron River - the ideal place for fishing, kayaking, swimming, or just splashing about. Hiking, bush walking, four-wheel driving, mountain bike riding and majestic waterfalls. Cabins, sites and more. More outdoors.

Marysville Caravan and Holiday Park – Located on the banks of the Steavenson River for a quiet atmosphere. Fishing, walking and accessing Lake Mountain Alpine Resort's snow/green fields.

Lilydale Pine Hill Caravan Park – Super central to the Yarra Valley and Dandenong Ranges, on the Warburton Highway. Great for RVs with plenty of drive-through sites and en suite options.

Free Camping Spots

Go off the beaten track with scenic walks at your doorstep, night skies full of constellations, furry friends and birdy wakeups, and the best-tasting campfire meals – fresh air makes you hungry.

Try these campsites:

• Kinglake National Park – Stay at the popular The Gums Camping area. Nestled in a tranquil eucalyptus forest and next to a meandering mountain stream, it has tent sites and basic facilities.
• Yarra State Forest - Take a trip up Blacksands Road (then Creek Road) to Starling’s Gap. Fireplace, toilets, picnic table and an open setting among the ferns and mountain tops.
• The LaTrobe River Camping Area – Free campsites just 32 km from Yarra Junction. Facilities include fireplace, toilets, and picnic tables. Free, walk-in camping is available at Federal Mill and Ada No 2 Mill among fern gullies.
• Kurth Kiln (23 km south of Launching Place near Gembrook) – Choose from Magazine Track Camping Ground, Heritage Fence Camping Ground or Scout Loop Track Camping Ground, all with toilets.
• Longridge Campground in Manningham offers quiet solitude on the banks of the Yarra River.

For more information on these campsites and to book a site, see www.parksvic.gov.au