Camping North Queensland - 10 best beachside spots

When you’re travelling around the Tropical North, it can be tricky to locate beachside campsites that are both scenic and well maintained. To help you find those rare gems, we’ve compiled this list of the 10 best North Queensland camping spots!

We’ve included a mix of National Park and holiday park campsites, based on their stunning scenery, fantastic facilities and nearby attractions. Plus, we’ve thrown in a heap of extra information about the location and price.

Don’t have a 4WD or campervan capable of beachside camping? Use Camplify to find campervan hire in Townsville_!

10 best places to go beach camping in North Queensland

1. Smalleys Beach Camping Area - Cape Hillsborough National Park

Address: Cape Hillsborough QLD 4740 (a 45-minute drive from Mackay)

Price: From $7 per night

Pet friendly: No

Smalleys Beach Camping Area is located right beside a picturesque beach, where you can spend your days swimming and enjoying the waterfront views. Grab one of the 11 campsites and enjoy the shade under the eucalyptus trees and lowland rainforest.

There’s also easy access to a heap of scenic walking trails around Cape Hillsborough National Park and a nearby boat launching area, from which you can cruise around the islands and reefs of the Great Barrier Reef.

Bookings can be made online.

Facilities include:

• Caravan, camper trailer, campervan and tent camping

• Non-flush toilets

• Drinking water

• Boating

• Fishing

• Walking trails

2. Noah Beach Camping Area - Cape Tribulation (Daintree National Park)

Address: Cape Tribulation Rd, Cape Tribulation QLD 4873 (1hr 40min drive from Port Douglas)

Price: From $7 per night

Pet friendly: No

Set up your camper next to the sea at Noah Beach Camping Area. Choose from 15 camping sites beneath the forest canopy, protecting you from the ocean winds and sun.

This is one of the best spots for camping in North Queensland if you want to explore Cape Tribulation and the Daintree National Park, where the world’s oldest rainforest meets the Great Barrier Reef. It’s also part of the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area and home to a diversity of wildlife including goannas and crocodiles.

Bookings can be made online. Be aware that this campsite is closed throughout the wet season.

Facilities include:

• Campervan, camper trailer and tent camping

• Non-flush toilets

• Walking trails

3. Captain Billy Landing Area - Jardine River National Park

Address: Shelburne QLD 4874 (3hr 30min drive from Cape York Tip)

Price: From $7 per night

Pet friendly: No

Located on the wild coastal fringe of the Jardine River National Park is one of North Queensland’s most remote beachside camping spots - Captain Billy Landing Area. Directly beside the beach, this is a great area for fishing and beach walking.

At low tide, you can walk along the beach to a cave system that is inhabited by bats. There is a heap to do in the surrounding Jardine River National Park, including walking tracks to Eliot Falls and Fruit Bat Falls.

Bookings can be made online. Be aware that this campsite can only be accessed by 4WD and off-road camper trailers.

Facilities include:

• Camper trailer and tent camping

• Hybrid toilets

• Picnic tables

• Fire rings

4. Chilli Beach Camping Area - Kutini-Payamu (Iron Range) National Park

Address: Lockhart QLD 4892 (45min drive from Lockhart)

Price: From $7 per night

Pet friendly: No

Stay at the Chilli Beach Camping Area within Kutini-Payamu (Iron Range) National Park. This beachside camping spot is nestled behind coastal dunes, which provide shelter from the sea breezes.

This site is particularly popular with fishermen and birdwatchers, with seasonal starlings, black cockatoos, owls, snakes, geckos and possums frequenting the area. Take a stroll along the Chilli Beach forest walk (720m), launch your boat or cook your catch over the campfire.

Bookings can be made online.

Facilities include:

• Camper trailer and tent camping

• Non-flush toilets

• Walking

• Fishing

5. Platypus Camping Area - Danbulla National Park

Address: Platypus Creek Camp Access Road, Tinaroo QLD 4872 (30min drive from Atherton)

Price: From $7 per night

Pet friendly: No

Platypus Camping Area is a beachside camping spot in North Queensland - but it’s located beside freshwater Lake Tinaroo instead of the ocean. Camp under the shade of the pine forest and enjoy beautiful waterside views without needing to worry about crocodiles and jellyfish.

Wake up early to catch an awesome sunrise and cast a line in this popular fishing spot. Later in the day, you can launch your boat, walk to the towering Platypus Rock or ride your bike around the Mount Edith and Kauri Creek circuit (43km return).

Bookings can be made online.

Facilities include:

• Campervans, camper trailers and tent camping

• Flushing toilets

• Picnic tables

• Wood barbecues

• Taps

• Fire rings

• Canoeing and kayaking

• Boating

• Swimming

• Fishing

6. Cardwell Beachcomber Tourist Park

Address: 43A Marine Parade, Cardwell QLD 4849

Price: From $49 per night

Pet friendly: Yes

The Cardwell Beachcomber Tourist Park is conveniently located on the beachfront midway between Cairns and Townsville. Cardwell is a boating paradise, with miles of sheltered creeks and waterways to explore and numerous reefs and islands offshore.

Covering six acres of tropical grounds, there is a heap of shady sites overlooking miles of beachfront. Explore local sites like the natural Cardwell Spa Pool and Attie Creek Falls before returning to camp to cool off in the swimming pool.

Facilities include:

• Powered campsites

• Amenities block

• Free barbecues

• Camp kitchen

• Swimming pool

• On-site bar and restaurant

• Free WiFi

7. Mission Beach Hideaway Holiday Village

Address: 58-60 Porter Promenade, Mission Beach QLD 4852

Price: From $35 per night

Pet friendly: No

If you want a North Queensland camping spot with something for the whole family, you can’t beat Mission Beach Hideaway Holiday Village. And the best part is that it’s located across the road from a coconut palm-lined sandy beach and it’s only a short stroll to some fantastic cafes & restaurants.

The park is also located remarkably close to Dunk Island, the perfect place to take a day trip via water taxi (book at reception). A few days can also be spent riding your bikes along the Musgravea Trail in tropical Djiru National Park or strolling along the Kennedy Walking Track.

Facilities include:

• Powered & unpowered campsites

• Two amenities blocks

• Laundry

• Camp kitchen

• Games room

• Children’s playground

• Swimming pool

• Barbecues

• Free WiFi

8. King Reef Resort Hotel & Caravan Park

Address: 75 Jacobs Rd, Kurrimine Beach QLD 4871

Price: From $47 per night

Pet friendly: Yes

Image: King Reef Resort Facebook_

King Reef Resort and Caravan Park is situated on Kurrimine Beach (just south of Innisfail). Grab a beachfront campsite with remarkable ocean views and explore some of North Queensland’s highest-rated attractions.

Using Kurrimine Beach as your base camp, you are never far from awesome sites like Barnard Island National Park Group, the Atherton Tablelands and Wooroonooran National Park (home to the Babinda Boulders and Etty Bay).

Facilities include:

• Powered campsites

• Amenities block

• Camp kitchen

• Swimming pool

• Inflatable slide

• On-site bar and restaurant

• On-site store

• Gaming machine room

9. Cape York Camping

Address: Bamaga QLD 4876

Price: From $25 per night

Pet friendly: Yes

Image: Cape York Camping Punsand Bay Facebook_

If you want to explore the tip of North Queensland, you can’t beat the Cape York Camping Punsand Bay. Located just 5km from The Tip, this campsite is the northernmost address in Australia.

Find yourself surrounded by untouched wilderness and an abundance of wildlife, as you watch the sun rise out of the Coral Sea and set over the Arafura Sea. Take a tour to a local pearl farm, join a fishing charter and check out the historic Telegraph Station nearby.

Facilities include:

• Powered & unpowered campsites

• On-site bar

• On-site shop

• Takeaway pizza

• Swimming pool

• Kids activities

• Tour bookings

10. Cape Tribulation Camping

Address: R3812, Cape Tribulation Rd, Cape Tribulation QLD 4873

Price: From $25 per night

Pet friendly: No

Cape Tribulation Camping is the only place on Earth where two world heritage areas meet - the Daintree Rainforest National Park and The Great Barrier Reef. Before roughing it on your Cape York adventure, why not spend a few nights in a North Queensland camping spot that is both comfortable and well facilitated?

You could spend a week here, snorkelling and diving the Great Barrier Reef which is only a short boat ride from the campground. Then take to the land, joining Cape Trib Horse Rides on a tour through the world’s oldest tropical rainforest.

Facilities include:

• Powered & unpowered campsites

• Four amenities blocks

• Laundry

• Two camp kitchens

• Drinking water

Hire a 4WD van for your North Queensland camping trip

Campervan: Hoggy_ on Camplify

If you’re considering taking a North Queensland road trip, these campsites are a great place to stop for a night (or two, or three…)! But the Tropical North can be a wild and rugged place.

To access the best camping spots in North Queensland, you’ll likely need a:

• 4WD tow vehicle and camper trailer

• 4WD tow vehicle and off-road caravan

• Campervan capable of off-roading.

Camplify allows holidaymakers to search through privately-owned rentals and find the ideal van for their adventure.

Simply enter your pickup location, adjust the optional filters and within seconds, you will find the perfect camper for your North Queensland camping trip!

Plus, every Camplify booking comes with a range of added benefits…

Why Camplify?

We are proud to be Australia’s largest private caravan, campervan and motorhome sharing community. When you hire a van through our platform, it comes with lots of advantages:

• Comprehensive hire insurance

• Nationwide NRMA roadside assistance

• 24/7 customer support

• All members are verified

By hiring with Camplify, you are also helping local families who share their van on our platform and supporting many local companies across Australia in addition to ours. So we are very grateful to you.

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