The most beautiful spots for camping on the Central Coast

By Megan Arkinstall
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Whether it be in a swag, tent, caravan, cabin or luxury glamping, the Central Coast is an idyllic place to go camping.

More than half of the Central Coast is made up of natural areas, comprising 10 national parks and reserves, almost 50 beaches and a vast hinterland area, all dotted with lush rainforest, bushland, waterfalls, lakes and lagoons. What better way to elevate your nature-based escape and soak up this beautiful landscape than by sleeping under the stars? From bush campsites to family-friendly holiday parks to luxury glamping, there are many places to go camping on the Central Coast.

National parks and reserves

The Central Coast is home to several protected natural areas, where you’ll find many hiking and biking trails, Aboriginal sites and native wildlife. The three below have camping facilities.

Bouddi National Park

A sign at the Bouddi Coastal Walk in Central Coast, Australia

The expansive 1500-hectare Bouddi National Park is a top spot to camp.

With the eight-kilometre Bouddi Coastal walk tracing its ancient headland, past sparkling ocean and to empty beaches, the expansive 1500-hectare Bouddi National Park is a top spot to camp. It has three campgrounds, all located a short stroll from picturesque beaches. The park also has more than 100 important Aboriginal sites (with cultural tours available) and is an excellent place for whale watching (May to July, September and October) and bird watching – you may spot the white-bellied sea eagle soaring overhead.

Features: Little Beach Campground (toilets, picnic tables, barbecues, unpowered, beach access), Putty Beach Campground (toilets, showers, picnic tables, barbecue, drinking water, unpowered, beach access), and Tallow Beach Campground (toilets, unpowered, beach access).

Munmorah State Conservation Area

Wide view of Frazer Beach in Central Coast, Australia

Frazer Beach has sugar-white sand and is an excellent spot for a bit of surf.

Pristine beaches meet the rainforest in the beautiful Munmorah State Conservation Area. Frazer Beach has sugar-white sand and is good for surfing; there’s also rockpools and a lagoon which the kids love. A little further down, clothing is optional at Birdie Beach (if that’s your thing you can find more of Australia’s top skinny dipping spots here). Inland, there’s eucalypt woodland and rainforest, home to birds such as the fairy wren, native cabbage palms and grass trees. There are two campgrounds available, for both tents and caravans.

Features: Frazer Campground (tents only, picnic tables, barbecues, showers, toilets, unpowered, beach access) and Freemans Campground (tent, camper trailer, caravan, picnic tables, barbecues, drinking water, showers, toilets, unpowered, beach access).

Patonga Caravan and Camping Area

A wide view of Patonga Beach in Central Coast, Australia

The small town of Patonga has excellent bush walks, ancient Aboriginal rock art, and native flora and fauna to fawn over. (Image: David Ross)

Patonga Caravan and Camping Area is in the small village of Patonga, near the southern section of Brisbane Water National Park, which has excellent bush walks, ancient Aboriginal rock art, wildflowers come spring, the cascading Somersby Falls, and native wildlife including platypus. Set on the tip of a small peninsula between Patonga Creek and Patonga Beach, it’s great for fishing, boating, kayaking, paddle boarding and swimming. There’s also a playground, and tennis court and The Boathouse Patonga is a 10-minute walk away.

Features: powered, unpowered, showers, toilets, barbecues, laundry, boat ramp, fires allowed between April and August only.

Holiday Parks

If you enjoy camping but don’t want to rough it, a holiday park is the way to go – especially when travelling with kids.

Toowoon Bay Holiday Park

Aerial view of Toowoon Bay in Central Coast, Australia

Toowoon Bay is a calm beach with water in all shades of blue.

If a sun, sand and sea holiday is right up your alley, Toowoon Bay Holiday Park will deliver. Set right on the shores of Toowoon Bay, a calm beach with water in all shades of blue, you have the option of powered and ensuite sites here for camping and caravans. Or, if you would prefer a more permanent set-up, there are one- and two-bedroom cabins available. The park also has a pool, playgrounds and a jumping pillow.

Features: pet-friendly sites, beach access, powered, unpowered, toilets, showers, camp kitchen

NRMA Ocean Beach Holiday Resort

Aerial view of the NRMA Ocean Beach Holiday resort in Central Coast, Australia

Family-friendly Umina Beach is within arm’s reach at NRMA Ocean Beach Holiday Park. (Image: Christopher Flaxman)

The NRMA Ocean Beach Holiday Park is kid heaven (which equals parent heaven, right?). There is a heated pool, jumping pillow, water park, go-karts, games room, playground and tennis court in the park. Family-friendly Umina Beach is within arm’s reach and is perfect for learning to surf. Accommodation-wise, you can choose from powered and unpowered sites for caravans and camping, a huge range of villas and cabins that sleep up to eight plus glamping (see under ‘glamping’). There’s a café and kiosk on site, too.

Features: pet-friendly sites, access-friendly, beach access, toilets, showers, powered, unpowered, camp kitchen, barbecues, laundry

Canton Beach Holiday Park

Facade of Canton Beach Holiday Park in Central Coast, Australia

One of the charming cabins at Canton Beach Holiday Park. (Image: Canton Beach Holiday Park)

For a change of scenery, the Canton Beach Holiday Park is set on Tuggerah Lake while still being within close proximity to the Coast’s famous beaches (Lakes Beach, Soldiers Beach and Norah Head). There are powered, unpowered and ensuite sites available as well as one- and two-bedroom cabins. Kids are entertained by the playgrounds and jumping pillow, and with the lake at your fingertips, there’s also fishing, paddle-boarding, kayaking and boating. If you want to escape the park for a day, we’ve got your go-to list of kid-friendly things to do nearby.

Features: Pet-friendly sites, toilets, showers, lake access, powered, unpowered, camp kitchen, barbecues, boat ramp

Free Camping

Dharug National Park, to the west of the Central Coast Hinterland area, is the only option for free campsites on the Central Coast.

Dharug National Park

The view overlooking the Hawkesbury River A woman coming out of a tent in the Glenworth Valley camping grounds in Central Coast, Australia

The Dharug National Park borders the Hawkesbury River—perfect for scenic views. (Image: Getty)

The national park borders both the Hawkesbury River and the Central Coast’s Mangrove Mountain area. It’s home to the World Heritage-listed Old Great North Road, which was built in the early 19th century by convicts and is now explorable by a heritage walk. The park is also thriving with birdlife such as the gang-gang cockatoo and satin bowerbird, as well as many possums and sugar gliders. The magical Hawkesbury River and its dramatic sandstone cliffs border the southern end of the park. Mill Creek Campground and Ten Mile Hollow Campground are both free campsites where sleeping under the stars is the only way to go.

Features: Mill Creek Campground (tents and camper trailers, barbecues, car park, toilets, unpowered, fires allowed) and Ten Mile Hollow (tent only, barbecues, toilets, unpowered, fires allowed).

Glamping

Get your wilderness fix with a side of champagne with these luxury camping experiences.

Glenworth Valley

A woman coming out of a tent in the Glenworth Valley camping grounds in Central Coast, Australia

Immerse yourself in wilderness when you camp (or glamp!) in Glenworth Valley.

This sprawling property located in the Central Coast Hinterland is an adventure playground with activities such as horse riding, abseiling, quad biking and kayaking on the agenda. You can extend the adventure and immerse yourself in the wilderness by staying overnight at Glenworth Valley. Creekside traditional campsites are available, but if you crave creature comforts, book one of the bell tents, equipped with luxury linen and soft beds, providing the best of both worlds. Eco cabins are also available.

Features: unpowered, bedding, cafe, toilets, showers, barbecue, fires allowed

NRMA Ocean Beach Holiday Resort

Interiors of the NRMA Ocean Beach Holiday Resort in Central Coast, Australia

The uber-modern ‘glamtainer’ in NRMA Ocean Beach Holiday Resort is more glam than camp. (Image: Shan Rose Photography)

Just when you thought the NRMA Ocean Beach Holiday Resort had everything you need and more, they throw some glamping options on top. Choose between the raised safari tent, which sleeps up to four with a queen bed and a bunk bed, or an uber-modern ‘glamtainer’, which basically is a tiny home with a queen bed and a double bed as well as a kitchenette and bathroom.

Features: beach access, powered, unpowered, toilets, showers, camp kitchen, barbecues, laundry

Megan Arkinstall is a freelance travel writer who you’ll often find at the beach, bushwalking or boating with her young family. She loves reliving travel memories through writing, whether that be sipping limoncello in a sun-drenched courtyard of Monterosso or swimming with green turtles in the aquamarine waters of Tropical North Queensland.
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    This boutique hotel on the Bouddi Peninsula with its own award-winning restaurant and recently added luxury lodges is the perfect retreat.

    Bells at Killcare on the NSW Bouddi Peninsula is a world-class retreat with dreamy rooms, luxury lodges, a day spa, bakery, vibrant restaurant and hectares of tranquil gardens. Owned by husband-and-wife team Karina and Brian Barry, who bought the stylish retreat from Australian entrepreneur John Singleton in 2017, Bells at Killcare offers all the charm and sophistication you want from a five-star coastal break.

    The addition of The Lodges at Bells at Killcare in 2023 upped the ante further with four luxurious tri-level lodges offering an elevated stay on par with nearby sister property and Luxury Lodge of Australia, Pretty Beach House.

    The location

    a group of friends exploring the Bouddi Coastal Walk, Central Coast

    The Central Coast is home to the scenic Bouddi Coastal Walk.

    The Central Coast, just an hour’s drive north of Sydney, has evolved to become an incredibly accessible and beautiful seaside destination where some seriously sophisticated retreats, luxury places to stay and vibrant dining options have sprung up over the years.

    The Bouddi Peninsula is located at the southern tip of the Central Coast, across from Sydney’s northernmost suburb, Palm Beach, and is dotted with high-end holiday destinations such as Macmasters Beach, Pretty Beach, Patonga and Killcare.

    Bells at Killcare

    Lodges feature a heated magnesium pool, two outdoor double day beds and a dining area.

    This is the spiritual heart of the Central Coast – Bouddi means heart in local Aboriginal languages – and there is evidence of rock carvings and middens found in numerous locations around the area’s idyllic national parks.

    Pack walking shoes and swimmers as, all up, there are seven pristine beaches and many spectacular walking trails that wind around the coastal headland at Killcare. You can also take the scenic route and visit the sleepy, picturesque seaside villages of Pretty Beach, Hardys Bay and Killcare itself, where Bells isn’t. (It’s located up the hill at Killcare Heights.)

    The accommodation

    The Bells at Killcare bedroom interiors in Central Coast, NSW, Australia

    Cottages and suites have an easy-breezy Hamptons aesthetic. (Image: Dom Cherry)

    Bells at Killcare boutique hotel comprises a series of suites and cottages set in landscaped gardens. Kitted out with Ralph Lauren furnishings in a palette of beachy blue and white with signature striped awnings, they embody a coastal-chic Hamptons aesthetic that will have you in holiday mode from the moment you check in.

    Deluxe two-storey cottages, one-bedroom cottages, lakeview villas, garden villas and king suites are designed for two people, while the two-bedroom cottages are perfect for families and groups of four.

    Bells at Killcare

    Rooms in the lodges channel the tones of their bushland surrounds.

    Four tri-level, two-bedroom luxury lodges in a separate bushland setting on site are the latest addition to Bells at Killcare’s variety of accommodation options.

    The Lodges

    the pool deck at Bells at Killcare

    Spend your days relaxing at your own private pool when you check into a lodge.

    In 2023, Bells at Killcare added another feather to its cap with the addition of four luxurious, architecturally-designed lodges. The design departs from the rest of the property’s Hamptons aesthetic and tunes into the local environment instead with natural tones, textures and design details that reflect the surrounding coastal angophora canopy.

    Each lodge is split over three levels.

    On the ground floor, two bedrooms each with its own en suite and balcony are rendered in a calming palette of stone and foliage tones.

    Bells at Killcare

    The lodge’s spa-like bathrooms boast underfloor heating, rain shower and a free-standing tub.

    Bathrooms boast underfloor heating, rain shower and a free-standing tub as well as access to your lodge’s private magnesium pool, complete with day beds and barbecue area.

    The second level opens up to a generous open-plan dining and living area, with fully equipped kitchen and comfortable lounge area with a fireplace for the cooler months, large-screen TV and sliding doors that lead to a wraparound terrace.

    two women hanging out at the sunset deck of Bells at Killcare

    Soak up the view from the sunset deck – the centrepiece of each lodge.

    The pièce de résistance of each lodge is a third-level Sunset Deck that lets you drink in views over Pittwater, Palm Beach and the Hawkesbury River. Best served with pre-dinner snacks and a sundowner of your choice delivered daily to the lodge.

    Thoughtful touches abound in the lodges: from the well-stocked bar and pantry full of local goodies to the fresh-baked bread and choice of newspaper left in a basket by your front door every morning.

    The Lodges are fully serviced, and all-inclusive packages can include concierge service and nightly turndown, breakfast and dinner at The Wild Flower Bar & Dining (see below), two-course lunch or barbecue pack delivered to your door or an explorer’s backpack lunch for days you’re exploring Bouddi National Park, and local transfers to the beach and walking trails.

    All delivered with laid-back, friendly professionalism by staff passionate about showing off this beautiful pocket of NSW.

    The food

    THE POOL BAR

    the pool bar, Bells at Killcare

    The pool bar is an ‘honesty’ bar where guests can pour their own drinks.

    Bells at Killcare has a garden bar and poolside service so that you can enjoy a cocktail and oysters al fresco as well as an honesty bar tucked into a dinky 1950s caravan where guests can pour their own drinks.

    The relaxed pool area, tucked into a private corner of the property, also follows the Hamptons theme, with blue-and-white umbrellas and lounges.

    ONSITE BAKERY

    Freshly baked croissants available at Bells Bakery in Central Coast, NSW, Australia

    Bells Bakery produces freshly baked pastries and artisan sourdough daily. (Image: Dom Cherry)

    There’s also a beautiful bakery and larder onsite, which turns out freshly baked pastries and artisan sourdough and offers both guests and locals the chance to pick up picnic goodies to take away or back to their cottage or lodge.

    THE WILD FLOWER BAR & DINING

    The Wild Flower Bar and Dining Restaurant at Bells at Killcare in Central Coast, NSW, Australia

    The Wild Flower Bar & Dining is inspired by the theme: Bouddi by the Sea. (Image: Dom Cherry)

    The onsite restaurant, The Wild Flower Bar & Dining, has been shaped by culinary director Cameron Cansdell. Menus are guided by the idea of ‘food of the sun’ – from the Med to Morocco – and harness produce from the property’s own kitchen gardens, chooks and beehives as well as from local NSW suppliers and growers.

    The restaurant interiors commissioned Kate Swinton wallpaper and cushions and framed etchings of native flora. The light fittings that feature so prominently in the dining room are also woven from local Killcare grasses by local artist Lee Cavendar.

    The main dining room here is on the balcony, which overlooks the beautiful, manicured grounds and, thanks to floor-to-ceiling louvres, has an al fresco feel.

    The wine list is also extensive with a globe-trotting mix of international – particularly Italian – and local wines.

    The day spa

    a woman relaxing at the Bells Day Spa

    Rejuvenate both your body and mind at the Bells Day Spa. (Image: Dom Cherry)

    Another drawcard at Bells at Killcare is Bells Day Spa, a stylish sanctuary that is anchored to the garden and thoughtfully designed with warmth and intimacy in mind.

    The day spa is hugely popular for its botanical iKOU products, which are used in treatments such as the Mindful Wellness Ritual, which involves both a massage and a facial.

    Its bespoke beauty and bathroom products are hand-made exclusively for Bells at Killcare and include a beautiful high-end signature candle (in collaboration with Lumira), Botanical Shampoo & Conditioner, hand wash and hand lotion, which are all available for purchase.

    The beach is not far away, and there’s magnificent hiking around the Bouddi National Park. That’s if you can bear to tear yourself away.

    Does Bells at Killcare have access for guests with disabilities?

    The Garden Suite has ramp access and a rail and seat in the shower. 

    Is Bells at Killcare family-friendly?

    Bells at Killcare makes an ideal family break. Children over 13 can be accommodated in any room type across the property. Children under 13 are welcome in the lodges and in the two-bedroom cottages.  

    Details

    the outdoor lounge at Bells at Killcare

    Escape to this scenic hideaway on the Central Coast.

    Best for: Couples, families and groups looking for a luxe coastal getaway close to Sydney with all the bells and whistles.   

    Address: 107 The Scenic Road, Killcare Heights

    Cost: All-inclusive packages at The Lodges start from $750 per person per night for four guests and $1200 per person per night for two guests (minimum two-night stay). Children under 13 stay free of charge.

    Or opt for the Bed & Breakfast Package, at $2000 per night for four people.

    Guests checking into The Lodges during the cooler months can take advantage of a Winter Stay3Pay2 offer: stay three nights in June, July or August for $4000 for a family of four, including daily gourmet breakfast, delivered drinks and canapés to lodge each afternoon and VIP nightly turndown. Perfect for July school holidays.

    Rates for cottages and suites start at $527 per night for two people, including gourmet breakfast.

     

    Need more inspiration? Discover the best things to see and do on the Central Coast.