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A local’s cheat sheet to the most sensational Hervey Bay camping

Kristie Lau-Adams Kristie Lau-Adams
From beachfront camp sites to amenity-laden caravan parks, the best Hervey Bay camping tees up idyllic outdoor exploration.

I’m overwhelmed with activity options in the small coastal city of Hervey Bay. Swim with whales , take a scenic flight over neighbouring K’gari, go on a jet skiing escapade along the placid coastline… the options are limitless. And if you’re anything like me, that yearning for uncharted action doesn’t stop after dark. My advice? Pair daytime adventures with nights under the stars. From unblemished camping grounds to quiet caravan parks (delightfully, they’re not as wild as most) that embrace their natural surroundings, the best Hervey Bay camping fuels all-day enchantment. Here are my favourites.

In short

If you only stay at one campsite in Hervey Bay, choose Discovery Parks — Fraser Street, Hervey Bay. The glamping tents are unique to the region and it’s surprisingly tranquil during the day because everyone’s out exploring nearby attractions.

Ingenia Holidays Hervey Bay

one of the cabins at Ingenia Holidays Hervey Bay
Check into one of the pet-friendly cabins at Ingenia Holidays Hervey Bay.

Let’s start with one of the wackiest, most unforgettable Hervey Bay camping options of all. Sure, Ingenia Holidays Hervey Bay is home to your standard powered and unpowered sites plus units, cabins and villas, but its Bel Air Retro Caravan is wholly unlike anything you’ve experienced. Starting from $199 per night and sleeping up to five guests, it’s a total 1950s time warp, complete with checkerboard flooring both inside and across the private outdoor chill area. You’ve got your own bathroom, dining table, barbecue, double bed, triple bunk beds and kitchenette, while novelty fuel cans have been moulded into bar stools out front. Travelling with your fur babies? Unfortunately, the retro stay isn’t pet-friendly, but many of this Hervey Bay camping hot spot’s accommodation is. Facilities include a swimming pool, a games room, a laundry, a kids’ bouncing pillow, a kiosk, a camp kitchen, accessible bathrooms, a tennis court, a playground and a dump point. Price-wise, unpowered sites start from $42 per night, powered ones go from $79 per night, and cabins start from $149 per night.

Address: 105 Truro St, Torquay

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Discovery Parks – Fraser Street, Hervey Bay

a bonfire setup outside a safari tent at Discovery Parks – Fraser Street, Hervey Bay
Stay in a deluxe safari tent that sleeps up to four guests. (Image: Sean Scott)

I bring a campervan into Discovery Parks – Fraser Street, Hervey Bay, a lush, tree-dotted space located just a five-minute stroll from Torquay Beach and an easy walk to some of Hervey Bay’s best restaurants. It’s a good move, parked right near the amenities block and one of its two swimming pools, but I must admit — I’m a bit jealous of the lakeside glampers. The Hervey Bay accommodation offers Deluxe Safari Tents that sleep up to four guests and they’re positioned at the water’s edge with decks featuring dining tables and barbecues. How good is that?

Back in my camper, I’m beyond comfortable though. I make good use of the swimming pool, laundry, camp kitchen, barbecues and dump point, while kids grin all around me as they hop between biking the grounds, the bouncing pillow, the tennis court and the playground. As for the nitty gritties at this very chilled out Hervey Bay camping option, pets are welcome, there are accessible bathrooms, you’re encouraged to feed the resident lorikeets (BYO birdseed, I’m advised) and prices start from roughly $200 per night for the glamping tents, $158 per night for cabins and $46 for powered sites.

Address: 20 Fraser Street, Torquay

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Trinity Islands Holiday Park

the Burrum River in front of Trinity Islands Holiday Park
Enjoy peak lakefront serenity.

Trinity Islands Holiday Park is set around a 4.5-hectare lake and features two spectacular islands to camp upon. The camping sites are spacious, offering serious lakefront serenity, and leashed pets are welcome. This Hervey Bay camping beauty is stripped back to basics, letting you lean into nature while that epic lake offers all the activity. Explore it by kayak or SUP, go for a swim, indulge in a spot of ‘catch and release’ fishing or relax on an inland beach.

This place also fronts the Burrum River – a great spot for swimming and fishing – while keeping you just a 25-minute drive from the centre of Hervey Bay. There’s no need to leave the camp’s grounds though, really — they’re stocked with ice, bait, drinks, gas and firewood. Choose from unpowered and powered sites as well as cabins, with prices starting from about $32 per night for unpowered, $42 for powered and $130 for a cabin.

Address: 805 Burrum Heads Rd, Burrum River

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Pialba Beachfront Tourist Park

the Pialba Beachfront Tourist Park, Hervey Bay
The Pialba Beachfront Tourist Park offers an idyllic coastal escape right on the Esplanade.

Location, location, location. If you’re all about a beachfront escape, book into the Pialba Beachfront Tourist Park, a Hervey Bay camping spot right on the Esplanade. It’s home to all the facilities and amenities you’d expect from a holiday park — think a camp laundry, a camp kitchen, barbecues and picnic areas — while its incredible proximity to the town’s best bits helps seal the deal. Kids will adore cutting loose in the neighbouring WetSide Water Park, open seasonally and free to enter, plus there are boutiques and eateries within a short stroll. Guests with access needs are catered for via multiple accessible-friendly facilities. Pets are not allowed. Overnight digs come in the shape of beachfront and non-beachfront camp sites offering power and no power, and prices start from roughly $45 per night.

Address: 267 Esplanade, Pialba

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Burrum Coast National Park

the Burrum Point Camping Area, Burrum Coast National Park
Go off-grid at the Burrum Point camping area. (Image: Sabrina Lauriston/Tourism and Events Queensland)

Looking to get away from it all? Set up shop right on the Burrum Coast. It’s just over an hour’s drive north-west of Hervey Bay but feels positively light years away. Choose from two sections of the park to camp in: Kinkuna bush camping or the Burrum Point camping area, both of which require a camping permit (from $7.50 per night) and a national park fee which should be organised well in advance to avoid competing with crowds. To reach either site, you’ll need a high clearance 4WD, but the payoff is remarkable. These little-known, hard-to-access campsites provide a bounty of tranquillity. They’re both shaded by eucalypt and casuarina trees, and located behind foredunes, just a short walk to the beach. Burrum Point has only 13 sites but offers water, cold showers and flush toilets, while Kinkuna has 40 sites and none of those luxuries, however it allows campfires and generators (conditions apply).

Address: Burrum Coast National Park, Woodgate

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BOOK BURRUM POINT

Poona Palms Caravan Park

the Poona Palms Caravan Park, Hervey Bay camping
This pet-friendly, heavenly coastal stay is complete with powered and unpowered sites.

While you’re considering the wider region, let me throw Poona Palms Caravan Park onto your radar. Located right along the Great Sandy Strait, it’s a heavenly coastal stay filled with powered and unpowered sites, villas, cabins and even motel-style rooms. The serenity you’ll find here is pretty intoxicating as activities span fishing, boating, sprawling out over water-facing grasslands, beach hangs, 4X4 off-roading and pumping yabbies. The best drawcard, in my book? The Strait is filled with so much marine life including vibrant sea birds, dugong, turtles and dolphins, so just kicking back and getting to know adorable locals is easy. Break up your nature fix by exploring facilities that span a cafe (how convenient) which doubles as a bar in the afternoons (double convenient), a kiosk, a laundry, a camp kitchen, a playground, a swimming pool, barbecues, and basketball and tennis courts. There’s also a dump point, plus this spot is pet-friendly as can be with a doggie wash and dog-friendly cabins. Powered sites start from about $49 per night, while four-walled options start climbing from about $157.

Address: 103 Boronia Dr, Poona

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Kristie Lau-Adams
Kristie Lau-Adams is a Gold Coast-based freelance writer after working as a journalist and editorial director for almost 20 years across Australia's best-known media brands including The Sun-Herald, WHO and Woman's Day. She has spent significant time exploring the world with highlights including trekking Japan’s life-changing Kumano Kodo Pilgrimage and ziplining 140 metres above the vines of Mexico’s Puerto Villarta. She loves exploring her own backyard (quite literally, with her two young children who love bugs), but can also be found stalking remote corners globally for outstanding chilli margaritas and soul-stirring cultural experiences.
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A resort swimming pool with views to the ocean
Hervey Bay

The best Hervey Bay accommodation for an unforgettable coastal getaway

From slow-going holiday parks to splashy resort living, the best Hervey Bay accommodation puts travellers right at home.

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What it’s really like to stay on the world’s largest sand island

    Kassia Byrnes Kassia Byrnes
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    Exploring the world’s largest sand island starts with the perfect K’gari homebase.

    The morning light is still soft, but it’s already a perfect sunny day. We left our K’gari homebase at Kingfisher Bay Resort  with our guide, Peter Meyer, at 9 am to make the most of our time to explore all that the world’s largest sand island holds. The size of K’gari is hard to grasp until you arrive here. This is no sandbar. Stretching 120 kilometres, unique lakes, mangrove systems, rainforest, 75 Miles of beach, historic shipwrecks, small townships and even one of Queensland’s best bakeries are all hidden within its bounds.

    But first, one of the island’s most iconic sights: the pure silica sand and crystal clear waters of Lake McKenzie.

    Laying eyes on it for the first time, I’m finally able to confirm that the photos don’t lie. The sand is pure white, without the merest hint of yellow. The water fades from a light halo of aqua around the edges to a deeper, royal blue, the deeper it gets (not that it’s particularly deep, six metres at most). The surface remains surprisingly undisturbed, like a mirror.

    Arriving with our guide before 10 am means that no one else is around when we get here. Which means we have the pleasure of breaking the smooth surface with our own ripples as we enter. As a self-confessed wimp with chilly water temperatures, my fears are quickly assuaged. Even in the morning, the water stays around 23 degrees – perfect for lazing about all day. But we have more sights to see.

    Exploring K’gari

    ariel of in lake mckenzie on k'gari fraser island
    Relax in the warm waters of Lake McKenzie. (Image: Ayeisha Sheldon)

    This was the Personalised 4WD tour offered by Kingfisher Bay Resort, and my absolute top pick of experiences. Over the course of the day, we had the freedom to create our own bespoke itinerary (plus a provided picnic lunch along the way), with an expert guide who had plenty of stories and local expertise to give context to what we were looking at. From the history of the SS Maheno shipwreck, which survived the First World War only to be washed ashore by a cyclone in 1935, to a detailed description of how an island made of sand could sustain such diverse flora.

    If it’s your first time to K’gari, the Beauty Spots Tour is another great option. Departing daily from Kingfisher Bay Resort (you’ll start to notice a trend, as many of the tours do start and end here), an air-conditioned, 4WD bus takes guests to the island’s most iconic locations, including the best places to swim, like Lake McKenzie and Eli Creek. The latter offers a gentle current, perfect for riding with a blow-up tyre out towards the ocean.

    The next day, for a look at a completely different side of K’gari, I joined one of Kingfisher Bay Resort’s Immersive Ranger-guided tours to kayak through the mangroves of Dundonga Creek. This long, snake-like stretch of creek winds its way inland from the ocean outlet we entered by, at times too narrow for three kayaks to be side-by-side. Small insects buzz from leaf to leaf, while birds call overhead. Occasional bubbles indicate we’ve passed some fish that call this place home.

    kayak tour through the mangroves at k'gari island
    Learn about the island’s mangroves from your Ranger. (Image: Reuben Nutt/ TEQ)

    If kayaking isn’t for you – or if, like me, you simply want more – other ranger-led experiences include nature walks and a dedicated Junior Eco Ranger Program for kids ages five to 12 (these run every weekend, and daily over the peak December holidays). Just ask for a timetable of upcoming tours when you check in.

    While during whale season, Hervey Bay Whale Watch & Charters operates tours from the hotel’s jetty to get up close to the famous Humpback Highway of Hervey Bay, from 7 November to 31 May, attention turns to the Aqua Oasis Cruise . Departing from the resort every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday for resort guests, adventure along the island’s remote western coast, pointing out wildlife like dolphins, turtles, flying fish and eagles along the way.

    The cruise drops anchor so guests can jump into the water using the boat’s equipment – from SUP boards to inflatable slides and jumping platforms. Then refuel with a provided lunch, of course.

    Unwind at sunset

    two people drinking cocktails at sunset bar, kingfisher bay resort
    Unwind at the Sunset Bar. (Image: Sean Scott)

    As much as days on K’gari can be filled with adventure, to me, the afternoons and evenings there are for unwinding. Sunsets on K’gari are absolutely unbelievable, with Kingfisher Bay on the west side being the best spot to catch the colours.

    The Sunset Bar , located at the start of the resort’s jetty and overlooking the beach, is the ultimate location for sundowners. Let chill beats wash over you as you sip on cool wines, beers and cocktails in a relaxed, friendly vibe. Personally, a cheese board was also absolutely called for. As the sun sinks, the sand, sea and horizon turn a vibrant shade of orange, with the jetty casting a dramatic shadow across the water.

    When the show is over, head back to the hotel for dinner at the Asian-fusion Dune restaurant, or the pub-style Sand + Wood. But if your appetite is still whetted for more lights and colours, the evening isn’t over yet.

    Settle into the Illumina stage for Return to Sky, an immersive light and sound show leading viewers on a captivating journey through K’gari’s stories and landscapes.

    Indulge and disconnect

    woman setting up massage room at kingfisher bay resort Island Day Spa
    Find bliss at Island Day Spa. (Image: Jessica Miocevich)

    Of course, there is a type of traveller who knows that balance is important, day or night. While Kingfisher Bay Resort offers more than one pool for guests to spend all day lounging by (they’ll even serve you food and drinks while you do it), you’ll find me at the Island Day Spa.

    The masseuses could match the magic hands of any big city spa, and I felt the warm welcome as I walked into the light, breezy reception. Choose from a range of botanical facials, beauty treatments and soothing massages using traditional techniques (obviously, I couldn’t go past a relaxing massage). All products used contain organic, native botanical ingredients with nutrient-rich plant extracts to soothe skin and mind. To really indulge, try out one of the packages, couples treatment or even a pre-wedding day offering.

    Getting there

    kingfisher bay resort 4wd tour driving passed ss maheno on k'gari island
    The world of K’gari awaits. (Image: Jessica Miocevich)

    Getting to K’gari is shockingly easy. Find daily flights into Hervey Bay from Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney. Kingfisher Bay Resort offers a shuttle bus between the airport, their headquarters in Hervey Bay and the ferry to take you to K’gari.