8 of the best spots to go camping in the Great Barrier Reef

Your access-all-areas pass to a spectacular natural wonder is up for grabs at the best spots to go camping on the Great Barrier Reef.

The world’s largest coral reef system, flowing with vivid colour and thriving marine life, the Great Barrier Reef is one of Australia’s most breathtaking attractions. But while sprawling resorts and luxury lodgings offer good access to its beauty, nothing screams multi-sensory immersion like camping in the thick of it.

From remote beach campgrounds to facility-flanked powered sites enveloped in lush rainforest, camping in the Great Barrier Reef is always in good proximity to unforgettable holiday activity. Here, we round up what to know and where to go.

How to book camping in the Great Barrier Reef

an aerial view of Great Keppel Island — The Great Barrier Reef is dotted with remote and rustic campsites. (Image: Tourism and Events Queensland)

The key to any Great Barrier Reef adventure is preparation, so book well in advance, particularly during peak periods when camping numbers are typically capped. Sites are mostly scattered throughout national parks (except for Dunk Island Spit Camping, Fitzroy Island Resort, Great Keppel Island Holiday Village and Woodgate Beach Holiday Park) and part of the wider World Heritage Area, and they’re usually available to book 12 months in advance. Take note of school holiday periods, which see sites snapped up rapidly.

The other crucial factoid for national park campers is that all of its sites require a permit from the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Services, who unveiled an easy-to-navigate online booking system in February. Once you decide on the park of your dreams, jump on the website to lock in that permit, which must be displayed on your tent. It might feel dorky, but if a ranger can’t see it, you’ll likely attract a fine, so wear it proud.

How much does it cost to go camping in the Great Barrier Reef?

a tent on the beach, Whitsunday Island — Set up your tent at a remote beach location. (Image: Tourism and Events Queensland)

As of July 2024, Queensland National Parks sell camping permits from $7.25 per person, per night. For families consisting of one or two adults and multiple children to make seven individual campers or less, you’re looking at $29 per night. Prices include GST.

As for Fitzroy Island Resort camping, each site welcomes up to four people and is priced at $39 per night, while Dunk Island Spit Camping (yet to formally open its doors) prices are best found via the website.

Great Keppel Island Holiday Village camping starts from $30 per night with a three-night minimum, while Woodgate Beach Holiday Park prices start from $41 per night.

How to protect the Great Barrier Reef while you camp

a koala resting on a tree branch at Bungalow Bay Koala Village — Be mindful and respectful of the animals residing within the campgrounds. (Image: Tourism and Events Queensland)

Looking after this extremely special corner of the world during your visit is simple — make sustainable choices, support the community you visit and be kind to wildlife and the environment. There are a few small ways that campers can tangibly work to preserve the beauty for future generations:

Camp in marked areas, ensuring you inspect your surroundings for nests and eggs before you set up or start an activity.
Check your camping gear, tent itself and clothing for any soil, weeds, seeds and pests to ensure you get rid of it all before you arrive.
Check zoning information in advance for restrictions on fishing and collecting shells.
If you’re boating, don’t damage the coral by anchoring into sand or mud using a lightweight reef pick with plastic over the anchor chain.
Avoid getting too close to seabirds, or any other wildlife. Disturb the animals as little as possible.
Stay on the walking tracks.
Don’t go looking for firewood. Stick to a fuel stove when cooking as open fires are rarely allowed.
Leave pets at home.
Be careful using lights and torches on beaches during turtle breeding season (November to March).
Don’t feed seagulls, whose population is increasing, and threaten the survival of other birds.
Don’t dump plastic. This is illegal and can be fatal for aquatic animals and birds. Take your rubbish with you.
If there are no toilets, bury human waste below high tide level. Do not bury rubbish.

The best campsites in and near the Great Barrier Reef

Need tips, more detail or itinerary ideas tailored to you? Ask AT.

1. Whitehaven Beach

Whitehaven Beach on a sunny day — The pristine, fine white sand of Whitehaven Beach stretches over seven kilometres on Whitsunday Island. (Image: Tourism and Events Queensland)

Location: On Whitsunday Island, near Airlie Beach

Renowned as one of Australia’s best beaches, Whitehaven Beach is also one of the most picturesque places to camp in the country. There are 11 defined sites, right behind the beach’s famed white silica sands, amid tranquil vine forests and eucalypt woodland. Facilities are basic with no flush toilets and just a few picnic tables, but the kayaking, canoeing, snorkelling and swimming conditions (plus that view) more than make up for it. There are also walking tracks, rated Moderate and ranging from 40 minutes to three hours, if lazing about in pure paradise grows tiresome.

2. Dunk Island Spit Camping

Dunk Island as captured from above — Enjoy the beach to yourself on Dunk Island. (Image: Tourism and Events Queensland)

Location: On Dunk Island, near Mission Beach

The first thing to note about this Great Barrier Reef camping option is that it isn’t run by Queensland Parks and Wildlife Services, so be sure to reach out to the team well ahead of your visit to get accurate pricing and additional information on the new glamping tents that have been promised. Located four kilometres off Mission Beach, Dunk Island Spit Camping is right near the jetty, so if you’re boating in, it’s a cinch to spy. Walking trails vary from 20-minute rapid runs to multi-hour expeditions, while swimming and snorkelling is best enjoyed at Brammo Bay’s Muggy Muggy beach, around the corner from the campsite’s main stretch of sand.

Former facilities spanned flushing toilets, hot showers, gas barbecues, picnic tables and drinking water, however the early 2025 relaunch hint towards a new bar and restaurant in addition to those glamping experiences and more. Stay across the website for the latest updates.

3. Fitzroy Island Resort

a girl relaxing in a swing on the beach at Fitzroy Island Resort — Swing into summertime at Fitzroy Island Resort. (Image: Tourism and Events Queensland)

Location: Fitzroy Island, near Cairns

The gorgeous, and often-overlooked, Fitzroy Island forms part of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park and is only a 45-minute ferry ride from Cairns. The island itself is comprised of 97 per cent rainforest, creating a natural haven for water sports and rainforest walks, and enticing campers with endless activity. Fitzroy Island Resort manages the island’s only camping sites, located just a few minutes’ walk from the jetty where all ferry transfers drop off.

Offering 20 tent sites in total, the Great Barrier Reef camping experience is firmly focused on embracing nature’s handiwork, all while remaining close to the resort’s extensive facilities (you can purchase a pool day bar to access its wonderful swim-up bar, FYI). Campers will find a cold-water shower block, a grassy camping area, a shaded rest area and a barbecue, however no open flames are allowed.

4. Lady Musgrave Island Campground

an aerial view of Lady Musgrave Island, Great Barrier Reef camping — Be surrounded by magical coral reefs and crystal blue waters on Lady Musgrave Island. (Image: Tourism and Events Queensland)

Location: Lady Musgrave Island, near Bundaberg

Entirely uninhabited and accessible only by boat transfer from either Bundaberg or Seventeen Seventy, Lady Musgrave Island is the kind of desolate, deserted paradise that fills your 9-5 daydreams. It has an 8 kilometre circumference and measures in at just 19.45 hectares in size, evoking Castaway feels the moment you spy it. To reach the Lady Musgrave Island campground, an open area with a capacity for 40 tent campers, follow a well-marked walking track from the northern beach. There you’ll find composting toilets, an emergency radio, fuel storage and a compressor bunker (it’s real hardcore, here), so you’ll need to BYO all food and drinking water and rubbish bags to settle in comfortably. Get set to spot brilliantly hued marine life right at your doorstep, including the odd sea turtle if you’re lucky.

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5. Bungalow Bay Koala Village

guests staying at an A-Frame Bungalow Bay Koala Village, Magnetic Island — Retreat into a charming A-Frame bungalow on the lush Magnetic Island. (Image: Tourism and Events Queensland)

Location: Horseshoe Bay, Magnetic Island — near Townsville

A hop, skip and 20-minute ferry ride from Townsville will put you smack bang on Magnetic Island, just 11 kilometres in length and home to hundreds of koalas and wallabies, more than 25 kilometres of walking trails, and picturesque lookouts. The only place you can camp is at Bungalow Bay Koala Village, which offers powered sites. While the Great Barrier Reef accommodation is beloved for its bungalows and very own wildlife sanctuary, campers can take advantage of the property’s facilities which include a swimming pool and outdoor bar. A beautiful base camp for exploring the island’s unique beauty.

6. Lizard Island National Park

sunrise views at Lizard Island — Lizard Island is teeming with lush vegetation. (Image: Tourism and Events Queensland)

Location: Watsons Bay, Lizard Island — near Cairns

Lizard Island is one of the most unique Great Barrier Reef islands, remnant of a mountain range that wouldn’t look out of place in the Greek Islands — think rocky outcrops of granite and dry, sparsely vegetated hills. While Lizard Island Resort tends to steal the spotlight, camping at Lizard Island National Park’s Watsons Bay camping area is an extraordinary treat.

Most people arrive on the island via a small, 19-seater plane flown from Cairns airport, which you then leave behind to tackle a 1.2-kilometre walk to the campground. Once you’re here, just five campsites will greet you, suited to tents and situated on the sand. There is a composting toilet, picnic tables, gas barbeque, poles for putting up shade cloths and water via a hand pump 250m from the campground (but you’ll need to treat it before drinking).

7. Great Keppel Island Holiday Village

a white-sand beach on Great Keppel Island — Great Keppel Island Holiday Village’s camp is close to the beach. (Image: Tourism and Events Queensland)

Location: Great Keppel Island, Keppel Islands — near Yeppoon

A tropical hideaway engulfed in turquoise waters, coral gardens and quiet beaches, Great Keppel Island Holiday Village’s camp sites are mostly visited by the savviest of explorers, so get moving before the secret’s out. The island itself boasts 17 beaches, plus unique birdlife and frequent turtle sightings. Four sites are available for two-person tents, plus there are glamping tents that start from $130 per night. Campers are invited to use all the accommodation’s facilities, including a fully equipped kitchen, a barbecue, a toilet and shower block, and gas cookers. Snorkelling gear is also included with every stay, as is filtered drinking water, but you’ll need to BYO water bottle to keep refilling.

8. Woodgate Beach Holiday Park

an old couple staying at Woodgate Beach Holiday Park, Great Barrier Reef — Each safari tent is equipped with an outdoor bath. (Image: Tourism and Events Queensland)

Location: Woodgate, near Bundaberg

In Woodgate, a 40-minute drive from Bundy, it’s all about long lazy laps along the shoreline, stand-up paddle-boarding atop turtle-dotted waters and wallaby spotting — and the best place to soak it all up is from Woodgate Beach Holiday Park. There’s only one road in and one road out of the 16-kilometre strip of sand, which is exactly where the Great Barrier Reef camping hot spot is located. Facilities include the property’s Salty Seas Cafe and Servo, kiosk, toilets and showers, a camp kitchen, picnic tables, barbecues, a laundry, dump point and more. There are also glamping tents to investigate if you feel like splashing out in style.

Discover how to pick the right Great Barrier Reef Island for you

From poolside bites and tasting flights to seafood plates and dry-aged steaks, a foodie adventure on Hamilton Island is worth every bite.

Hamilton Island’s sun-lacquered shores have long magnetised travellers craving an escape from reality. But what’s less expected – and more interesting – is just how assuredly this Whitsundays idyll delivers on the culinary front. Dialling up the flavour as much as the barefoot allure, the Hamilton Island food scene offers world-class dining and drinking options, spanning slick fine-dining moments to just-caught seafood served within sight of the sea. Let’s dig in.

Catseye Pool Club

Framing the electric blues of Catseye Beach from The Sundays hotel, Catseye Pool Club is Hamilton Island’s latest culinary prodigy. Shown to our table, we thread through rattan chairs, Zellige tiles and tumbling greenery that opens up to Coral Sea shimmer.

The poolside restaurant is the brainchild of Sydney-based chef duo Josh and Julie Niland, who have brought their relaxed yet elevated dining ethos north. The menu – designed to bring people together – is made for sharing, each hero ingredient orbited by a palette of sides to mix, match and layer as you please.

My thyme cocktail – woody with scotch, lifted by lime leaf – pairs perfectly with the charcoal grilled prawns entree, which is served with tumeric and lemongrass marinade, macadamia satay sauce and a thai-leaning sour green mango salad. Each forkful lands differently, but all are a delight. Then comes the coral trout. True to Josh Niland’s ‘scale-to-tail’ philosophy, the fish is presented whole in a theatrical crescent, a tiny fork stuck into its cheek in a nod to Niland’s declared prize cut. Ribbons of zucchini resembling gauzy curtains bring brightness and snap, while kasundi lends depth and warmth. It’s tongue-tantalising, special occasion dining with humanity.

Sails Restaurant

A more casual poolside dining scene awaits at nearby Sails Restaurant, where Eastern Mediterranean flavours are dished up with an island twist. Chermoula chicken skewers and barramundi souvlaki lie on the more filling side of the menu, while the sumac squid and stone-bread flatbread with za’atar – arriving alongside pomegranate molasses, beetroot hummus and crushed macadamias – are perfect light bites after a dip in the pool. And don’t miss the garlic lemon scallops.

The setting is equally part of the draw. Sunlight floods the high-ceilinged dining room, while outdoor tables look out across the glittering expanse of Catseye Beach. Holidaymakers in oversized sunglasses sip spritzes beneath umbrellas, the gentle clink of plates mixing with splashes from the adjacent pool. It’s the kind of place you’ll want to linger long after lunch.

Bommie

Tucked into a sleek curved wing of the Hamilton Island Yacht Club, Bommie delivers experiential fine dining with a sense of occasion. Led by award-winning Executive Chef Ryan Locke, the seasonal menu champions local and native Australian ingredients whipped up into a modern display of creative precision.

Inside the dim-lit dining room, guests can choose between the Tasting Menu or Chef’s Signature Degustation. Sourdough with pine oil sets the tone for the six-course tasting menu, beautifully presented in a bed of pine needles alongside smoked paperbark butter. I love how the squid ink choux pastry is served with flavour-popping native finger lime, which our waiter encourages us to eat caviar-style. Standout moments continue with the wattle-seed-crusted venison elevated by red fruit and pickled beetroot swirls; the meat is perfectly pink in the middle and an homage to the island’s history as a deer farm.

Pebble Beach

Exclusive to qualia Resort guests for lunch and dinner, Pebble Beach is Hamilton Island’s most serene expression of seasonal island dining. Ocean-facing chairs dot a timber deck that spills straight onto the resort’s private beach, while crystalline turquoise waters stretch to meet distant islands – a scene far prettier than any postcard could capture.

The recently refreshed menu doubles down on seasonality and bright, layered flavours. While the more substantial T-bone steak with hazelnut honey carrots tempts, we go lighter: Coffin Bay oysters with Champagne foam and keffir lime dust kick us off splendidly, followed by Byron Bay burrata served with balsamic and caramelised figs. The fennel and orange salad topped with succulent grilled chicken is utterly delectable, but it’s the zingy, oh-so-fresh soft shell fish tacos that I can’t stop thinking about. It all goes down a treat with a glass of delicate Charles Heidsieck Brut Reserve Champagne.

Beach Club Restaurant

A lunch or dinner table at Beach Club Restaurant is best booked in advance – and it’s easy to see why. Looking out over the hotel’s palm-fringed infinity pool, the restaurant spotlights elegant contemporary Australian cuisine with a stellar (also Aussie-leaning) wine list to match.

I am completely enamoured by the grilled Queensland prawns, which are brought to life with a smoked compound, local fried curry leaves and lime. Digging into the butter-soft lamb rump served atop pea ragout and parsley Paris mash feels like a warm, nostalgic hug. And dessert – vanilla bean ice cream drizzled with hot salted honey and apple gel – ends the night on a high note.

Expect warm and discreet service; our waiter Marco tells us that the tiny decorative starfish on our table are there to help the staff remember whether we prefer sparkling or still water, so they don’t need to bother us by asking multiple times.

Talk & Taste with Courtenay Morgan-Fletcher

There’s more to Hamilton Island’s foodie scene than restaurant reservations alone. For wine-curious travellers seeking something a little more immersive, Beach Club has recently introduced Talk & Taste – a tutored tasting hosted by Bommie Assistant Manager and wine enthusiast Courtenay Morgan-Fletcher. Held twice weekly for a maximum of eight guests, the experience explores Australian wine culture through four thoughtfully selected drops paired with native-inspired bites.

We opt for the white wine and seafood option. Alongside pours from Eden Valley and Launceston, a nibbling platter arrives featuring sashimi, salmon roe, Mooloolaba prawn ceviche and palate-cleansing ginger. The seafood is pristine and pared back, allowing the wines to take centre stage.

The real highlight, however, is discovering just how nuanced winemaking can be. Courtenay speaks of viticulture as both art and science: harvest grapes a week too late and ripeness tips into ruin; plant the same varietal on different elevations and the sun, slope and water flow will shape entirely different expressions. Pinot noir, she explains, with its delicate skin and high water content, yields lighter fruit-forward wines, while thicker-skinned shiraz delivers depth and structure. I leave feeling fascinated and inspired by Courtenay’s evident passion.

coca chu

Sweet and hot. Sour and salty. Dining at ever-popular coca chu is a sensation-swirling experience that’s not to be missed if you’re a sucker for punchy Southeast Asian flavours. Located at the Main Pool end of Catseye Beach, this lively hangout is all swaying lanterns, driftwood, high beamed ceilings and giant open windows that let in the balmy ocean breeze.

Drawing from hawker traditions, the grilled betel leaf is a neat, vibrant mouthful of chilli fried cashews and spiced beef. The tofu surprises – soft beneath a tumble of dill, mint and coriander, and glossed in moreish peanut sauce. The massaman curry is pure comfort: creamy, fragrant, fall-apart meat. It’s generous and expressive cooking that I, for one, cannot get enough of.

Marina Cafe

Sometimes, all you crave on holidays is a bacon and egg roll done properly and a creamy fruit smoothie. Boasting harbour views, an easygoing atmosphere and clean modern interiors, Marina Cafe is a popular local haunt for a reason. The casual menu lures families and couples alike with its all-day brekky, seasonal salads and sandwiches – from a roasted pumpkin bowl to prosciutto and rocket on herby focaccia.

The acai bowl, topped with toasted nuts and berries, is a refreshing start to my day. Whether you sit in or takeaway, it’s a good-vibes-guaranteed place to refuel before or after your Whitsundays adventures.

Discover your foodie getaway now at hamiltonisland.com.au.

8 of the best spots to go camping in the Great Barrier Reef

Your access-all-areas pass to a spectacular natural wonder is up for grabs at the best spots to go camping on the Great Barrier Reef.

How to book camping in the Great Barrier Reef

How much does it cost to go camping in the Great Barrier Reef?

How to protect the Great Barrier Reef while you camp