Dog-friendly and waterside camping in New South Wales

The coastline of northern NSW, from north of Newcastle to the Queensland border, is classic beach holiday territory. Almost every town has at least one caravan park, often with waterfront campsites, and most of the coastline is protected by national parks with fantastic camping spots and facilities. Flanked by the Great Dividing Range and World Heritage rainforests, the North Coast has Hipcampers spoilt for choice. 

Every bit as wild as the North Coast, the South Coast stretches south of Sydney to the Victorian border with a string of national parks, state forests, campgrounds, and seaside towns with family-friendly holiday parks. Kangaroos and wallabies graze the camping grounds and laze on the beaches, which have some of the whitest sand in the world. Kayak the waterways, bushwalk the forests, and soak in the views from the mountaintops.

Alpine New South Wales, also known as the Snowy Mountains, stretches from the ACT south to the Victorian border along the spine of the Great Dividing Range. Along with hundreds of camping spots, the big attraction of Kosciuszko National Park—the largest national park in NSW—is Australia’s highest peak, Mount Kosciuszko. In winter, the area is a magnet for skiers, and in summer, fishing, bushwalking, and mountain biking reign supreme.

The far western corner of NSW is a great introduction to the Outback, where endless red dust plains seem to stretch on forever under cloudless blue skies. Take a road trip out here and you'll see plenty of kangaroos and emus, but not many people. National parks such as Mungo, Mutawintji, and Kinchega offer superb camping spots, Aboriginal art sites, and stunning scenery.