92% (953)
Top-rated campgrounds
92% (953)
Top-rated campgrounds
Stories from the community
G
Guy
2 weeks ago
8 m travel trailer
Nice and quiet and plenty of room, was a great spot for the first trip in our new van
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Ty
2 weeks ago
Tent
Group trip
I had a blast camping at Fern Valley. It was very easy to find, the location was awesome, I was in the Pines site and we had cows right up next to us. This site is very family friendly. The toilets and showers were very clean. Would certainly like to come back and would highly recommend to anyone else.
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P
Phil
2 weeks ago
5 m pop-up camper
With kids
This is a great little property so close to Sydney, dog friendly, hot showers, animals, waterfalls and orchards. Highly recommend for a short break away.
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Grant
3 weeks ago
5 m pop-up camper
With pets
A lovely spot for a camp with family. Just forty mins from North Sydney. Dog and kid friendly
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Steve
November 2025
5 m pop-up camper
With kids
Fern Valley Ranch is a great camp and wonderful experience for the kids.
We were in our camper with swags and there was only 1 other family camping in the area. The sites are large and well maintained.
The walk to the waterfall and the rock is about a half hour round trip. Perfect for the little ones.
Ballyn (the caretaker) was extremely friendly making sure we were all happy and settled in. He even took our youngest to feed the chickens (which he loved).
This place is great for family’s being close to Sydney with large open areas to run around and the shops etc are only 10mins away if required.
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Jessica
November 2025
7 m pop-up camper
With kids
What a beautiful place! We stayed 3 nights with our 3yo and 7mo in a camper trailer. Loved our stay here and would definitely come back.
The caretaker (Ballyn) was super friendly, available if we needed anything and happy to just have a chat.
The grounds were really well maintained, with so much to see and do… horses to pat, chickens to feed, stunning waterfall on site. Even a small playground for kids (swings, seesaw, bounce bike). We saw frogs, a turtle, a python (on the waterfall walk - beware), bunnies, cows, sheep, kookaburras and more!
Fire pits were perfect size and camp sites spread out well.
Flushing toilets and showers were clean and modern, everything was just a short walk away. We had a sink and portaloo toilets next to our site too if needed.
We even ventured outside the property to nearby waterfalls, all really accessible too!
Thanks for a great few days Fern Valley Ranch! Wish we stayed longer!
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L
Liz
October 2025
6 m pop-up camper
With pets
Just come home from a great 2 nights at Andy’s. Super easy drive from Sydney & felt like we were miles away. Had the place to ourselves and loved the view. Came home with loads of fresh fruit from the many road side stalls in the area.
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steven
October 2025
8 m travel trailer
With kids
Awesome spacious camps with plenty to do and see especially for the kids
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Jiayi
October 2025
Tent
With kids
Love it! Nice and spacious area! Hosts are supportive!
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Michael
October 2025
6 m pop-up camper
With kids
Thanks we had a great time with our 2 kids. They loved the tractor ride and all the animals.
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Angela
October 2025
Tent
With kids
We loved our stay at Fern Valley Ranch! The farmers were so lovely and welcoming. The tractor tour was a hit with the kids — they had a blast feeding the chickens, fish, and cows. The bush walk to the waterfall was amazing too. Such a great, relaxed spot for a family getaway!
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P
Palm
October 2025
6 m travel trailer
With kids
We really enjoyed staying at the Fern Valley Ranch. The area is peaceful with plenty of things to do such as beautiful bushwalk within the property, farm animals, kids playground. Bathroom has hot shower and is kept clean. The firepit was also perfect. Thank you for sharing your beautiful property !
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Luke
October 2025
5 m car
Lovely stay as always ❤️ great walks nearby and clean toilets on site.
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Sylvain
October 2025
8 m pop-up camper
With kids
Great little jem! Huge place, great host!
Dont forget to do the short hike to the waterfall, its beautiful.
Most of the field is not flat but big enough to find some space anyway.
Fire allowed, nice firepits.
Animals were quiet at night, good plus.
Very kid friendly
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Will
October 2025
Tent
With kids
Great spot to camp, really nice being near the orchard. Waterfall was amazing, didn’t expect it to be so nice. Little bush walk loop was great too. Kids loved the farm animals
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elliott
October 2025
5 m pop-up camper
With pets
Peaceful and well maintained. As mentioned in the description there is little shade available. Nesting ducks on the creek and ducking's swimming around. Private road on the way is a little rough, but nothing a standard AWD or 4WD can't handle and it's only 500m or so.
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Brett
October 2025
K
Kylie
October 2025
5 m travel trailer
With pets
We stayed here for 4 nights. Surroundings was beautiful. Lots of room for the kids. Beautiful waterfall and bush walk. The only thing negative was the toilets. There was 2 toilets in the pines camping section which only get cleaned once a week on a Thursday. We arrived on a Tuesday after a long weekend. We were advised to not use them as it would be filthy after the long weekend. So the next closest toilets was about 300m away, not too bad but most of the time we would drive to the toilets. Those toilets were dirty, garbage souring out of the bins, no hand wash, showers had balls of someone’s hair and dirt, also poo around toilet bowls. I asked if they could be cleaned but the same rule applied, cleaned on a Thursday so we would have to wait. However I think it was wash down with a hose, garbage wasn’t all over the floor and refilled hand wash replaced. Other places we have been too cleaned and re-stocked the toilets cleaned once a day and that’s hygienic.
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Ben
October 2025
6 m pop-up camper
With kids
Great spot with plenty of space. Swimming in the river was great with sandy shore and some rocks to climb on for the kids. Amenities were very clean, plenty of showers and toilets. Wedding venue next door was playing music but the live bands and laughter added to the atmosphere. We purchased firewood from Matt, was good dry hardwood. Matt was very friendly and informative. Wollambi town and pub are also nice spots to visit. Drive in and out of the area beats the highway anyday.
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J
Jake
October 2025
Tent
With kids
Took my kids here for their first camping trip, they loved it. They enjoyed the tractor tour to feed the animals, they especially liked the bush walking to "the rock" and the waterfalls, they insisted on doing it every day (my legs 😅).
Has a toilet and shower block (hot water) which definitely helped make the first foray into camping much more accessible.
It was too late in the season for us to pick any fruit from the orchard but we did manage to scavenge a few good oranges that had dropped onto the ground, they were amazing and juicy, much better than from the supermarket.
All in all a great experience and highly recommend.
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The best waterfall camping near Patonga guide
Where to go
Sydney’s Northern Beaches
Patonga is only separated from Sydney’s Northern Beaches and Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park by the Hawkesbury River. Campers can drive the longer way around or take the passenger ferry from Ettalong or Wagstaffe to Palm Beach. Palm Beach, Whale Beach, and Avalon Beach offer well-equipped campgrounds suitable for all types of campers, while Ku-ring-gai Chase has one campground, the Basin Campground, which can be reached by ferry.
Brisbane Water National Park
Just north of Patonga, the Brisbane Water National Park offers walks, cycling, and fishing, and has some ancient Aboriginal rock art sites. There’s a small, basic bush tent site within the park, as well as a picnic area, or visitors can stay in Patonga or nearby coastal campsites at Umina or Gosford and make day trips into the park. The roads into the park are sealed so two-wheel-drive vehicles have access.
Bouddi National Park
On another peninsula and across Brisbane Water from Patonga but connected by a bridge, the small Bouddi National Park has a golden-sand beach, a popular coastal walk, and fantastic lookout points. There are three beachside campgrounds within the park, which should be booked in advance, and they’re only suitable for tents. Some of the campsites provide drinking water but not all, so come prepared.
When to go
To best enjoy the beautiful beaches around Patonga, visit in summer, when the weather is hot and conditions perfect for going between the sand and the sea. The summer school holiday period will be especially busy at campsites, though. For other outdoor activities such as hiking and biking, spring and autumn are preferable, with cooler temperatures. Winter is the off-season and the weather can be cool and wet but not very cold, so staying in campervans, caravans, and cabins is more comfortable.