89% (749)
Top-rated campgrounds
89% (749)
Top-rated campgrounds
Stories from the community
A
Anne
3 weeks ago
6 m travel trailer
We loved this place. Definitely our favourite campsite so far. Beautifully kept, totally tranquil and spotlessly clean.
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R
Raymond
October 2025
7 m Class A
Staff were amazing.
Answers for everything
Ensure site was new to us. Awesome.
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S
Sophie
October 2025
5 m Class B
Great location and good amenities. Staff were friendly and helpful.
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Keita
October 2025
Tent
With pets
Beautiful creek (although a little low currently), and nice wide open campground. Unfortunately some rubbish left from previous campers. Facilities fairly standard (2 female showers functional). You can hear some road noise throughout the night but easily tuned out. Outstanding sunsets.
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matt
October 2025
5 m car
Good spot for a quick overnight stop. Easy to get to and late check in was easy to organise
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D
Damian
October 2025
Tent
With pets
Absolutely stunning spot with hot showers toilets. Woke up to the birds singing wildlife all around and got to see some water running through the creek. Definitely will be back
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Jayden
October 2025
Tent
With pets
Had a okay stay, not horrible but not amazing either. Campsite is decently large, but at max capacity it’d be somewhat uncomfortable. Fortunately, there were few there.
The site is in relatively poor condition, and campers demonstrate a severe lack of standard camp etiquette. For example, a dozen campfire spots that are half arsed, not offical, and ruin the availability of where you can chuck a swag.
Many fire ‘pits’ had plastics, or other rubbish shoved in there during or post burn.
The BBQs are all basically unusable.
Bathrooms work but are in bad condition, lots of webs, no locks on the doors, but the water was hot and toilets flushed. Sink taps didn’t work well.
There was a high about of foot traffic during the day, which was a bit annoying given that we paid for access. Not sure if it’s local mob, which would make sense and be acceptable, but if it’s randoms just pulling in for a day, then that sucks. Those that were there left a lot of rubbish on the banks and in the water. Dogs were offlead multiple times during our stay and we observed three dogs get into a fight as two were offlead.
Another day tripper managed to get their POS explorer hung up on rocks, driving down and onto the river bank (that’s allowed?!). They wrecked part of the track trying to recover the vehicle which took two hours.
Overall, nice spot with a lot of great potential but poorly managed and maintained. I wouldn’t say the pictures were particularly accurate this time.
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christina
October 2025
Tent
I liked the proximity to the creek, and the amenities were clean and to a good standard. I also enjoyed being able to light a fire.
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zindzi
October 2025
Tent
With kids
It was absolutely amazing staying at crystal Creek with my fam. The kiddos loves their first experience of camping. Super handy and clean bathroom facilities.
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kristina
October 2025
7 m Class B
With pets
It was a well maintained camp with toilet and shower loved that there was fire area's and short walk to river that was good for cooling off in not very deep but enough for kids.
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Euan
October 2025
5 m Class B
Bit more of a holiday campsite than we relised and not quite what we were after but all in all a very nice campsite.
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CIndy
October 2025
10 m Class B
Stay was great! I didn’t hear anything back from the host unfortunately and the map directions were incorrect.
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David
September 2025
5 m car
With kids
Great spot with an easy walk to a crystal clear creek.
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S
Skye
September 2025
Tent
With pets
Beautiful little campsite with great amenities, we’ll definitely be back. The creek is stunning & our dog loved having a swim there chasing after the ball.
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Felicity
September 2025
4 m Class B
Lovely camp ground. Lots of room and not feel overly cramped. The amenities block is convenient with warm showers. They are a little tired but functional. Swimming hole was a little lower than usual when we were there but still nice to swim in for our kids.
Super convenient location. A service station not even 5mins away if you are desperate for something last minute. Cute little farm shops on the road to big crystal creek.
Great launching spot for heaps of day trips to surrounding locations. Jourama, paluma, Wallamen or Townsville.
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Ben
September 2025
Tent
Great place to stay for some fresh air, and very handy having facilities close by
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Fiona
September 2025
7 m Class B
With pets
Quiet and peaceful and clean amenities. One of our favourite spots to get away for the weekend close to home
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Brett
September 2025
5 m Class B
Nice spot and I enjoyed my two night stay. The powered sites are right up in the front section of the campground just in from the road. But Spiegelhauer Road seem to only get a small amount of traffic during the day and hardly any overnight so road noise was not much of a problem. The clean and well equipped amenities block sits in between the powered and unpowered sections and on the side of it is a small kitchen area with a sink, bench and large chest freezer. Quite good Telstra phone signal as well.
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Tilly
September 2025
Tent
With pets
Awesome location and great facilities! Some secluded camps in the area, crystal clear water
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Francesca
September 2025
Tent
With kids
Loved the area easy to get to water, toilets and showers where lovely and clean. Camp site was nice and clean. Lovely butterfly and birds around the area.
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The best luxury caravan camping near Balgal Beach guide
Where to go
Paluma Range National Park
This park offers remote bush camping for the self-sufficient, but there is also the Waterview Creek campground, close to the park entrance about 24 km south of Ingham and 91 km north of Townsville. The 3-km return Jourama Falls Lookout Walk leads through a lovely forest of poplar gum, bloodwood, and Moreton Bay ash trees. Birdwatchers may see the azure kingfisher, satin flycatcher, and northern fantail during the day, plus the southern boobook, large-tailed nightjar and tawny frogmouth by night.
Palm Island Group
For those wishing to explore deeper and head out to the Great Barrier Reef, Balgal Beach provides excellent boat ramp facilities and easy access to the Palm Island Group. There is also a ferry to Palm Island, for those who enjoy hiking or other simple pleasures.
Abergowrie State Forest
Abergowrie State Forest is about 45 km west of Ingham, in the Herbert River Valley. The 1.6-km return Rainforest Walk and the 3-km return Creek Walk take you to Broadwater Creek, a great place to camp in the eucalypt forest. Wildlife includes the vulnerable rufous owl and the endangered and unpredictable southern cassowary—keep your distance! A boardwalk leads to the enormous Broadwater fig tree.
When to go
The cooler months of the year, from April to September, are the best times to visit Balgal Beach, as summer daytime temperatures can hit 35°C and higher. Daytime temperatures and humidity can be high at any time of the year and nights can be cool. Cyclones can occur between November and April.
Know before you go
- From November to May, always swim within the “stinger” enclosures off the beach. These are designed to protect swimmers from harmful marine jellyfish.
- If you are lucky enough to see cassowaries, keep your distance. These giant flightless “dinosaur” birds can deliver lethal blows with their razor-sharp talons.
- Balgal Beach has a general store and café. Otherwise, Townsville has excellent facilities for stocking up before you go camping, plus all standard town services like a post office, pharmacy, visitor information centre, bank, and car hire companies.
- Camping permits are required for all Queensland parks, forests, and reserves—these must be booked online and paid for in advance of arrival. Make camping bookings as early as possible.