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Willowbank

98%

· Stroud Road, New South Wales

252 acres hosted by Joanne W.

2 RV/tent sites · 2 tent sites

Joanne is a Star Host

Star Hosts are highly rated, responsive, and committed to providing incredible experiences.

Primitive camping

Best for self-contained campers. There are no toilets, showers, or potable water at this Hipcamp.

"Willowbank" is a stunning 252 acre property located in the picturesque Stroud Road valley with 1km of river frontage. The property has been in our family for 4 generations! Being bought by Ian's great grandfather in the 1920's. We cater for guests that are looking to get back to nature. Enjoy the great outdoors without feeling overcrowded! We want our guests to be happy and have the best experience possible. Located only 8 minutes drive from the historical town of Stroud which was settled by the AA Company in the 1820's as a food growing area. There are still many beautiful buildings from that period to explore. A dairy farm for many years, we switched over to beef around 15 years ago. Currently we run around 120 head of Angus and mixed breed cattle. Within 3 hours drive of Sydney and around an hour from the Barrington National Parks, Newcastle, Maitland, Forster and Nelson Bay, it makes it the perfect destination for a weekend getaway! We are offering four beautiful partly shaded, camping sites along the pristine Upper Karuah River. With two adjoining sites at The Paperbarks that can be booked seperately or if you would like the whole place to yourselves, book both! If the other sIte is already booked and you would like a little more space we have a few other areas we can show you. Alternatively, there are also two other sites further down the river, these are 4wd accessible only. All sites are site only and no toilet or shower facilities are provided. You will need to bring your own camping toilet or self contained caravan/ camper (which can be emptied at the dump point located in Stroud township 10 minutes drive away). Access to The Paperbarks sites is provided by the unsealed council road right to the sites. The sites themselves are subject to wet weather so 4wd vehicles are preferred though 2wd vehicles may be parked just off the road if it gets a bit wet. Please note, we do have a house up the hill from these sites. It faces away from the area though. The Rapids and Riverview sites are accessed via a laneway through the property. These sites are for 4wd drive vehicles with tents or camper trailers only. As sites are located along the riverbank, at times they are subject to flooding. This may mean that camping there may not be suitable at all times and you may need to move to higher ground in this event. The whole property is also cut off from road access during times of flood. Site 1 (The Paperbarks) the larger of the sites is suited to camper trailers, caravans, camper vans or tents. It has some flat areas and also some slightly sloping with river access. Bring your cricket bat and enjoy a game! Site 2 (The Paperbarks) is slightly smaller and is also suited to camper trailers, caravans, camper vans or tents. It also has a flat area with some slight slope and river access. Put up your hammock between the trees and just relax. Site 3 (The Rapids) and Site 4 (Riverview) are both private, flat sites with 4wd access only. Bring your tent, swag or camper trailer and enjoy the river rapids. The river bank is a little steep in places and access is via a track so please be mindful when walking. River shoes are also encouraged as the rocks in the river can be slippery. Perfect for a relaxing stay in summer with swimming, canoeing or floating on your raft down the river. Bring your fishing gear for some relaxing bass or mullet fishing (catch and release is encouraged). The pristine river is also home to platypus which can be seen early in the morning or late afternoon from the campsites. Please do not try and interact with these beautiful animals, photography is encouraged though! There are numerous birds, water dragons and wallabies that also inhabit the area around the campsites. Sit around the camp fire (restrictions permitting) and watch the stars with family and friends. Firepits are provided for use, subject to fire restriction periods. (Firewood may be purchased for $20 a bag) There are opportunities for bush walking, bird watching and mountain bike riding on the property. With beautiful views from the top of the mountain as well. Our farm is a working beef cattle property. Please be mindful that cattle and horses have free range of the property, which includes the road, so take care when driving. There will also be at times motorbikes, chainsaws and vehicles operating around the farm. We will endeavour to keep the noise away from campers where possible. There will also be the odd cow/horse poo and mooing at night in case anyone has an issue. Small to medium dogs are allowed but must be on a leash at all times. This is due to there being working dogs and cattle in the area. Sorry, NO LARGE DOGS allowed. Please also be aware that we are in a tick prone area so make sure your pet has adequate tick protection. We do have mobile phone reception with Telstra and Optus on the property. Historic Stroud township has a supermarket, butcher, chemist, cafes, a club and pub along with swimming pool, playground and skate park. Dungog is located 25 minutes drive away and also has many historic buildings and cafes etc. Gloucester is 40 minutes drive and offers similar as well as access to the World renowned wilderness of the Barrington Tops National Park. We hope to make your stay a pleasurable one with many happy memories made. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions. ***sorry no parties allowed*** Your hosts, Jo and Ian.

Activities

Biking

Fishing

Hiking

Paddling

Natural features

Forest

River, stream, or creek

Swimming hole

Mountainous

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98%

23 ratings · 15 reviews

Julie W.recommends

May 1, 2024

The Paperbarks Site 1

Loved my stay here, great hosts and beautiful campsite, private and peaceful! My only complaint, l wasn't there long enough!

Iuliia A.recommends

April 29, 2024

The Paperbarks Site 2

Perfect gateaway

An amazing stay ! Thank you to Joanne and Ian for making us feel welcomed and relaxed ! We stayed here for 5 nights then extended for another night and honestly would stay for longer if it wasn’t for a bad weather front coming through at which point we decided to head back home. Place is just as described . We were in the paperbarks and our 22.6FT had heaps of room! Will definately like to come back again soon! Thank you to Joanne and Ian !

Mahni D.

April 28, 2024

The Paperbarks Site 1

Our stay at willow bank was lovely and easy to find. Ian and Joanne were nice and showed us to our spot. Visited daily to check on us. Nice on the river. It’s bush so this isn’t about the property as such. Just an unfortunate experience for me. Make sure you treat for ticks prior to arrival as my puppy found himself just a general brown dog tick. And I’ve removed 2 from myself. So please look after ya pets!! There are always preventative measures for ticks. My dog is covered but I did not use deet spray as there was no mosquitoes around. The Wallaby Green and The Paperbarks are a little too close for privacy. And unfortunately the neighbouring property had kids who let loose of their dirts bikes a bit. But otherwise it was a nice get away. Take a walk up to the top of the ridge as the view is amazing. The water was nice to sit near and relax.

Sophie W.recommends

April 28, 2024

The Rapids

This was a great place to camp, we thoroughly enjoyed our stay. It was private and right by the creek with lovely views of the creek. Jo was very helpful and everything about the process was easy.

Kelly C.recommends

April 27, 2024

Long Flat

Peace and serenity country side get

Country hospitality at its best ,friendly welcoming people are Joanne and Ian ,thanks for sharing your beautiful countryside with us .Serenity at its best ,we will definitely be back again. A great spot close to town but far enough to feel like a million miles away, besides a river for fishing or a swim ,quiet and peaceful location with views to the mountains and green green grass with cows .Perfect place to get away and sit around the fire and a bonus that we could take the dogs 🐕 I'd highly recommend this countryside stay with the nicest host I've ever met .See you again soon

Luke H.recommends

April 25, 2024

The Paperbarks Site 1

What a beautiful location even in the rain! Host were very friendly and welcoming which was greatly appreciated. The location is close to town making it ideal for first time or novice campers looking to have the feeling of the wild but with the safety net of shops and services close by. There is a house up on the hill from the site which does face away and with our set up they were blocked so it did feel remote. The only negative was that they did have a generator running until late the first night so just something to be mindful of if you are seeking silence. The river is beautiful particularly in the morning light! Overall we had a great stay and can definitely recommend.

Location

Stroud Road, New South Wales, AustraliaTraditional, ancestral territory of Guringai and Worimi First Nations according to To respect the Host's privacy, the precise address of this land will be provided after booking

Hosted by Joanne W.Joined in January 2024

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