All Places We Stayed in Our Van in 2021

Last year, our first year with our Jayco Hawk caravan, we stayed at 25 different campsites. It was such a fun activity to look back at every place we stayed, we have decided to continue recording each of our campsites (except for one we missed!). This year we beat our total from last year, staying at 31 campsites throughout the year. It is going to be a challenge to keep this up, it would be great to stay at as many places in 2022, however, I can’t see this trend continuing.

Also see our list of favourite caravan parks of Australia.

1. Wave Rock Caravan Park, Hyden, WA

Wave Rock Caravan Park
Our first campsite for 2021, stopping at Wave Rock (in the background) on our way to Esperance from Perth. There was plenty to keep us busy for the one day we stayed here.

2. Pink Lake Tourist Park, Esperance WA

Lucky Bay Beach Kanagroos
Unfortunately we did not get a photo of our van setup at Esperance, but we did get this great photo of kangaroos at the nearby Lucky Bay. The Pink Lake Tourist Park was the only park with availability when we booked late, we were squished in out the back but it worked out well with a kids’ cricket match going on constantly.

3. Porongurup Range Tourist Park, Porongurup, WA

Porongurup Range Tourist Park
Leafy Porongurup Range Tourist Park was situated at the base of the Porongurups, with some great bushwalks just a short distance away.

4. Riverbend Chalets & Caravan Park, Denmark WA

Denmark caravan park
The Riverbend Chalets & Caravan Park is the pick of the caravan parks in Denmark. It’s located a short distance away from the town, the sites well-spaced out, and you can even walk along the river back into town.

5. Galena Bridge, WA

Galena Bridge
The free camping spot at Galena Bridge on the Murchison River was the perfect stopover when heading north from Perth. I arrived late so I had to find a place to pull up in the dark and unfortunately did not have time to enjoy this quiet bush camping spot.

6. Barradale Rest Area, Yannarie River WA

Barradale Rest Area
Another free camp as I drove up the coast. Barradale Rest Area was a convenient spot at Yannarie River in Western Australia. Plenty of room to find your own space.

7. De Grey River Rest Area WA

De Grey River rest area
The free camp at De Grey River rest area was busy, but I was still able to find a place to park up with interesting bushland views out the window.

8. Broome Gateway Caravan Park, Broome, WA

Broome Gateway Caravan Park
The Broome Gateway Caravan Park is on the outskirts of town. I chose to set up camp out the back away from the other campers while I took a day to explore Broome.

9. East Baines River Rest Area, WA

East Baines River Rest Area
I pulled into the East Baines Roadside free camp and camped under a young boab tree, though also on top of an ant nest.

10. Edith Rail Camp, near Edith Falls, NT

Near Edith Falls
After checking out Edith Falls campground (it was full) I slotted into a space at a free camp at the start of the road that leads to Edith falls.

11. Florence Falls Campground, Litchfield National Park, NT

Florence Falls Campground
Camping as a family again, we have the full set up at the Florence Falls campground in Litchfield National Park, with a short walk to the falls. It was busy during the school holidays, we came early to secure our spot.

12. Corroboree Park Tavern, NT

Corroboree Park Tavern, NT
We set up the van at Corroboree Park Tavern as we explored the nearby Corroboree Billabong.

13. Kakadu Lodge Campground, Jabiru, Kakadu National Park, NT

Kakadu Lodge Campground
At the Kakadu Lodge Campground, in Jabiru, there are plenty of unpowered sites on the outer rim in a dusty area.

14. Mardugal 1 Campground, Kakadu National Park, NT

Toasting Marshmellows at Kakadu
Mardugal Campground in Kakadu was a cheap national park campsite, with toilets and showers. There were heaps of sites in a large area, too many options for us. We were drawn to the grassy area near the facilities, with our own table.

15. Edith Falls Campground, NT

Edith Falls Campground
We had to arrive early to secure our spot at Edith Falls, just north of Katherine. It was worth the effort as it is a lovely, friendly and well-run campground.

16. Katherine Gorge (Nitmiluk) Campground, NT

Katherine Gorge Campground
Katherine Gorge (Nitmiluk) Campground was a busy campground with a great pool and close to the Katherine Gorges

17. Little Roper Stock Camp, Mataranka, NT

Little Roper Stock Camp, Mataranka, NT
Little Roper Stock Camp near Mataranka was perfect for our family. It is much more than just a caravan park, there were buffalo, bulls and pigs to feed, lots of reptiles to hold, hay bales to climb, freshly baked bread and Jonny cakes each morning. It was hard to leave.

18. Daly Waters, NT

Daley Waters Camping
Daly Waters is just a country pub, but they have turned it into a must-stop destination with quirky props in the bar and along the street, making it a fun family stopover. It was very busy, we were placed in one of their several overflow areas across the road from the pub. 

19. Banka Banka Station, NT

Banka Banka Station, NT
We returned to Banka Banka Station after many years. It is a lot busier now, the sunset views from the hill overlooking the homestead was worth the stay.

20. Karlu Karlu / Devils Marbles Conservation Reserve, NT

Karlu Karlu / Devils Marbles Conservation Reserve
They packed us in at Karlu Karlu (Devils Marbles) Conservation Reserve, but that did not stop us from having so much fun exploring and chilling out. We even didn’t mind a bit that we had to stay an extra day while waiting for the Alice Springs lockdown to end.

21. Temple Bar Caravan Park, Alice Springs, NT

Temple Bar Caravan Park, Alice Springs
We were so glad we chose to stay at friendly Temple Bar Caravan Park on the outskirts of Alice Springs. The views of the MacDonnell Ranges were spectacular.

22. Ormiston Gorge, West MacDonnell Ranges, NT

Ormiston Gorge, West MacDonnell Ranges, NT
It was a rush to find a spot at the popular Ormiston Gorge West MacDonnell Ranges, NT

23. Henbury Meteorites Conservation Reserve, NT

Henbury Meteorites Conservation Reserve, NT
We basically had the remote Henbury Meteorites Conservation Reserve to ourselves. There were huge flocks of friendly wild budgies, their numbers have exploded due to the unusually wet summer. It was fascinating watching the large flocks swarming around.

24. Kings Creek Station, Kings Canyon, NT

Kings Creek Station, Kings Canyon, NT
The Kings Creek Station campground is the slightly cheaper of the two campgrounds near Kings Canyon, but everything you expect for this remote location.

25. Ayers Rock Campground, Yulara, NT

Ayers Rock Campground, Yulara
We got possibly the best campsite at the packed Ayers Rock Campground.

26. Marla Traveller’s Rest, NT

Marla Traveller’s Rest, NT
We had an overnighter at the Marla Traveller’s Rest, setting up next to the well-equipped camp kitchen.

27. Woomera Traveller’s Village & Caravan Park, SA

Woomera Traveller’s Village & Caravan Park, SA
Nothing special about the Woomera Traveller’s Village & Caravan Park, but was convenient for checking out the Woomera Rocket Park and Museum.

28. Nullabor Roadhouse, SA

Nullabor Roadhouse, SA
We found a spot of the edge on the campground next to the Nullabor Roadhouse. We were spoiled with this sunset view, though we did not have time to enjoy it as we arrived late and wanted to get off early the next day.

29. Baxters Rest Area, Caiguna, WA

Baxters Rest Area freecamp
A quick overnighter as we were heading home. The Baxters Rest Area was just what we needed, and the table was a bonus.

30. Boondi Rock Campground, WA

Boondi Rock Camping
Camping at Boondi Rock and Dam on our final night after 50 action-packed days on the road. It was a great National Park campground considering it was free to camp. We’ll be back.

31. Nannup, WA

Nannup Campsite
On the last day of the year, we camped next to the Blackwood River, in the Nannup Caravan Park overflow area. We could not have asked for a better spot to finish the year.

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *