Your Go-To Guide For Autumn Adventures
The best camp spots for April adventures: weekend camping, overnight hikes, and day trips outdoors.
Table of contents
April through June is peak camping around Australia. Think: cooler nights, drier days, and no shortage of day trips, overnighters, and weekend camping options to explore. Here are some we’ve handpicked (with pack tips) to fuel your campfire.
Weekenders
Gear required:
- Quality waterproof tent
- Insulated sleep mat & sleeping bag
- Animal-proof food storage
- Plenty of food and water
- Cooking setup
- Torches
- Permits (if required)
- Boots/trail shoes
- Waterproof shell
- Climate-appropriate layers
- Camp sandals.
📍Wilsons Promontory, Victoria
206km from Melbourne sits the granite capes and pristine beaches of Victoria’s south-eastern jewel. Pack layering essentials: Merino all day and Cosy Camp Fleece for once the sun drops.
Don’t miss: A barefoot walk on Squeaky Beach. Listen closely as tiny grains of quartz explain the name.
📍 Ikara-Flinders Ranges, SA
A 5.5-hour trip from Adelaide, you’ll find 600-million year old landscapes, yellow-footed wallabies, and a meeting place of people for tens of thousands of years. Wilpena Pound Campground is your gateway. Escapade Backpack for your gear.
Don’t miss: Arkaroo Rock’s ancient Adnyamathanha rock art depicting the creation story.
📍 Leliyn (Edith Falls), Nitmiluk National Park, NT
It’ll be hot, but there’s still plenty of water around for gorge tours, swimming, and waterfall awe. Pack Venture Shorts and Trailblazer Sandals for wet/dry adventuring.
Don't miss: Hiking the Leliyn Loop Track to the Upper Pools, for a splash in an ancient paradise.
Overnighters
Gear required:
- Quality waterproof tent
- Insulated sleep mat & sleeping bag
- 40-60 Litre Hiking Pack
- Food and water
- Cooking setup
- Head Torch
- First Aid Kit
- Garmin InReach
- Permits (if required)
- Boots/trail shoes
- Waterproof shell
- Climate-appropriate layers
- Camp sandals.
📍 Bonnie Vale (Royal National Park), NSW
Just an hour from Sydney, this hacking River campground is Autumn bliss for a cruisy single-day escape, that may blend into the weekend. Pack Highlands 2P Tent, for easy up and out.
Don't miss: Checking out the Jibbon Head Loop Track, which is home to Jibbon Aboriginal Carvings.
📍Fortescue Bay Camping Ground, Tas
Bookend a single night with a day hike each side, exploring the surrounding capes, pristine white sand beaches, and (not yet ridiculously cold) waters of the bay. Pack Air-Grid Fleece, for the inevitable wind change.
Don't miss: Cape Hauy Track is a world-class day hike that leads you to dramatic dolerite columns plunging into the ocean.
📍Hastings Point Campground, NSW
This is a personal recommendation from Zorali team member, Samson. Here's why he loves it!
We often have to work through the school holidays, but to shake things up with the kids we’ll hit up Hastings Point or other campsites within 30-minutes of our Northern Rivers home. After a day of coastal walks, surfing, and tide rides up Cudgera Creek, and night out next to the roaring Tasman Sea, it feels like an epic adventure. (Even if we have to dash back to work the next day.)
Don't miss: Riding the incoming tide up Cudgera Creek, and trying to spot the giant grandmother flathead.
Day-Trippers
Gear required:
- Trail Shoes or Sandals
- Day Pack
- Water
- Snacks
- First Aid Kit
- Safety beacon: especially for those more technical hikes
- and a determination to get a quick fix of nature.
📍 Mount Coot-Tha Forest, QLD
So close to Brisbane it feels impossible, this giant parkland is home to more than 70km of trails.
Don't miss: The summit lookout with 360-degree views from Moreton Bay to the Glasshouse Mountains.
📍 John Forrest National Park, WA
Just 30 minutes from Perth CBD, Western Australia’s oldest national park is a true bushland escape.
Don't miss: The Eagle View Walk Trail is a 15km loop well worth the challenge with panoramic views of the region.
📍 Tjoritja / West MacDonnell Ranges, NT
Stretching for 160km west of Alice Springs, this park is home to some of the most epic Red Centre day hikes imaginable.
Don't miss: A cooling dip in Ellery Creek Big Hole (Udepata) to celebrate mission accomplished.
