December 22, 2020
After a difficult year, we know many Victorians will take the chance to spend their summer break with friends and family in the great outdoors. There is no better feeling than immersing yourself in nature, rod in hand and making golden memories with your loved ones.
With overseas travel restricted, Australians are being encouraged to take the chance to explore their own backyard – so to speak. We’ve complied a list of some of the best camping spots across Victoria and made sure to include both inland and coastal areas so there is something for everyone!
Hopetoun
Located right on the edge of Hopetoun, Lake Lascelles is a popular lake for boating and fishing. Lake Lascelles is a great fishing spot for freshwater anglers as the lake is stocked annually with golden perch and silver perch. Fishers can also head to the nearby Lake Corrong or Willow Lake where they can also target golden perch and silver perch.
Camping right on Lake Lascelles gives families a great camping experience while also having easy access to facilities including toilets and showers, drinking water, fireplaces, BBQ’s and a boat ramp. Campers have the option of free camping or paying a small fee for powered sites around Lake Lascelles, there is also a caravan park nearby.
Rocklands Reservoir
With multiple free campgrounds, a caravan park and boat ramps it’s easy to see why Rocklands is a popular fishing and camping destination for the whole family.
Rocklands is an emerging native fishery with more than 1.4-million Murray cod and 605,000 golden perch stocked since the stocking program commenced in 2017. Fishers can also reel in Australian bass, redfin, rainbow and brown trout, yabbies or carp.
Glendinning Campground at Rocklands Reservoir is highly rated by campers and fishers alike. It has good boating access, toilet facilities, and plenty of camping area so campers can spread out.
Other campgrounds include Brodies Corner, Beear Fossicking Area, Brookes Camping Reserve, and Ferguson’s Camp.
Bright
Bright in North East Victoria has a range of caravan parks and bush camping options available for campers. Buckland Valley offers bush camping where you can pitch a tent by the river.
In Bright, fishers can head to the Ovens, Buffalo and Buckland rivers to reel in a beautiful brown trout.
The Victorian Fisheries Authority’s relaunched Golden Tag competition has seen tagged brown and rainbow trout released into Nariel Creek, Ovens River, Kiewa River and Eildon Pondage.
Gippsland Lakes Coastal Park
Camping along the 90-mile beach has easy access to the beach. As the name suggests, 90-mile beach runs uninterrupted for 90-miles (145 kilometres) between Lakes Entrance and Port Albert. Meaning there are ample opportunities for camping down the coastline.
One of the highly rated areas, even dubbed a hidden gem, is Reeves Beach Coastal Reserve. It has drop toilets, a wood BBQ, and is, of course, close to the beach.
The 90-mile beach is renowned for its shark fishing. Over the summer, gummy sharks are incredibly prevalent. Some other species that are commonly caught on 90-mile include salmon, tailor, snapper, whiting, flathead and kingfish.
Echuca
Echuca is a great small town on the Murray River with ample free bush camping spots available near town and some fantastic fishing opportunities. Fishing on the Murray River gives recfishers the opportunity to reel in a vast range of species including Murray cod, Yellowbelly, silver perch, carp and in some areas redfin. The Campaspe River also runs through Echuca, where fishers can target the same species as in the Murray.
For those who are keen bush campers, Christies Beach and Betts Beach which are accessed via Simmie Road are about ten minutes out of Echuca are highly rated amongst campers. Christies Beach has toilet facilities, picnic tables and fireplaces and the nearby Betts Beach has no facilities.
Camping Tips
- Never leave a campfire unattended, when leaving pour water over the fireplace until the coals are cool to touch and you are sure the fire is extinguished. Read more campfire safety tips here.
- Leave no trace. Always take your rubbish home with you – and any rubbish you find at your camp.
- Always have plenty of drinking water as your camping spot may not have access to fresh water. There are a range of options available such as big 10L jugs from the supermarket and packs of water bottles.
