Family-friendly beach camping in Riverina
Small agricultural towns and abundant fresh produce are a treat for foodie and self-catering campers.
- Riverina
Popular camping styles for Riverina
Family-friendly beach camping in Riverina guide
Overview
A fertile agricultural area in south-wetern New South Wales and accessible from both Canberra and Sydney, the Riverina area offers exciting camping opportunities for travellers into good food. Whether you want to dine out at creative local restaurants or prepare your own meals in the campsite kitchen or over a campfire, food should be on your mind while camping in the Riverina. The climate here is wet and warm, and the Murrumbidgee and Murray Rivers wind through the region, irrigating the land and providing the ideal conditions for agriculture and horticulture. Winters can be cool and wet though, so camping in the winter is more comfortable in campervans or cabins.
Where to go
Wagga Wagga
One of the largest towns in the Riverina, Wagga Wagga is a handy place from which to explore the Riverina as there are a variety of different camping options and lots of foodie experiences all in one place. As well as holiday parks, campers can stay at farmstays, to get an up-close experience of the Riverina’s agricultural and horticultural culture. While it’s an inland city, Wagga Wagga is on the Murrumbidgee River and has an attractive sandy river beach with shady trees, barbeque areas, and swimming spots.
Griffith
Wine enthusiasts might want to head straight to Griffith in the Riverina, a town with many wineries and cellar doors where you can sample the local drop. There are well-equipped caravan parks around the town, where you can find camping facilities for all budgets and service needs, as well as more simple, rural campsites not far from Griffith and around Lake Wyangan to the north of town.
Albury
This NSW–Victoria border town sits north of the Murray River. As well as attractions like botanic gardens, an art gallery, and kids’ playgrounds within Albury, campers in the area can also check out Lake Hulme, where the Murray River is dammed. Nature reserves are set at various points along the lake, while a holiday park sits at Lake Hume Village. As Albury and Lake Hume are on the Victoria border, this area is a good jumping-off point for exploring the nearby state parks in Victoria, such as Mount Granya and Mount Lawson State Parks.
Mungo National Park
West of most Riverina towns, the dramatic Mungo National Park is an otherworldly landscape of dry lakes, sand dunes, rocky outcrops, indigenous culture, and archeological sites. There are two campgrounds within the park, one with a range of tent, caravan, and trailer sites and facilities, while the other is more basic. This dry area is more characteristic of the quintessential Australian outback than the lush, fertile Riverina, but it’s accessible from Riverina towns, including Griffith and Hay, by travelling west along the Sturt Highway.
