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Willowbank

99%

· Stroud Road, New South Wales

252 acres hosted by Joanne W.

2 Vehicle/Tent sites · 2 tent sites

Staff verified

Accuracy verified by Hipcamp's on-the-ground team.

Joanne is a Star Host

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

Nomadic 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 Karuah River 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 five 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. We do have an extra campground, Long Flat, suited to 4WD vehicles with caravans This is available subject to weather and farming activities. Please contact us if you are needing room for a larger group. 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 8 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 does face away from the area though. The Rapids and Riverview sites are accessed via a laneway through the property. These sites are for 4WD VEHICLES ONLY with tents or camper trailers. 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. Adjoining 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! Adjoining 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. Site 5 (Long Flat) private large flat site for 4WD vehicles with caravans. Perfect for larger groups. 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 during the summer months (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. Remember to bring wood with you! There are opportunities for bush walking, bird watching and mountain bike riding over the back of the property. It is a bit of a hike to get to the access but well worth it 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 as well as on neighbouring properties. 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 due to past issues. 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

99%

43 Ratings · 29 reviews

Tayla W.recommends

September 1, 2024

The Paperbarks Site 1

beautiful place !! the river is beautiful highly recommend!!

Rick C.recommends

August 31, 2024

Riverview

Lovely camp to escape for the weekend. Jo and Ian were very accommodating and made us feel very welcome. Our site was right on the river with easy access to enjoy. The site was private and very well spaced from others. I hope to come back again.

Emily S.recommends

August 29, 2024

The Paperbarks Site 2

Beautiful stay - thank you!

Jo + Ian were very welcoming and accomodating! We stayed on the paperbark site for a writing/creative weekend away. It was very beautiful and perfect for this. The river was not flowing as much as I would have thought but I'm guessing that changes during seasons - we still swam and loved the freshness! It was wonderful to be so close to it and still very picturesque. The birds of a morning were magical, as were the stars of a night. The main road was a little closer than we thought - you could not see it at all but just close enough to still hear the cars (which might not bother most people - I tend to be sensitive to noise 😅). We took a hike up the big hill and the view was really beautiful. The site was really bit + no one was next to us, but an FYI if you're wanting privacy; you would want to book both sites or one of the other sites on the property as the site directly next-door was quite close by. Another FYI, we had a 2wd and got stuck/needed a tow with a small bit of rainfall overnight. Thank you for having us and for the lift!

Priscilla D.recommends

August 25, 2024

The Paperbarks Site 1

Five star stay

Thanks to our very gracious Hipcamp hosts Ian and Jo for a great stay. They were very obliging when we arrived quite late in the day and saw us safely to our campsite. Our spot was lovely, flat enough that we could still easily level up, unpack and sort out dinner. We’re definitely looking forward to coming back over summer when we can sit in the Karuah River. Really spacious camp sites and well dispersed for peace and quiet. Handy to Stroud Road, Stroud and Dungog for groceries, some amazing meat from the butcher or great local meals. Joanne is a great communicator and answered any queries promptly. Definitely looking forward to staying again in the future.

Toby C.recommends

August 25, 2024

Riverview

Great little camp spot, nice and private, good river access for the kids. Jo and Ian were great to deal with. We'll definitely be back.

Simon B.recommends

August 18, 2024

Riverview

Great bush camp by the river

Great host and great location. Nice and close to Newcastle, perfect for an easy night getaway by the fire.

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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Hipcamp acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders past, present and future and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.