Our experience at Sandy Point reserve was a good one. In fact this campsite has to be one of the better free ones we have been to so far. If you are traveling through Hay, or want to stay a day or two, then consider this campsite.
This campground is large, with plenty of sites available. I would be surprised if you got here and could not find anywhere to park up for the night. After saying that, I would be careful of the trees, they are large and there was a sign saying ‘beware of falling branches’. A few gum trees around.
The toilets are actually pretty decent for free. In fact you could say they are better than some paid campgrounds we have been to, amazing.
There is no dump point (see below) or potable water.
Fire pits are everywhere, and since we were here in the middle of winter, it was nice to get a nice fire going in the evening.
NOTE: No firewood collection on site so come prepared with your own supply.
This campground is on dirt so in the wet it may not be a place to be. There are plenty of deep potholes around, which looked like when it was wet, people got stuck and struggled to get out.
There are showers at the Information center and you can also ‘borrow’ their bikes if you want. A dump point at the SES center, about 2 minutes drive away.
There is silo art that you see on the way in and very close to the camping area. Suggest setting up then take easy walk there.
You are not far from the river and there is a day area where there are bbqs and picnic table. Very well set out.
The town Hay is just a few minutes walk away.
Hay is a wonderful sleight of hand. Drive through the town and you feel you are in a prosperous and substantial rural town. Drive out of the town and you are on the great, flat Hay plain with its low-lying saltbush. Every famous person who has visited or stayed has commented on the flatness of the surrounding land.
It was a shame we could not stay longer (had to get to Adelaide), we will definitely be back, and stay for a day or two.
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This is our review of our stay at Carcoar Dam, a positive one considering how busy it was.
We stayed here with friends over Easter weekend. It was very busy, we still managed to find a spot to camp and would recommend this campground to anyone. The dam itself is nice with not many mosquitoes around, were we just lucky? or far enough away from the water?
This campground is a reasonably large one, with some level sites, but also a large portion of the campground is not level, but manageable. If you are in a caravan, there is another large section which is not caravan suitable due to the slope of the land, even with leveling blocks you will struggle.
The toilets are adequate / usable with some of them being broken, the showers are broken and are completely unusable, it is free so expectations have to be in line with this price point.
The dam itself seems to be a water sports hot spot, plenty of water skis, boats, kayaks around and some people trying their hand at fishing.
Carcoar Dam is stocked with Murray cod, golden perch (yellow belly), silver perch and trout. Redfin is the most common catch.
A very popular place over Easter weekend, and I would imagine over most public / school holidays as well. A great place to check out if passing through.
Weather
Carcoar Weather Averages
Month
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
June
July
Aug
Sept
Oct
Nov
Dec
Temp Max C
29.8
29.2
26.3
21.0
15.8
12.3
11.5
13.4
17.4
21.3
24.9
28.2
Temp Min C
13.3
13.2
10.7
6.5
3.3
1.4
0.3
1.1
3.3
5.9
8.5
11.3
Rain Avg (mm)
62.5
50.5
50.9
52.1
59.5
85.4
78.1
78.3
64.9
78.5
63.0
60.9
This table will show the average temp min/max rainfall per month for Carcoar, NSW.
Looking through these numbers, summer will be the best time, while for me personally I would avoid winter, the overnight temps are getting too close to 0 for me.
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This is a free campground by Thompson Creek, which is a short drive from the small village of Burraga. This is one of the better free-camps we have come across in our travels so far.
We didn’t have a look at the village because this was only a overnight stop on our way to Oberon.
Website: N/A
Fee Category: Free
Booking: No
Dog Friendly: Yes
Amenities: Toilets
Dump point: No
Pool: No
Fire pits: Yes
Telstra: No
Starlink: Good
Generator: Yes
Burraga Dam campground
Our Experience
To get here we had to go along some winding country roads, nothing too serious. The road into the campground is about 1 km of dirt road, again nothing to worry about, any vehicle should be able to manage.
This is a large campground with plenty of sites. You enter the main section where there is plenty of sites to choose from, then another track further on takes you to another section. the only thing to be aware of is that the campsite close to the water have a bit of a slope on them, so leveling blocks will be needed.
Also, for us caravaners, don’t go too far into the campground as the trees are more closely packed together, with lower branches, we saw some spots where turning around could get tricky.
We found 2 toilets here, a flushing one, and a long drop. We used the flushing one, it seemed to be well maintained and clean.
There are fire pits everywhere, every campsite has one.
Apparently there is fishing here, the dam would be ok for Kayaking, and also there seems to be some 4wd tracks leading from the campsite.
Burraga is a small village in the Central Tablelands of New South Wales, located within the Oberon Shire. It rose to prominence in the late 19th century due to the discovery of copper in the area. The establishment of the Burraga Copper Mine transformed the village into a bustling mining town, attracting workers and supporting a growing local economy. At its peak, Burraga boasted a thriving community of approx 1800, complete with infrastructure such as a post office, school, and shops and 2 hotels, both of which have been burnt down.
However, the prosperity was short-lived. As copper prices declined and the mine became less profitable, operations eventually ceased in the early 20th century. The closure marked the beginning of Burraga’s decline, and much of the population moved away in search of work elsewhere. Today, Burraga stands as a quiet rural village (population 80), with remnants of its mining past still visible.
Our time here was a relaxed one, with Cathy working her 3 days, we didn’t do much, a quick look around town…….
The campground is a nice flat mowed grass area, with all the usual amenities available, grey water was just put on the ground somewhere around your campsite, water and power points are next to the campsite. A dump point is on site.
The Cowra town is just a short 2 minute drive away.
We didn’t do much around town to do, there is the POW campsite, not much left of it, also there is the Japanese Gardens, $20/adult we passed on it, unfortunately we are on a bit of a budget these days.
Over the past three decades some country towns have grown and prospered, others have declined both in importance and population. Cowra has grown. Located on the Lachlan River it has become the commercial and administrative centre of a shire where livestock, wool scouring, vegetable growing and processing, vineyards and tourism are the main drivers of the local economy.
https://www.aussietowns.com.au/town/cowra-nsw
I am sure there is more here, and at another time we will have more time to get a better look around.
This is our review of the Bredbo Inn Hotel overnight stay. We stayed behind this pub/hotel for a couple of nights. If you don’t require power or water, then it is free and no need to book, otherwise there is a cost and due to limited powered sites it may pay to book ahead.
A view of the campground behind the Bredbo Inn Hotel
We stayed here for a couple of nights. The sites are flat, grass nicely mowed, a single toilet available which was clean. You can access a shower for a $5 fee.
There was not much road noise, and the Hotel itself was good, serving big meals. We had a Chicken Parmy, which we shared, these days the meals can be too big for one of us.
We found the pricing in the Hotel to be reasonable, 2 drinks and a meal was about $44.
There is not much in the town itself, except for a busy and excellent bakery down the road, about 500M. The pies are yummy.
There is Cooma, which is about an 1/2 hour drive south, which has the Snowy Hydro Discovery Center which we found to be excellent, but NOT dog friendly, so Shadow had to stay in the car, (it was a cool day) while we explored the center.
Cooma is the largest town in the Snowy Mountains at an altitude of 800 Meters, it can get cold here. with a few things to see and do, we had a look at the Lookout, which had some short walking trails.
Cooma is the largest town in the Snowy Mountain region and consequently is seen as the gateway to the Snowy Mountains ski fields, the Snowy Mountains Hydro Electricity Scheme and the Kosciuszko National Park. In recent times tourism and the snowfields have ensured that it is more than just a rural service centre. It is the base for exploring the entire area and a prosperous tourist town. Central to the town’s attractions are the Snowy Hydro Information Centre; the Centennial Park which celebrates the town’s historic multiculturalism; the excellent historic walk and the fascinating Correctional Services Gaol Museum
Below is a table of the average temps etc. Beware of the winter temps. We got caught out in early April with morning frost, and in a caravan with no heating.
As you can see from the table below, it can get cold during winter.
Early morning frost at Bredbo Inn
Cooma Weather Averages
Month
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
June
July
Aug
Sept
Oct
Nov
Dec
Temp Max C
27.3
26.3
23.8
19.5
15.6
11.9
11.5
13.4
16.5
19.6
22.6
25.2
Temp Min C
11.0
10.6
8.3
4.2
0.6
-1.4
-2.6
-1.7
1.2
3.8
7.1
9.2
Rain Avg (mm)
58.9
59.6
58.0
37.5
30.3
38.6
26.8
27.2
33.0
45.2
65.1
57.3
This table shows the average Cooma temp min/max, rainfall per month
Comments
What do you think? have you stayed here, please leave a comment if you think I have left something out, or a correction is need.
Dr William Loftus Park donation campground is in a little town called Candelo, NSW. The town is very small, about half a dozen shops, (General store, Cafe, petrol Station), all in a rustic old time historical setting.
We had a little trouble finding the entrance to Dr William Loftus Park, it is just past the old style petrol station, if you miss it there is another entrance further down the road just after the school. Don’t do an us and drive around the block again.
Once there, you will find the ground to be reasonably flat. It is just a matter of finding a spot along the tree line. You are requested to stay off the Oval fields.
There are bins, and toilets, which are in pretty good condition when we where there. A bit of a walk there depending on where you park up.
The town itself has the appearance of an old time 1960’s look and feel. Even the petrol station has 1 pump for petrol and 1 for diesel on the road side. When you arrive in, you drive over the air line that rang the old style bell to announce your arrival. What they had back in the day before computers.
The General store is one to go into just to have a look. Very much a country store where you can buy fresh bread, farm eggs and many garden implements and food. The cafe was similar in style with creative seating outside.
Up the road and round the corner is where you can fill up with water. It was free under a certain amount then you paid. Basically free for us. We have 2 x 95 litre water tanks.
This is definitely worth stopping at for a night or two. And for those that like a beer and hot meal at the pub, it was just a short walk over the bridge.
The running A/C off grid in a caravan can be a game-changer for comfort but doing this comes with serious power challenges. Whether you’re relying on solar and batteries, a generator, an understanding of power consumption, insulation and efficiency can help you get the most out of your setup.
We have been on the road now for 8 months and have survived a summer – phew! A lot has been learnt, so I thought I would share what I have learnt and also what the realities are with the challenges of running A/C off grid.
Be warned when trying to get a good electrical system capable of running A/C off the caravan batteries, it will be an expensive exercise. The number one thing you have to pay a great deal of attention to, is charging those batteries.
As I will explain in this post, running A/C off Lithium batteries is relatively easy, it is the charging of those batteries which is in fact the biggest challenge.
The Variables
Power & Energy – This is about Watts, Amps, Volts and battery capacity.
Air Conditioning – Power Consumption and Cooling Capacity.
Thermal heat – Temperature difference (outside to inside), heat load, thermal conductivity, insulation, external colour of caravan and direct sunlight on the van.
Charging – battery capacity, solar generation and generator.
Power & Energy
The latest vans now come with varying voltage – 12V, 24V and even 48V. What does all this mean as far as running an A/C or any other high power appliance system of grid?
The Maths
1000W(p) is the same no matter the volts(v) or amps(a) or even AC or DC
What I mean by the above statement is if you see a appliance with 1000W, then that number never changes, the volts and Amps change to provide that power.
P = V x A
Voltage (V)
Amps (A)
12V DC
1000W ÷ 12V = 83.3A
24V DC
1000W ÷ 24V = 41.7A
48V DC
1000W ÷ 48V = 20.8A
240V AC
1000W ÷ 240V = 4.2A
1000W is always 1000W no matter the voltage. As voltage increases, current decreases proportionally. Higher voltage systems improve efficiency by reducing current draw and cable size needs.
Battery Voltage and Capacity
Energy(W) = Voltage(V) x Capacity(Ah)
Case 1: 12V System (Parallel)
Two 12V 200Ah batteries in parallel = 12V 400Ah
Total energy = 12V × 400Ah = 4,800Wh (4.8kWh)
Case 2: 24V System (Series)
Two 12V 200Ah batteries in series = 24V 200Ah
Total energy = 24V × 200Ah = 4,800Wh (4.8kWh)
Watt-hours (Wh) vs Amp-hours (Ah)
Amp-hours (Ah) = How much current a battery can supply over time
Watt-hours (Wh) = How much energy a battery can deliver
12V 400Ah = 4800Wh = 4.8kWh
Since all Lithium batteries won’t let you go down to 0, they will generally shut off at about 10% remaining capacity, so in real world use, only 380Ah.
4,800Wh x 0.8 = 3,840Wh (3.84kWh usable)
As you can see, how 2 batteries are connected does not automatically translate to double the capacity. Also something to bear in mind is the cost. A 24V LifePo4 battery is substantially more expensive than it’s 12V equivalent and physically bigger.
Cost can be a major factor, with more power and higher voltages, the more expensive and complicated things can get. The higher voltage is good for the high current items but most, if not all items in the caravan are still going to be 12V.
Running A/C off Lithium batteries in this day and age is not too difficult, all you need is a decent inverter.
Thermal Heat (Caravan Construction)
This is where we talk about how much heat there is to remove, and what a typical caravan A/C unit is capable of. Also whether the caravan is in direct sunlight, the colour and construction of the van can also make a big difference.
Caravan Construction
Construction type
Energy Absorbed
A/C Power Usage
Total A/C runtime
Aluminium Frame
4000 (w/hr)
1100 (w/hr)
3.5 Hr
Wooden Frame
3500 (w/hr)
1000 (w/hr)
3.8 Hr
Composite Panels
2500 (w/hr)
800 (w/hr)
4.8 Hr
Indicative figures – Caravan in Direct sunlight 36C day.
Key Points
Aluminium Frame = Least Efficient Cooling
Heat seeps in rapidly through the frame, forcing the A/C to stay on full power constantly.
3.5-hour battery life
Wood Frame = Moderately Efficient
Less thermal bridging, so less heat enters, and A/C can cycle off occasionally.
3.8-hour battery life
Composite Panels = Best for Off-Grid A/C
Highly insulated walls reduce heat gain, meaning the A/C doesn’t need to work as hard.
4.8-hour battery life
The composite caravan will be the best but also the most expensive. Parking in the shade will help with the cooling. Using a shade cloth on the fridge side of the caravan can help as well. Also there is the colour of the van to consider.
Colour
A study on vehicle heat absorption found that:
A black car parked in the sun reached 60-70°C inside.
A white car in the same conditions only reached 45-50°C.
Similar effects apply to caravans, especially with a large surface area exposed to the sun.
In Short
The best van to keep cool, would be –
Composite material
White colour
How hard the A/C has to work depends on the colour and construction of the caravan, and also whether or not the van is in shade.
There is not much you can do if you already have your caravan, it may be something to think about if in the process of deciding what caravan to buy.
Solar requirements
It is fair to say if you are taking 80A out of the batteries, then you will need a substantial solar/charging system to put it back. Especially since there will be large parts of the day when the solar system won’t be able to perform at full power, i.e shade, clouds, time of day.
Factor
Impact
Panel efficiency losses
-10% (heat, wiring, controller losses)
Peak Sun Hours
Typically 4-6 hours per day at best
Weather, Obstructions & Angle
Cloudy days, poor angles reduce performance
For a 12V system needing 80A: plan for at least 1200W+ of solar panels.
For a starting point, that would be 4x 300W panels. I would also add that on a hot day, you will probably run the A/C for a lot more than a few hours. This amount of solar would be an absolute minimum. Depending on the size of your van, more would be better even if one or two panels are portable and need to be set up.
You will need a powerful MPPT/DCDC charging system, not many caravans can run 80A plus charging systems.
Specifications Needed for Off-grid A/C
The below table would be the minimum specs needed to run A/C reliably and to be able to charge the batteries. It would be fair to say that this would be an expensive caravan, if bought today, in the range of $170,000+.
Our van is small, 16 Foot, we have 3 panels on the roof (no room for any more) and a portable panel, all up we can get to about 42A, max, barely 50% of whats needed. Even so, that will extend our A/C time to about 5 – 6 Hours. Our AC and DC charging system is rated to 40A, well short of what is needed with the challenges of running A/C off grid.
When the van is sitting in the sun the walls heat up (Aluminium Frame). If you try to cool the van down with the A/C, it works however as soon as the A/C is turned off, the van heats straight back up even if the sun has set, it takes some time for the built up heat in the walls to dissipate.
On very hot days, the DC-DC charger can get hot, it may throttle back the charging.
On the very hot days i.e 40 degrees plus, the overnight temps are not much cooler, so A/C will be needed over night.
Trees are a big factor, they keep your van cooler, but kill your solar
How we Cope with the challenges of running A/C off grid.
Fortunately, in Australia, the seriously hot months are from late November to end of March. You can get away from a lot of the heat by being in the southern part of the country by the coast. Another place to be could be at altitude, think above 600 metres in places like Snowy Mountains. We haven’t tested this theory yet.
Keeping a close eye on the weather forecasts – with heat waves you usually get a few days notice, time to find a caravan park.
Caravan parks with powered sites. Yes they may not be everybody’s favourite but it is nice to have unlimited power.
A generator – we have a small one being a Yamaha 1Kva however it can’t run the A/C. We didn’t get a bigger one simply due to size and weight restrictions of our setup. Also there are lots of places that don’t like you using them.
If after a generator to run A/C then think 2.2Kva or larger.
A swimming pool, river or lake is great way to cool down. Also wetting towels or tea towels or something to help cool you.
All this is of course subjective, how tolerant are you of the heat? I have found the older you get, the less tolerant you become. Well, that’s our experience.
What do you think? Leave some comments below if you have any suggestion or corrections.
Wow, after coming across these two campgrounds we thought, could things get any better. Both excellent free campgrounds, in our time of travel, I would say 2 of the best we have come across.
Our previous campsite was Banksia Bluff Campground. The road to these campgrounds was easy to travel.
Website: N/A
Fee Category: Donation
Booking: No
Dog Friendly: Yes
Amenities: Toilets including disabled
Dump point: No / Yes (Cann River)
Pool: No
Fire pits: Yes
Telstra: Good
Starlink: Good
Generator: Yes
Genoa campground, our campsite on a sunny afternoon
Cann River & Genoa Campgrounds
Our Experience
We stayed at the Genoa campground for 3 days (max stay 72 hours) along the way we also had a look at the Cann River campground.
Cann River Campground
Chatted to few people who were staying there and they liked it. I believe the Cann River campground was a working caravan park previously, but has since been taken over by the council.
The river is close by and easy to get to, so if you are there in the warmer weather you can go for a dip and cool down.
Each campsite has there own water tap and drain for their grey water, there are power poles there as well, but they are not working. The campsites looked level, with nicely mowed grass and a few trees about for shade. It honestly looks better then some paid caravan parks we have stayed at. The toilets were in reasonable condition too however no showers.
We were so impressed with the Cann River campground that we considered staying for the night. In the end we decided to carry onto Genoa which is only another 35 minutes away. Since it was early afternoon we wanted to get a bit closer to our next destination after that. We were on a mission to get north as it was starting to get cold.
Genoa Campground
While we stayed here for 3 days, (Cathy had to work), the weather was miserable, it rained nearly constantly the entire time we were there. This was one of those times we were glad we had a generator. There was no way we could have stayed without it, the cloud cover was so heavy that we barely got anything from solar.
The toilets are old and could be a bit better, but usable. The campground didn’t get overly muddy, so that was good. The Roosters start their crowing very early in the morning, other than that it was a peaceful location with not much noise.
There was a newish walking bridge that took you to the town not far away. There are no shops or a working pub and a lot of it was in disrepair.
There were tennis courts and sports area next to the camping area. Very well looked after and donations help to keep the toilets clean.
Overall there was plenty of space and the campground is well used. Lots of vans, campers, RV’s, roof top tents and tents came and went. Fires are allowed, we managed to share one with our neighbour for the last 2 nights when there was a break in the rain.
This is a free campground that has to be booked, and boy, were we surprised by how good it was. Very dog friendly and heaps of walking tracks to go on and beaches and tracks to explore.
You do have to be self contained and unfortunately there is a no generator rule. When we saw that we decided to kept our stay short as we didn’t know how much tree cover we would have. It turned out we could have stayed longer as our campsite was quite open however as it was already booked we weren’t able to extend it. Other sites are not so fortunate, with some having a lot of tree cover.
Our campsite was sheltered by the bushes, good in windy conditions, but if there on a hot day it may mean a trip to the beach, which is only a 1 minute walk away. It is a very well laid out and it is easy to find your campsite.
If you come here with a dog, you will have to look at the website closely before booking, as there are, I think 2 which are NOT dog friendly, campsites C, D, E, F are dog friendly. Also not all campsite are caravan suitable, again check the website forms carefully for your requirements.
The toilets were flushing, and even had toilet paper there. Different campgrounds had different toilet blocks. There is also plenty of bins, and recycling options.
Overall it appears that they have done quite a lot of work here. There is a day area that has BBQ. Walking tracks with boardwalks in place that looked fairly new.
Campfires are allowed. Campsite C has a communal fire pit where as the rest that we saw had one at each site. You can buy firewood from the main office, but be aware it is expensive at $29 / bag.
Looking at the weather data, the temperatures look fairly steady throughout the year, and unfortunately the rain looks pretty steady as well. Just will have to be lucky in trying to avoid the rain. We stayed here towards the end of March 2025 and we had no rain.
Weather Averages – Marlo
Month
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
Temp Max C
26.2
25.5
24.0
20.9
17.8
15.3
15.1
16.2
18.3
20.1
22.1
24.0
Temp Min C
14.9
14.6
13.1
10.8
8.4
6.4
5.6
6.2
7.6
9.2
11.5
12.9
Rain Avg (mm)
72.5
66.5
83.3
100.9
58.2
89.8
55.5
63.1
63.6
84.7
76.6
139.6
This table will show the average temp min/max rainfall per month
We arrived after 3 days on the road from Mildura. The drop in temperature was a bit of a shock to the system as well as the rain we had avoided for awhile. Setting up in the rain is never fun. The park itself was a pleasant surprise, well run with near new amenities and excellent grassed sites. We where happy to be here. Fires are allowed provided they are off the ground so took advantage and had a couple. Always nice to be sitting around a fire.
We came to this stop from our previous 2 night stay at Smoko campground.
Google, in it’s infinite wisdom, directed us under a bridge, which has 3.2 Metres clarence. We got through, so now we know our caravan is not 3.2 M high, and yes there was a sign which we missed, easy to do when trying to figure out which turn to make in a strange town. It’s a shame we can’t put our vehicle dimensions in so Google maps can take this into account.
If there is any doubt, just go straight ahead, Google will find another way on the other side of town.
Google map showing bridge
Our Experience
An excellent park, we were just back from the lake but that didn’t stop us from getting good views.
There are some great walking tracks leading from the park. People are allowed to walk around the lake, so houses had to have space for this. It was easy to walk Shadow on the walking tracks. Some going through a forest type area taking you to a road that travels down and round the lake. Plenty to see along the way included rabbits.
We took the ferry across to Raymond Island which is a short drive down the road. You can take your car across for a fee however as a foot passenger you can go for free. We found this to be one of the better nature reserves we have been on and dog friendly too. Shadow had a ball. You can also do the Koala trail. We saw so many and one was on the ground, which climbed the tree and started eating – even though there was a small crowd, he didn’t seem to be bothered by us. Lucky Shadow was far enough away and didn’t see a thing.
Grateful to be able to work on the road and stop at places like this. It was very well maintained and a few permanent caravans on site however no one lives in them full time, like holiday homes.
A view of the jetty’s in Eagle Point BayKoala on Raymond IslandA early morning view of Eagle Point Bay from the caravan parkSunrise over Eagle Point BayLake King Waterfront Caravan Park main buildingsEchidna on Raymond Island
Weather averages
Check the table below to have a look at when is the best time to go for you. For us soft Queenslanders, that would be summer. We stayed here in March, I don’t think we would stay any later in the year.
This has to be one of the nicest free campgrounds we have been to in a while. Beautiful scenery, which for us was reminiscence of Canada. A lake to cool down in, plenty of space and walking tracks.
This campground follows on from our previous over night camp at Echuca Rotary Park.
We were initially going to stay here for one night, but liked it so much we stayed another night. The drive here through Bright was beautiful and scenic, so after the outback we were taken aback by how lush and green everything was.
The campsite itself is quite large with lots of nooks and crannies you should be able to find a spot. When we arrived it was very busy, a 4wd club had finished their run up in the Highlands for 9 days so they were camping before the drive back home. The next day the place emptied out with just a few remaining. The spot were had was by the drop toilet so once everyone had left, we decided to move to a better position next to a fire pit. The fire pit had a movable bar that you could put a camp over over.
The campsites are relatively level and suit all types of campers from tents, roof top tents, motor homes, vans, trucks and caravan – we saw the lot. The single long-drop toilet was clean and you do need to bring your own toilet paper. With the mountain ranges surrounding you, plus the trees, I would think this would be a good sheltered place to be. The tracks are dirt so in the rain it could get slippery.
This campsite, and in fact the whole area, is now on our list to visit again and instead of passing through we will stay for a few more days or weeks. Definitely worth a look and stay.
I would think in winter it could get very cold, as further up the road and round the corner is Mt Hotham and ski fields.
A few pics
Smoko campground campsiteSmoko campground track leading into campsite
This is a good donation camp site to stop at for a few days. You do have to be self contained, but with enough supplies you could stay here for a week. The place felt safe, with some other campers being there for a few days.
This campsite is big, so no need to worry about not being able to find a place to stay. The first part is a gravel type of park and if you want to stay under the trees and closer to the river then keep driving to the left and the track will tack you down to the second section of the campsite. That’s where we stayed. It was hot so we were happy to be shaded by the trees
Enter the park off Rose St, Campaspe Esp, Google sent us to the entrance off Northern Hwy, which we could not find.
If you have the right setup, you could stay here for a few days, especially since there is a dump point on site, which is usually the first problem when camping off grid, the toilet cassette gets full. There is potable water however we didn’t need it and unsure where the tap is located.
The river was not flowing very fast when we where there in March. The caretaker did say the water is from farmland and should be ok to swim in and but up to you. There are fish in the river so I suppose it can’t be that bad.
The have a mini train track at the bottom section with a railway station. This is open the 1st Sun each month from March to December and they ask you not to camp within a certain distance of the tracks. Shame it wasn’t going when we were there. Will have to time it better on our next visit.
You need to register and pay. This is self service. A little tool box on the wall containing pens to complete the form and pop it into a zip lock type bag and shove in the slot.
There was a row of old farm machinery at the top by the grave/dirt track and various other parts around the place. Very relaxing and felt safe and will be back to this awesome donation camp.
We stayed down by the river and would feel safe leaving the caravan there to go exploring. Since we were only doing an over night stop we didn’t disconnect and take a look around town. Save that for next time.
Campsite view of the Murray RiverOld Farm machinery next to drvewayEchuca Rotary Park groundsEchuca Rotary Park campground signs
