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
Our Kohlhagens Beach Campground review is a positive one, a free campsite just west of Wagga Wagga, NSW. A place worth staying at for an overnight stop or maybe for a night or two if you want to explore the area.
Website:
Fee Category: Free
Booking: No bookings needed
Dog Friendly: Yes
Amenities: No
Pool: No
Telstra: Unknown
Starlink: May have problems with trees
Kohlhagens Beach Campground
Our Opinion
It was a surprise to find a sandy beach this far from the sea, and the sand, while a little course was good to walk on with bare feet. Just a warning though, there seems to be a bit of broken glass around.
A good camp, that is far enough away from the road, so little to no traffic noise. You do have to be self-sufficient though as there is nothing provided. The one rubbish bin we saw was full to the brim.
The entrance can be a bit tricky to find as it is next to a farm yard entrance. Wikicamps has it pinned pretty accurately. Once you find the road then it is about 1km down a dirt road to the campsite, nothing to arduous just take it easy.
The Murrumbidgee river, while muddy looking was ok for use to take a dip in, it was very hot when we were there so it was a welcome relief from the heat. We saw some fishing boats going up and down the river, so there must be some fish in there. Plenty of shade provided by the trees, and campfire pits dotted around the place.
There are some permanent people there, but they kept to themselves, also there is plenty of room as this is a reasonably large campsite.
Stuart Town, located in the Central West region of New South Wales. Originally known as Ironbark, the town is famously immortalised in Banjo Paterson’s poem, “The Man from Ironbark,” which reflects its colourful past during the Australian gold rush era.
With a current population of approximately 240, it is a small place.
Lake Burrendong is situated nearby, this large water reservoir offers opportunities for fishing, boating, and camping.
No bookings, just turn up. When we were there we were the only ones there, one other caravan did turn up, otherwise the place was to ourselves. There are flushing toilets and a defibrillator. The sites were flat, so no problem levelling up.
The grass was full of Bindies, so dog boots needed for our little dog.
There really isn’t much else to say here, for an overnight stop it was good. Not much else around here.
What a place to visit, the Nhill Aviation Heritage Centre and camp. Just don’t do it when it’s extremely windy, as was our stay, so much so we couldn’t cook on the BBQ or inside as the gas would go out! There goes the hot water – all good as only staying for 1 night. You just have to make sure that you have enough food to carry with you that doesn’t require cooking. In our case, we had bread and a toasty maker and had that for dinner instead.
The Camp
This was a donation camp, and you can camp to the east of the aerodrome itself. They had toilets in the building just past the Museum. An information shed with pamphlets you can take away with you. The best part is the good old dump point. We didn’t use it but nice to know it was there. All the necessary things you need on the road….
Plenty of open spaces, green grass and a few trees to park under. We did have to move our caravan into a position of least resistance to the wind! It was also hot so seeking shade was a must – we failed miserably on that front – parked under shade but the sun moved in the wrong direction. I think we need to get a compass. The ones on our phones are useless.
It was another hot, hot day and night and the wind on top of that kept us inside. We did try and sit outside for a bit but the dust blowing around made it a bit too uncomfortable, if ya know what I mean.
We were the first to arrive and by the end of the night there were 5 of us.
Well worth staying and is about 1.9 kms from town.
Nhill Aviation Heritage Centre
Since the very early days of Australian Aviation, Nhill has played an important part as a refueling station and later, during World War II a training facility for the Royal Australian Air Force.
From the beginning of aviation in Nhill in 1919 when a 100 hp De Havilland DH6 aeroplane landed on the Nhill Racecourse, the history of flight in Nhill has involved the community as much as the aircraft and the people who flew them. In 1930 Amy Johnson landed in Nhill during her record-breaking solo flight from England to Australia. WOW, who would have thought we would end up in a place like this.
In 1940 the Royal Australian Airforce established a training base at Nhill, which by 1945 had seen well over 10,000 service men and women live, work and train.
Today the Nhill Aviation Heritage Centre is very unique in that it is situated on the original site of the RAAF training base and provides a glimpse of those times and life through informative displays and memorabilia including the four main training aircraft stationed at the base during WWII; an Avro Anson aircraft currently being restored, a Wirraway, Tiger Moth and Link Trainer all in working order.
They use this airport today and too windy for us to do the walking trail showing the displays. We will certainly check it all out on our next visit.
We wandered over to the toilets and saw the Heritage Centre was closed. However, this guy was inside doing the paperwork, saw us struggling in the wind (I’m sure he took pity on us) and let us in, including Shadow. Wow what a wealth of knowledge this guy has. He was great to talk to. Told me about the clothing on the female in the cabinet who was still alive today. She is about 94 and apparently, they wanted to do an article on her, thinking it would only take 5 mins, and she kept them there for over 1/2 hour – good on her I say. At 94 you can do anything. One of the other uniforms donated belonged to another person who was still alive as well. They must be very proud.
Vince was able to have a go in the first flight simulator built around 1929 and still working! He loved it although he needs a hell of a lot more lessons before getting into a real pilot seat for sure….
Nhill
Nhill has a lake and was part of a swamp. They top it up with boar water when it starts to get low. Back in the day it would dry out as the swamp was porous. We didn’t have time to explore it so saving for next time as well.
Interesting fact – Nhill was the first town to have electricity after Melbourne.
Some more history for you.
Early in aviation history the editor of the Nhill Free Press, Fred McKenzie, successfully argued that Nhill should become an important refueling location on the flight from Melbourne to Adelaide. As a result the Nhill aerodrome was visited by such famous aviators as Bert Hinkler, Charles Butler, Charles Kingsford Smith, Amy Johnson and Nancy Bird.
Nhill hosted the first East-West Air Race from Sydney to Perth in 1929 and the Brisbane-Adelaide centenary race in 1936. During World War II it was the site of a Royal Australian Air Force Base which resulted in approximately 10,000 Air Force personnel being trained at the base between 1941-1946.
Today the Nhill Aviation Heritage Centre tells the story of the local aviation history with displays and memorabilia, including the restoration of an Avro Anson and a very early example of a flight simulator. In 2018 it added to its collection when a very rare restored Wirraway – the plane was used to train pilots during World War II, was added to the collection. It was constructed from literally dozens of old, broken Wirraways by Aircraft Engineer, Ben Sorenson. It is open 10.00 am – 4.00 pm weekends. For more information check out the Aviation Heritage Centre website.
Let us know what you think in the comments. I have way more pics too. I just can’t help myself….
Enjoy ……
De Havilland DH.94 Moth MinorThe Link Trainer – simulatorTiger MothAvro Anson aircraft currently being restoredUniforms of the day including Pilot UniformMap of Limestone Coast showing Nhill and Mount GambierCAC Wirraway – training and general-purpose military aircraft
Coonabaraban Golf Club campsite – Coonabarabran is known as the “Astronomy Capital of Australia” due to its proximity to the Warrumbungle Observatory and the Siding Spring Observatory. Apparently, every year around Labour Day long weekend there is a StarFest. Could be worth a look so check out their website.
This is a basic campsite with toilets at the club, which are available for use during club hours. Other than that you have to be self contained. There is plenty of space, no need to book. Great for Starlink.
The club asks that you buy a beer, and/or a meal. We decided to have a Chinese meal at the restaurant located inside, which was a decent size. If you have a dog and want to eat at the club, there is an outside balcony area where you can sit. You just have to bear in mind, that by the time you pay for your meal and a beer, your free camp has just turned into an expensive camp.
Also available is a shaded area with a bbq. Suggest you check if you can use this area first. Visitors can enjoy a game of golf as well.
The ground is on a slight slope, which depending on your gear (and where you park) it may mean that you can’t get your van level. We couldn’t get level but close enough. Other than that, it was a good place with only a few minutes drive into the town centre.
If you are driving through this area, then this is a good place to stay overnight – safe and quite.
A couple of pics
Coonabarabran Golf Club buildingCoonabarabran Golf Club playground
Have a look at our NSW Campsites to find more potential campsites.
The family at Faithful Bingara Riverside Camp West enjoying an afternoon drink.
Our Opinion
There are 2 campsites here, one on each side of the river. The bigger one is accessible off White Rd, while the one we stayed at is accessible off Gwydir Tce. Drive by the golf club on a dirt road, turn right into the camp ground. There are a few pot holes to navigate. This campsite is a lot smaller than the one on the other side of the river.
There are other campsite further down the river, which would be worth checking out, they all seem to get positive feedback on Wikicamps.
We enjoyed out time here, making some new friends with the campers already here. The river itself was flowing at a moderate pace, and we were right next to it. The site was level, the grass nice. You would normally pay for a site like this, we couldn’t believe our luck with this one.
You do have to be self contained, as there are no facilities. There are a few dump points around town so that shouldn’t be too much of a problem.
This is going to be one of our favourite places to be if we are in the area. Just depends how busy it will be on the day as mentioned earlier, this campsite is small, the other one on the other side of the river is huge. The town looked nice, we didn’t spend much time there.
A few Pics from campsite and lookout
Bingara bridge with the Gwydir riverThe view of the Bingara town from H.F. Batterham LookoutThe view of the Bingara town from H.F. Batterham LookoutH.F Batterham Lookout
.
.
