9 Best Camping Spots near Cairns

Explore FNQCairnsCooktownAtherton Tablelands

Jun 28

There’s something about going bush, out of digital range 📲📺📡 (we can only hope) and setting up camp 🏕, hanging out around a campfire 🔥 and chilling for a couple of days (at least).

I think the biggest plus is watching the kids ‘really play’ without the help of devices #screenfree. AND the perfect person to give you the lowdown on Bush Camping around Cairns is Miranda Starr whose Facebook Page FNQ Adventures is a wealth of information about getting off the beaten track and enjoying the wilderness of Far North Queensland.

Trip map created using Wanderlog, a road trip planner app on iOS and Android

1. Karma Waters Station

Fishing at Karma Waters Campground, Far North Queensland

The road conditions are good - as long as your vehicle has good clearance to get over a couple of holes in the last section to the campsite you are fine, but it’s always best to ask the station on the conditions beforehand as it wasn’t easy last time we went a few years ago.

Plenty of Redclaw 🦞🦞🦞🦞 - YES huge Cherabin as they’re otherwise called. The Sooty Grunter fishing was great fun and the swimming holes are large with plenty of room to explore with the kayaks. Our son (braver than me) snorkelled the river looking at the fish 🤿 🐟 and found a few golf balls along the way, so someone enjoyed playing golf there!

Dogs are allowed but be mindful this is a cattle station 🐶🐮. Dirt road all the way in and might pay to collect wood along the way as there isn’t much around the campsite. Plenty of wildlife so take your binoculars if you like spotting the creatures cruising around. Many different species of birds, lizards including a huge goanna, hundreds of butterflies, spiders, caterpillars, snakes, freshwater crocs (not dangerous), you name it. But that’s one of the good parts of going bush.

We stayed at Horn Valley, where there are great deep holes on a higher bank, but if you have young kids and want a shallower area they do have other options. Put this on your list for sure.

Ring (07) 4094 8337 or Book at https://www.karmawatersstation.com/

2. Birds on Barron

Birds on Barron sits about 7km north of Mareeba so it’s not too far to travel and you’ll feel miles away from the daily hustle and bustle. These guys have a beautiful piece of paradise sitting on part of the Barron River. Fires, dogs, fishing, swimming, and kayaking 🏕 🔥🐶🎣 🛶 are all good here. This is a great one when you don’t want to travel too far but get out for a day or two. There's not much shade so make sure you take some.

Tents, camp trailers and caravans are all welcome but if you want power you need to camp near the homestead. If you want to bring dogs they must be contained and you need to camp down near the river as they have horses, cattle 🐎🐂 and a friendly emu that likes to say hello.

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There’s plenty to explore in the surrounding area but when we stayed, we enjoyed it too much to leave our campsite. Just enjoying a dip in the lovely waterhole was enough.

The price for camping was supa-cheap – from $10. My youngest 1year old was free. You need to pay an extra amount which isn't much if you use the toilets and showers up near the homestead. The owners Julie and Trevor were very welcoming and made us feel at home.

Freshwater Creek at Birds on Barron camping

You get to camp on the Barron River which has beautiful swimming holes for the kids and some beautiful birds that like to hang around. We got a few Cherabin (Red Claw) and a couple of fish too 🦞🦞🐟🐟. Kayaks were fun and we loved the whole place. It was nice to feel cold for a change and escape the humidity of Cairns 🌴😅.

Remember to take your rubbish with you and dig holes for your toiletry needs 🕳🧻🚽 so it’s clean for others, and of course, clean up after your dogs 🐩💩. One hint would be to take shoes as the camping area was freshly mowed but it’s not grass, more like tree stems which hurts if you don't cover your feet.

It’s a real family-friendly spot. You don't need a 4WD and its a great option if you don't want to drive far and only have a couple of nights. For more information or to book a spot call Julie and Trevor 0429982794 and check out their Facebook page > Birds on Barron. We loved it.

3. Hurricane Station

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For people that like a bit of everything this is the place to go. All up it’s around a 3 hour drive North of Cairns and about a 1 hour of that is dirt road. The turn off to Hurricane Station isn't far from Mt Carbine. It’s also not far from Karma Waters Station.

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Hurricane Station is on the Mitchell River and we caught plenty of Redclaw and Sooty Grunter here 🦞🦞🐟🐟. It’s great for the kids to swim and kayak, and fires and dogs are allowed (upon request) 🐶🔥🎣🛶.

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We camped right on the river’s edge and loved it. There’s shady spots, and at certain times of the year the water flows well. Be aware that some areas would be easier than others for access but there would be a few that would be easy enough with an SUV.

Hurricane Station Mt Carbine, camping in Far North Qieensland

All bookings/enquiries must be made by phone (there’s no internet access) and once you call and book on (07) 4094 8234 they will give you directions.

PLEASE NOTE: Hurricane Station’s Facebook page is only listed for awareness.

4. Woodleigh Station

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Woodleigh Station has been one of my favourite stations I've camped at yet. There's a turn off to the station before you get to Innot Hot Springs ♨️. We camped on the side with a deep river so we could take the kayaks and go fishing 🎣🛶. But they do have another river if you’re not interested in fishing and kayaking. The other river you can camp on suits younger children and is a good option if you just want to go swimming.

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There’s also a tin dredge in the middle of nowhere that is heritage listed on Woodleigh Station property. It’s about 100 years old and is definitely worth a visit. To contact ring (07) 4907 0204 just go to http://www.woodleighstation.com.au/

5. Goshen Station

Goshen Station camping, far north queensland

What an amazing place Goshen Station, Queensland is. It is about 5.5 hours from Cairns (90 kms past Mount Garnet) and west of Blencoe Falls. We saw emu's, kangaroos, frilled necked lizards 🦘🦘🦎 and I even had a water dragon crawl up my shorts while I was in the kayak - EEEK!!

There's fun fishing and we caught a feed of red claw and when the boys weren't kayaking or exploring the little islands on the river they were making good use of the rope swing at our camp site and spent most of their time in the water 🎣🛶🦞🦞.

We went and explored a little and checked out the Herbert falls 💦💦💦 and WOW that's amazing and you feel like the size of an ant in that valley. The drive took us about 5 hours from Cairns, the camp site was very private and large with a great fire pit overlooking the river and it was great to be able to take the dogs, although they do have cattle so just make sure your dog’s won’t chase them.

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The road in is actually pretty decent and even though our pop top caravan is offroad it’s not a terrible road. I would not recommend a low caravan though and I would still not go without a 4WD. Not a bad thing to say about this place. So definitely put it on the bucket list. Bookings are taken via phone on (07) 4097 1428. PLEASE NOTE: Goshen Station Facebook page is only listed for awareness.

6. Emu Creek Station

Emu Creek Station is about a two-hour drive from Cairns inland just past Dimbulah and we thought it was fantastic. This spot has plenty of room, trees with shade and great for a trailer or tent 🏕.

We enjoyed the fishing, and a feed of redclaw🎣🦞🦞. Sometimes the water can be a bit low but when it’s not it’s a beautiful creek to explore with the kayaks and our dog loved it too🛶🐶.

Boy with dog at Emu Creek Station camping @ Adventure Mumma

The road in isn’t anything crazy at all and the owner is lovely. The wildlife here was amazing, we just sat back and watched animals come and go, including the odd cow ha!🐄 If you need more details or to book ring (07) 4094 8313 PLEASE NOTE: Emu Creek Station

Facebook page is only listed for awareness.

7. Murray Falls

Murray Falls is just North of Cardwell. Beautiful spot to spend a day or two camping. There is a small board walk juts near the campsite to the falls💦💦💦. You can't swim near the falls but there is a picnic area 🧺 further down where you can.

There is a walking track that gives you a beautiful view over the top of the falls and downstream. The campsite has lovely grassy areas that allows fires in the designated areas and if you’re going with kids take their bikes🏕🔥🚴 – it’s the perfect campground for them to ride around and keep themselves busy.

It’s a National Park so you need to book through Queensland Parks and Forests HERE.
PLEASE NOTE: No pets are allowed.

8. Chillagoe

Put Chillagoe on that bucket list of yours. In fact, put it on the list a couple of times. Because to explore the huge network of caves all over this area you’re going to need a couple of trips. We stayed at Chillagoe Observatory & Eco Lodge which was the perfect base for us plus they have a lovely pool to cool off in after a hot day’s caving and it’s pet friendly. Between the self-guided caves and the guided caves there’s a lot to take in and it’s such a nice change of scenery from the coast.

It takes 2.5hrs to get there so you’ll want to spend a night or two. I highly recommend doing this. For any information on the tours or self-guided caves you are best to contact the Chillagoe Hub Information Centre, where they have maps that show you the self-guided caves and you can also book their guided tours 🗺 🪨🔦 .

It can get very hot here so make sure your prepared, but you’ll enjoy the cool temperatures of the caves. There are also some other attractions around Chillagoe that are worth checking out, including the abandoned smelter > Check them out HERE.

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Chillagoe is a must. It's a great place to go with or without your kids. The Chillagoe Observatory & Eco Lodge campground is great for children as it has an outdoor movie screen, an Observatory 🌖✨🔭 (it’s one of the best places in the world to view the night sky) and a car museum nearby which the kids loved. It's close to swimming holes and not far to go see the Chillagoe caves. There are a few other options, but we loved it and you can ring (07) 4094 7155 or Book Here Chillagoe Observatory & Eco Lodge.

9. Endeavour River Escape

This is a great place to camp near Cooktown. Grassy campsites, toilets and hot showers, and BBQ facilities 🏕🚽🚿🥩🍖🍴. The dirt road in can be accessed by 2WD but the surrounding tracks that take you to the beaches are 4WD. Pets are allowed as long as they are behaved and controlled 🐶. It’s a 15 min drive out of Cooktown and this place is the perfect base to do any surrounding walks or exploring the town itself.

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A bonus of this site is they have their own boat ramp for anyone with tinnies to access the Endeavour River to go fishing or catch a feed of cherabin. There is firewood on the property which your allowed to collect and they have a free washing machine you can run off your generator. One of the better spots to comfortably camp up in Cooktown .

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Any questions or more information head straight to their website Endeavour River Escape or ring 40695084 to contact the friendly owners.

Prefer to camp by the beach? Then check out these posts for inspo!

Beach Camping Cairns - 5 Reasons to give it a go PLUS hot spots
Sleep on the Reef – 5 Great Barrier Reef Tours that offer a Sleepover
Stay Play Explore – Let Mother Nature be your child’s GREATEST Teacher

So there you have it, 9 of the BEST Camping Sites IN THE FAR NORTH around Cairns. Which is your favourite? Did I miss one of the best?

Leave a comment below 👇

And DON’T FORGET TO FOLLOW my camping adventures at FNQ Adventures where I constantly post about our favourite spots and new discoveries around the Far North.