Freedom Camping in WA: What You Need to Know
Western Australia is generally permissive about bush camping. Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA) manages most state forest land, and many areas allow free camping with basic facilities or just a cleared spot and a firepit.
The golden rules: leave no trace, do not camp within 200m of a water source, carry out all rubbish, and have a self-contained water and waste system for remote areas.
WikiCamps Australia and DBCA's own website are the best resources for finding current access and conditions.
The South West
1. Windy Harbour, South West
A tiny fishing hamlet at the southern tip of the Leeuwin-Naturaliste region. The caravan park here allows long-stay camping and the surrounding national park has excellent walking tracks along dramatic cliff coastline. Watch southern right whales from shore in winter.
Cost: $14 AUD per night (caravan park)
2. Peaceful Bay, Great Southern
The name is accurate. A sheltered beach in the middle of Walpole-Nornalup National Park with a small holiday park and DBCA bush camping area nearby. The surrounding karri and tingle forests are the tallest hardwood trees in the world.
3. William Bay National Park
The rock formations at Greens Pool and Elephant Rocks create natural swimming pools of improbable clarity. There is no camping within the park itself, but Peaceful Bay (above) is 10km east.
4. Cape Arid National Park
The easternmost point of the Great Australian Bight coastline. Remote, genuinely wild, and one of the least-visited national parks in WA. The DBCA campsite at Thomas River is basic (toilets only) but the position on a river mouth opening to a sheltered bay is extraordinary.
Cost: $14 AUD per night
The Goldfields and Outback
5. Lake Ballard, Murchison
Antony Gormley installed 51 steel sculptures across the surface of a dry salt lake here in 2003. The Inside Australia installation is genuinely haunting and the lake surface at sunset is one of those images that stays with you. Free camping at the nearby Menzies caravan park.
6. Karijini National Park, Pilbara
The gorges of Karijini are among the most spectacular in Australia — narrow slot canyons carved into iron-rich rock in shades of red and ochre. Multiple DBCA campsites within the park.
Cost: $14 AUD per night plus $15 park entry fee (well worth it)
Note: Some gorge walks are restricted — check current conditions with the park before attempting Class 5 or 6 routes
The Midwest Coast
7. Francois Peron National Park, Shark Bay
The red cliffs meeting the turquoise water of Shark Bay is one of WA's defining images. The DBCA campsite at Bottle Bay (4WD only, deflate tyres) puts you right in the middle of it.
The nearby Monkey Mia dolphin experience is touristy but genuinely wonderful — wild dolphins have been coming in to interact with humans at this beach for over 40 years.
8. Coral Bay, Ningaloo
The southern gateway to Ningaloo Reef. The DBCA campsite at Mauds Landing is basic but the reef begins 50 metres from the beach. Snorkel in the morning before any wind, and you will have some of the best coral you have ever seen to yourself.
9. Quobba Blowholes
Free camping on the cliff top above dramatic coastal blowholes north of Carnarvon. Red earth, crashing surf, incredible stargazing. A genuinely wild camp with no facilities except a pit toilet.
Cost: Free
The Kimberley
10. El Questro Wilderness Park
The Emma Gorge trail ends at a waterfall and a swimming hole that feels like it belongs in a fever dream. Camp at the station campsite ($20 AUD per night) and day trip to the various gorges on the property.
11. Mitchell Falls, Mitchell Plateau
Australia's answer to Iguazu — a series of tiered falls dropping into crystal pools in deeply remote Kimberley country. 4WD only, creek crossings, serious corrugations. The DBCA campsite is basic. The place is extraordinary.
Cost: $14 AUD per night
12. Willie Creek Pearl Farm area, north of Broome
Not a formal campsite but the tracks north of Broome toward Willie Creek offer beach camping of the highest order — red pindan cliffs, turquoise water, nobody else for kilometres.
Tip: Check tides before driving on beach sections — the tidal range here is enormous (up to 9 metres) and vehicles get stranded regularly.