Our favourite spots on Australia’s East coast
Our Top 15 Spots
After months of deliberating about our east coast trip we have finally come up with our top 15 places that are must sees. It started with top 5, top 10 and eventually top 15 because we are so indecisive and loved way too many places on the East coast. These are in no particular order (just in order of state) and we have based the ranking system on either the aesthetics/vibes of the place itself, the location of the campgrounds, surf, things to do etc. etc. All these places were beautiful for different reasons so we wanted to give you all a general idea for any adventurers out there ready to take on the east coast. We love giving advice that we ourselves would’ve wanted so we hope this is helpful to you!
Wilsons Promontory (VIC)
Wilsons promontory to us is Victoria’s Whitsunday equivalent. With an abundance of hikes, untouched land and beach camping its hard not to fall in love with this place immediately. For us the highlight of Wilsons Prom is the 60 km lighthouse loop hike that takes about 5 days. Fair warning this is a strenuous hike especially in the heat, so you want to make sure you’re prepared with enough food, water and water treating tablets. Permits for the hikes are about 8 bucks PP a night, but so worth it (as only a certain amount of people are allowed on the hike at a time).
If hikes aren’t your thing though then tidal river is a great place to laze in the water and soak up the sun. There is also beautiful camping right near the beach and river which we have enjoyed many times, the only downfall being is it’s 60 dollars a night (these rates are not per person so we recommend bringing lots of people to split the cost if you can). It’s not somewhere you can afford to stay for weeks, but worth the price for how picturesque it is. Think rocky mountains surrounding you on crystal blue beaches (the chance of some surf) and ridiculous sunsets/sunrises.
Wilson’s prom is the southern most point of Aus., so timing is VERY important. It is freezing from about May-October and only starts warming up in November, and then December-Jan are booked out a year in advance (not for hikes though). We’d recommend Feb-April, as its still nice and warm and less crowded.
Malacoota (VIC)
Malacoota was our first stop coming out of Melbourne, and it’s the sweetest little sleepy fishing town. We especially loved this place for the campground; you are parked literally on the waters edge with sunrise views to die for. However the $40 a night is a bit expensive, so one night there was enough for us. It is a great spot to stop if you’re doing the Melb>Syd leg, with lots of surf, sun and fishing if that’s your thing! It’s a really nice place to spend a day or two exploring beaches, surfing and whale watching.
Tathra (NSW)
A hidden gem on the sapphire coast. There are a variety of little hidden campsites down dirt tracks that are just unreal. Here you’ll find spots right on the water that you’ll share with lots of kangaroos and goanna’s. Guaranteed you’ll have your own deserted beach for the week with good surf and plenty of dolphin friends. We spent a very long time here that’s for sure! Its about $12 pp. per night with no vehicle fee because you cant actually camp with your vehicle (well at least not at the one we went to). This place is definitely worth the money you pay, because the campground is the main draw of the place, and its lots of fun to search for them!
Narooma (NSW)
A sleepy little town on the south coast of New South Whales. Nothing but clear blue waters (full of seals), hidden little camp spots surrounded by hills, rocky overhangs and bush land. We can never resist a little stop in on the way up or down the coast. We tend to park ourselves down a secluded dead end road that has the most glorious 360-degree view of ocean and landscape. It’s a perfect place to paddle board/ kayak, swim and enjoy the serenity and a nice place to get some work done, read a good book or do some art. We tend to free camp around this little beauty, there’s a couple of free camps nearby and we jump between all of them. All in all, a fabulous place to spend a couple of days in the serenity and save the dollars also!
Nelsons Bay (NSW)
This place is purely location, location, location! Nelsons bay is one of the suburbs of Port Stephens just north of Newcastle. There is an abundance of beaches to explore in this area and the Tomaree national park for a hike has to be put on the to do list. There is limited camping however, unless you’re willing to fork out for a caravan park which we usually don’t like doing. If you can find a way to stay there/can afford it then we highly recommend doing so, it’s got a great vibe and the whole Port Stephens region is definitely worth exploring.
Seal Rocks/Booti Booti National park (NSW)
We incorporated these two into one as they somewhat link together and are in the same region (we found ourselves jumping between them a lot).
So first, the cutest little national park named Booti Booti which is 8km of peninsula between the ocean and the river. On our way up we stayed there for a while and then stopped again on the way back. It’s like the tropics in NSW with palm tree rainforests spanning for days, we found it to be a super underrated place. There’s a lot to keep you occupied here and we recommend exploring it all for yourself but here’s a little list of a few places we loved there:
Elizabeth beach: to spend the day, you are pretty much parked on the sand here
The sailing club: great picnic spot right on the lake
Boomerang beach: great for surfing and spotting pods of dolphins doing the same
The national parks for camping (note the rangers are quite strict here)
Booti booti hill walking track: absolutely amazing and gives you all the best bits of the area
Then there is Seal rocks (very close to Booti Booti) just a bit of a drive off the highway but worth visiting. When you drive in you feel like you’re in a cute little holiday village. The caravan park is surrounded by rolling hills and overlooks the whole beach, its 100% worth it and it would probably have to be the only caravan park we didn’t dislike. If you love sunsets, this is your place!
Crescent head (NSW)
A little town off the map in the mid-north coast (Liam’s favourite). Our first impression was palm trees, the best long boarding waves we’d seen the whole trip and tonnes of Vanners. This is a great place to spend the whole day parked up at the beach, surfing, eating, paddle boarding and then walking to the top of the hill at sunset for a perfect 360-degree view picnic and a bit of whale spotting if you’re lucky. The caravan park there is ON the surf beach, you’ll roll out of bed and be in the water, what could be better! We didn’t mind paying for that one because of the location, but if you head out a little to Point Plomer there are some cheap camps that are worth the couple of bucks. Couldn’t recommend this place enough, stay here for a few days at the least!
Minnie Water (NSW)
Imagine huge white sand dunes, untouched beaches, wildlife and uncrowded waves at your doorstep and then jumping in your vehicle and cruising onto the sand and down to another beach. These are some of the reasons that make Minnie water a hidden gem, its a tiny little place south of Yamba with no reception, no shops but plenty of life. There’s a couple of cheap campgrounds on the beach down there, and a must do is getting up for sunrise and sliding down those sand dunes.
North Stradbroke Island (QLD)
Located in southeast QLD, just a short ferry ride away and totally worth the money! The aboriginal Quandamooka people inhabit the island and run the park, and it is just so beautiful and historic and it made us so happy to see. There are lots of places to camp, depending on whether you like surf, family friendly activities or more rural spots, its up to you! There’s so many walks and hikes and beautiful beaches to explore that I’d give yourself 4-5 days to really take it in. If you like wildlife then this place is for you, we swam with dolphins, watched lots of koalas everyday and witnessed enormous whales breaching in the water as we surfed, (one of the most surreal experiences of our life). You wont be disappointed by this little magical island!
Noosa North Shore (QLD)
I know when you think of Noosa you think busy, ritzy surf village, but if you venture over towards Tewantin and drive onto the cable ferry you’ll find yourself in a very different part of Noosa. We stayed at a campsite that had us parked on the sand, with the ocean pretty much lapping out our doorstep. There’s not much over there so try to bring all your food and water, but if you have all that then settle into a nice week long stay there; it’s paradise!
Inskip (QLD)
Inskip is situated on the point opposite Fraser Island. It’s a fair way off the main highway, right near the great sandy national park. There is an abundance of campgrounds there that are all on the beach (literally on the sand) this place is ridiculously beautiful, quiet and peaceful. Make sure you’re well prepared to spend a couple of days here too.
Agnes Water QLD
Our favourite spot between the Sunshine Coast and the Whitsundays. This place is well worth the trek off the highway. The campground there is the most unreal place, like staying in a jungle paradise with your own private beaches (and surf at your doorstep if you’re lucky). This is the last place up north that you can surf (and just before you hit stingers and crocs). We treasured this place on our way up and the way back as well, definitely spent a lot of time enjoying what this little slice of paradise had to offer.
Whitsundays (Airlie Beach) QLD
We know that when we thought of the Whitsundays, we just imagined the huge amounts of cash involved in enjoying it. And yes seeing the reef, doing activities and travelling to the islands may be a little bit expensive, but its one thing you’d actually want to save your pennies for on the trip. If you look past all the tourism behind it, it’s the most beautiful and dreamlike place in the world and you’ll kick yourself if you don’t experience some of it. Be smart and try to snag discounts on boat trips through last minute bookings, or kayak to little islands and camp. We were lucky that we had a friend on Hamilton Island, who opened her doors for us, and we had lots of family and friends come to split the costs of things. We spent 3 weeks here! And honestly we could’ve spent more time (we just didn’t have the money) we had a few sneaky little camping areas in Airlie beach that we spent most of our time, and we managed to enjoy so much of this place away from the huge touristy areas.
Mission Beach QLD
A tiny little town south of Cairns in the cassowary coast region. We spent 7 days here because we loved where we were staying so much. We were right on the water and it was so incredibly cheap for what you got, we just loved it so much. Would recommend going mid year though, by the time we were there in October it was getting very steamy and sleeping in Bilby became an issue. There are lots of hikes and activities to do and you’re also incredibly close to the reef here where tours run daily. Honestly we spent more consecutive days here in a row without moving Bilby than anywhere else on our trip. It’s a little tropical paradise with the coolest vibes and we were very glad we stopped there.
Cape tribulation QLD
This was the northern most point we ventured too on our east coast trip. It takes a bit of effort to get here but is definitely a place that should be on your bucket list. It’s in the midst of the Daintree rainforest and is pretty spectacular. Cape Tribulation combines crystal blue ocean and rainforest that come together to create this little paradise fairytale village. It is a very very quiet place and there’s not a huge amount to do without lots of money, but absolutely worth staying in the campground on the water there. We loved sleeping under the canopy for a couple of nights and enjoying so many nice walks, lots of wildlife (some not so friendly) and the serenity of the rainforest.
