Bald Rock National Park is on the boundary of Jukambal, Bundgalung and Kamilleroi Country. I acknowledge the Traditional Custodians who met and continue to meet in this area and their connection to Country. I pay my respects to their Elders past and present.
Bald Rock National Park, about 30km north of Tenterfield, is essentially the same area as Girraween National Park but on the New South Wales side.
It is also just as easily accessed in a standard 2WD vehicle. And while these two parks are adjacent, to visit both, you’ll need to do a round trip of around 60km.
Compared to Girraween, there aren’t as many walking tracks at Bald Rock National Park but it’s this side of the park where you’ll find the popular Bald Rock Summit walk, which you can easily start from the camping area here.
CAMPING AT BALD ROCK
We camped at Bald Rock for three nights in late December / early January one year, and I can’t say I got bored.
At that time of year, I expected this area to be stinking hot—as Girraween is known to be boiling at this time—but it was pleasantly cool. In fact, it was so cool that I took my fleece jacket out a couple of times.
The average temperature in summer tends to be around 25°C to 28°C, and unless you’re summiting Bald Rock, you should be quite comfortable here. In winter, it can get a bit chilly so be prepared for cooler temperatures, even down to freezing.
BALD ROCK CAMPGROUND
Bald Rock Campground At a Glance
Pros: Easily accessible (2WD); bush setting; walks within easy distance from the campground; clean, hybrid compost toilets; vehicle-based camping and a few sites suitable for camper trailers or caravans; most sites have shady areas; BBQ shelter; most sites have picnic tables
Cons: The cost; no real views of anything other than tall trees (actually peaceful); can be a bit echo-y given the forest setting; sharp gravel/pebble base on each site
Costs: $24 per night/per site (2026) + $8 parks entry fee per day; pre-bookings only
Unlike the Girraween camping area, which has three reasonably large campgrounds, the camping area at Bald Rock is small and restricted to 13 well-marked campsites. There’s relatively little privacy but it’s shady and has a pleasant forest feel.
Like pretty much all camping in NSW national parks, camping at Bald Rock is by pre-booking only.
Be aware that all campsites have fairly sharp gravel/pebble bases, and while that didn’t bother us too much with our sturdy canvas tent, less robust, plastic tents may not fare as well. Bring a tarp to put under your tent if you’re concerned (no tent pads here).
Camping in New South Wales doesn’t come cheap anymore and at Bald Rock you’re forking out $24 per site per night now. It’s rather steep when you consider that there are no showers and only composting toilets.
Keep in mind that in addition to camping fees, you’ll also need to pay a daily parks entry fee at Bald Rock ($8 per day) unless you’ve organised an annual NSW parks pass.
That said, there’s a picnic table on each site, always a luxury when you’re not used to having one in Queensland.
There’s a couple of water taps that draw water from a rainwater tank. Like in other national parks, boil or treat the water first. We only used it for cooking or washing up as we had our own drinking water.
We camped here right next to campground entrance—surrounded by trees on three sides, which gave us a semblance of privacy (even though everyone had to drive past us).
Over the three nights, the campground wasn’t even full, which mostly meant peace and quiet, except for one afternoon where a guy was annoyingly buzzing a drone directly above the trees in the campground.
In summer, there’s a steady stream of day visitors but fortunately, the day use area and car park aren’t that close to the campground so you won’t really hear them too much.
READY TO HEAD TO BALD ROCK?
While you don’t necessarily want to spend two weeks at Bald Rock, it’s a pleasant spot for a few nights so you can explore the hiking trails. Being surrounded by tall trees can make noise a bit echo-y at times so avoid school holidays if you want peace and quiet.
If you’re looking for more inspiration in the region, check out my guide to the best national park camping areas in South East Queensland and Northern NSW.
Happy camping,
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