Bunya Mountains National Park is on Aboriginal land. I acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of this area and their connection to Country, and pay my respects to their Elders past and present.
Bunya Mountains National Park isn’t the biggest national park you’ll ever come across but it’s close enough to Brisbane for a relaxing camping weekend away.
Surrounded by flatlands in the South Burnett area, the Bunya Mountains rise some 1,100m above sea level, offering some pretty nice views into the surrounding countryside.
There’s enough hiking to keep things interesting for a couple of days. Or if you’re feeling lazy, you could spot a wallaby or read a good book.
BUNYA MOUNTAINS CAMPING OPTIONS
Camping at Bunya Mountains is definitely popular but since the national park offers three campgrounds for pitching your tent, you’ve got decisions to make. If you want creature comforts or almost glamping, Dandabah is going to be your best option. Otherwise, choose either Burtons Well or Westcott camping area.
In any case, remember that you’ll need to pre-book your site, and especially for long weekends or school holidays, you’ll want to do that well in advance. It does get busy around here.
OPTION 1: DANDABAH CAMPING AREA
Dandabah is the largest camping area at Bunya Mountains and set up for about 70 people. When it’s full, like it tends to be over long weekends, it can feel quite busy.
Dandabah is an open, grassy area that’s more or less in the heart of the tiny settlement by the same name. There are no designated campsites, everybody basically camps in a circle, which I found a bit weird. It’s like you’re staring at each other.
The whole campground is sloped so you want to try and get yourself a site on the top section of the campground as that’s much flatter.
We scored a site at the far end towards the picnic shelter and close to the ranger’s hut but unfortunately, on the down slope. Lots of mucking around with the tent until I was happy with where it was. This still meant that we were sleeping somewhat on a slope but it was manageable.
Dandabah is a family destination so while there was a lot of noise from children early in the morning, it also meant everybody went to bed at a reasonable hour. I approve. 🙂
As the Bunya Mountains are at a higher elevation, expect cooler temperatures. In early April, it wasn’t cold but I was glad I had my fleece jacket for the evenings (especially since we always end up cooking really late).
Not being exactly off the beaten track means that you don’t need to bring your camping toilet. There are facilities at all three camping areas. Dandabah has flush toilets and even hot showers!
Unlike at most camping areas in Queensland’s national parks, there are rubbish bins at Dandabah (just outside the camping area).
DANDABAH CAMPING AREA AT A GLANCE
PROS: Easily accessible; clean, flush toilets and hot showers; family-friendly; soft grass makes for comfy camping; wildlife everywhere; close to the Eastern walking tracks; vehicle-based camping
CONS: No designated campsites but an open area set up in a circle and with no privacy; almost no shade; lots of traffic going past (daytrippers visiting the cafe, picnic areas and walks); fairly busy over long weekends (but not too off-putting); no picnic tables in the camping area
COST: $7.25 pp/pn (2025); pre-bookings only
PERSONAL ENJOYMENT RATING: 3/5
Be aware that the area is known for ticks but in April we didn’t have any trouble with them. Talk to the rangers if you have any concerns.
OPTION 2: WESTCOTT CAMPING AREA
If Dandabah is too big for you, you could camp at Westcott camping area (set up for about 30 people).
Westcott is just as grassy and perfect for tent camping, though you won’t be able to camp right next to your vehicle in most cases.
It’s sort of a smaller version of Dandabah and there are no designated or individual sites either. The camping area is surrounded by forest on two sides.
It’s on the western side of the Bunya Mountains and you’re close to the western walking tracks there.
There’s hybrid toilets at Westcott and (non-potable) water but no showers. Unlike Dandabah, there no rubbish bins at Westcott.
WESTCOTT CAMPING AREA AT A GLANCE
PROS: Easily accessible; clean, hybrid toilets; soft grass makes for comfy camping; smaller camping area with a bit more privacy and shade; close to the Western walking tracks; less passing traffic
CONS: No designated campsites; no vehicle-based camping; no showers
COST: $7.25 pp/pn (2025); pre-bookings only
OPTION 3: BURTONS WELL CAMPING AREA
The Burtons Well camping area is bigger (set up for about 50 people) and with more trees, barbeques and some fire rings.
It also extremely sloped so you’d need to scout out a suitable site. You might be able to get some views from your campsite here but with the sloping, I reckon it’s a bit trickier finding a good spot, especially if it’s busy.
Like Westcott, Burtons Well camping area doesn’t offer vehicle-based camping (in the same site) either, which I always find to be a bit of a pain with the camping fridge etc. in the car.
On the other hand, there are some picnic tables and you may be able to set up your tent close enough to make use of it.
There is a cold shower cubicle at Burtons Well, and you can use with a own hot shower system if you have one (apparently you can also heat water in the boiler provided but it’s always been out of action when we’ve been there). There are composting/hybrid toilets.
You don’t have direct access to any walking tracks at Burtons Well so will need to drive if you want to do any hiking. That said, you also don’t have a lot of passing traffic so it can potentially be a much quieter site.
BURTONS WELL CAMPING AREA AT A GLANCE
PROS: Easily accessible; clean, hybrid toilets; a bit more privacy; a few trees offer shade; less passing traffic; some terrific views into the surrounding farmland; some picnic tables
CONS: No designated campsites; very slopey camping area (on the whole); no vehicle-based camping; DIY showers only
COST: $7.25 pp/pn (2025); pre-bookings only
Like Westcott, there are no rubbish bins at Burtons Well so practise responsible camping.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Each of the camping areas has their benefits. At Dandabah you’re nice and close to all the action, including the cafe, market (when it’s on) and walking tracks. At Burtons Well and Westcott you can potentially have more privacy and will see far fewer day-trippers.
Burtons Well also offers some beautiful views into the flatlands towards the east. It would probably be my preference.
But no matter where you camp, enjoy your adventure!
Happy camping,
MORE INFORMATION
For more information on camping options, facilities and how to book online, check out Queensland Parks & Wildlife Service.
MORE POSTS ON CAMPING IN SOUTHEAST QUEENSLAND
If you want to stay within the Southeast, there are plenty of great national park camping spots within 2-3 hours of Brisbane.
The Gold Coast Hinterland is full of amazing national parks complete with mountain ranges, waterfalls and a ton of hikes. Here’s my guide to camping at Springbrook National Park.
Further afield, Girraween National Park offers some fabulous hiking and camping opportunities. Read more about camping at Girraween.
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2 Comments
Gary
10 August 2023 at 10:31 PMHow far in advance do I need to book this time of the year? I’m leaving tomorrow ( Friday the 11th). Will I strike a problem? Should I be looking at somewhere different???
Kati
11 August 2023 at 8:27 AMHi Gary,
I think you’ll just need to check if any campsites are available (https://qpws.usedirect.com/QPWS/) but I wouldn’t expect things to be booked out at this time of the year. Have a fun time!