Carnarvon National Park is on Bidjara and Nuri Country. I acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of this area and their connection to Country, and pay my respects to their Elders past and present.
Carnarvon National Park is a spectacular spot in Central Queensland.
While the main Carnarvon Gorge is deservedly popular, other parts of Carnarvon National Park see far fewer visitors. If you want to venture well off the beaten track into the wider region, my detailed Sandstone Belt guide outlines the surrounding country and national parks.
I suggest you make the trek out to the Mount Moffatt section specifically and setting up camp for a few days. After our first, super rushed trip to Mount Moffatt in 2014, we’ve returned since to give us a bit more time in the park and explore—you can read my full Guide to Exploring Mount Moffatt for all the walking tracks and sights.
BUSH CAMPING AT MOUNT MOFFATT
Camping at Mount Moffatt is a bit like camping at Expedition National Park: It’s basic, self-sufficient camping, and you’re lucky if you ever meet a ranger. While you can tow an off-road caravan or camper trailer to two of the camping areas, you will need a high-clearance 4WD vehicle to access the park in general.
With the closest town being at least four hours away (Injune: ~4-5 hours; Mitchell: ~6-7 hours), I’d definitely recommend camping in the national park, and not just going there as a day trip.
Like with any bush camping, make sure you’ve got sufficient food supplies, including water, and fuel when you come to Mount Moffatt. You can easily clock up some 200km driving around the park on top of the driving distance back out to Injune or Mitchell.
BEST TIME TO CAMP
Since Mount Moffatt located in Central Queensland, it gets very hot during the summer so avoid November to March. The best time to come is May to September, though be prepared for temperatures to drop to 0°C (or below) at night during June/July.
If you’re flexible, avoid school holidays and you’ll hardly meet a soul. At times when we’ve gone in mid-June, we’ve seen about three cars throughout the whole park. At another time—also during the July school holidays—it was much busier but I can’t say it was busy busy.
WATER ACCESS
All camping areas have water taps but don’t rely on water being available. It’s tank water and the tanks may or may not be full. They’ve always been full when we’ve camped there but you never know. Best to be prepared.
In any case, you’ll want to boil it before drinking it. Or just use it for things like washing your hands or the dishes.
Remember to use any tank water sparingly. This part of Queensland is often in drought so keep that in mind in your water tank usage.
MOUNT MOFFATT CAMPING AREAS
You’ve got the choice of four camping areas at Mount Moffatt.
Dargonelly Rock Hole and West Branch camping areas are the two larger spots, while Rotary Shelter Shed and Top Moffatt are fairly small.
| Campground | Best For… | Suitability | Toilets | Site Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Main Circuit Road Access | ||||
| Dargonelly Rock Hole | Central access; most popular spot with open, sunny creek-side flats. | Off-road caravans, trailers and tents | Hybrid & drop | Large, open (~30 people) |
| West Branch | Shady car camping and through-hikers; plenty of trees and space. | Off-road caravans, trailers and tents | Hybrid | Very large area (~30 people) |
| High Country & Remote Tracks | ||||
| Rotary Shelter Shed | Escarpment views; highly exposed and uneven high-country site. | Tents and small camper trailers | Drop | Small, compact (3 sites) |
| Top Moffatt | Pure isolation; compact valley site in a deep frost hollow. | Off-road camper trailers and tents | Drop | Small, compact (3-4 sites) |
Note: High-clearance 4WD vehicles are required for all camping areas; domestic pets are strictly prohibited inside the park.
Remember that you’ll need to pre-book your campsite even though that’s a total pain out here. There’s very limited to no mobile reception in the park.
Camp responsibly: Remember to take your rubbish with you, don’t collect firewood in the national park, and always leave no trace during your stay.
ROTARY SHELTER SHED
Rotary Shelter Shed Camping Area At a Glance
Pros: Beautiful views (and sunsets) over the Carnarvon escarpment and ranges; vehicle-based camping; remote bush camp setting
Cons: Sites are a bit uneven; can be very cold in winter (I really can’t think of much, I love this spot so much!)
Costs: $7.50 pp/pn (2026); Pre-booking required via the QNP Booking System
Back in the early days, we simply rocked up at Mount Moffatt and decided that Rotary Shelter Shed looked fantastic. Sprawling views over Carnarvon National Park and only one other couple in a camper trailer in the same camping area.
And because I loved it so much, we’ve returned to the same spot again.
The Rotary Shelter Shed campsite is on the High Country Drive track, and the furthest into the park (30km from the entrance) of the four camping areas.
This road also goes out to the Head of Carnarvon Creek and often gets closed due to weather. It can get very wet and muddy around here, and the rangers might lock the gate at the start of the High Country Drive.
One year we got rained out and by the next morning, the road had turned into an ankle-deep mud track. At the same time a few years later, it was totally fine.
There is a water tap at Rotary Shelter Shed but be aware that the tap is located pretty close to the ground. This makes filling up any container or bottle a bit of a challenge. We really only used it to wash our hands and the dishes.
There aren’t any clearly defined sites at Rotary Shelter Shed but you can kind of make out the three, small, flatish spots that are used for camping.
Of the four campgrounds, it’s the most uneven camping area so if you’ve got a large setup, choose one of the other areas. Caravans are definitely not recommended for this camping area.
Being at elevation (about 1,000m above sea level), camping here in winter can be a cold affair (around 0°C and less) so make sure you’ve got some warm woollies to keep you toasty on the rather fresh nights and mornings.
Out here, it’s all about self-sufficient bush camping without any real facilities but at least you have a drop toilet and won’t need to dig a hole to bury your waste.
TOP MOFFATT
Top Moffatt Camping Area At a Glance
Pros: Vehicle-based camping in a grassy area; isolated bush camp setting; water tap (tank water only)
Cons: No views as such; can be very cold in winter due to elevation; long drive to campground (away from the main loop drive)
Costs: $7.50 pp/pn (2026); Pre-booking required via the QNP Booking System
We’ve only stayed at Top Moffatt for one night once, and it was freezing. Absolutely freezing.
It’s actually a really pleasant spot but I was disappointed when we first got there. There are no views to speak of and we’d left our site at the beautiful Rotary Shelter Shed behind to come here. Somehow in my mind, I thought we’d have views of something – I mean, it’s called Top Moffatt, right?
You are camped at the base of Mount Moffatt but you can’t really see the mountain from the campsite. You can only glimpse it on your way into the campground.
Top Moffatt is at the end of a side-track, some 15km off the main Mount Moffatt Circuit Drive. There are a couple of creek crossings along the road but both were very shallow in June and no problem for any high-clearance 4WD.
There’s a creek on one side of the campground that we scrambled around for a bit, and a track to an old homestead but on the whole, there isn’t much to explore here. It’s more about relaxing in the bush.
WEST BRANCH CAMPING AREA
West Branch Camping Area At a Glance
Pros: Vehicle-based camping in a large grassy, shady area; bush setting; hybrid toilets; plenty of water taps (tank water only); a short walk nearby (3km circuit); suitable for larger setups
Cons: Away from the main loop drive (though that might be an advantage); might be noisy if busy
Costs: $7.50 pp/pn (2026); Pre-booking required via the QNP Booking System
If I had to choose one of the larger camping areas, I’d probably go for West Branch but only because it’s a bit more isolated. If Dargonelly Rock Hole wasn’t too busy, I’d go there.
It’s a large open-ish area close to the west branch of the Maranoa River, and also serves as one of the camping spots (and as an alternative entry/exit point) on the Carnarvon Great Walk.
You can do the short Maranoa Circuit Walk (via a cool swing bridge) from here. Every time we’ve been, the campground tends to be fairly empty, even during the winter school holidays. So you shouldn’t have any issues finding a quiet spot.
DARGONELLY ROCK HOLE
Dargonelly Rock Hole Camping Area At a Glance
Pros: Vehicle-based camping in a grassy, open area; clean hybrid toilets; water taps (tank water only); pretty creek setting; suitable for larger camping setups; close to some walks and attractions
Cons: Can get busy; no dedicated sites in a smallish area
Costs: $7.50 pp/pn (2026); Pre-booking required via the QNP Booking System
Of the four camping areas at Mount Moffatt, Dargonelly Rock Hole is usually the busiest.
It’s easily accessible, just off the main Mount Moffat Circuit Road and only 10km from the park’s entrance. It’s beautifully situated on Marlong Creek.
There are two toilets here, one hybrid, the other an older drop toilet. I found both to be very clean.
This camping area’s got plenty of shade but also some sunny spots if you come in the middle of winter and actually want to soak up some sun. Overall, it seems to be a very flat area and it definitely suits larger setups—there tend to be a few every time.
Marlong Creek and the permanent rock hole is quite pretty, and you can spend a good little while just scrambling around exploring.
SO, READY TO CHOOSE YOUR CAMPSITE?
With four camping areas available, you’ve got some choices to make here. Top Moffatt and Rotary Shelter Shed are furthest so if you’re pressed for time. If you have a bigger setup or caravan, choose West Branch or Dargonelly Rock Hole.
They’re all pretty nice, and I’m sure you’ll have a great time.
Keen for more? Read my comprehensive Guide to exploring Mount Moffatt to find all the info on walking tracks, 4WD scenic driving and historic sights to fill your days.
Happy camping,
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1 Comment
Des
21 September 2020 at 9:43 PMThis blog is without doubt, the most accurate, well-written and most useful info on Carnarvon NP I have yet found on the web, so thankyou.
We have just returned from a 2 wk trip to this area: visitingt Nuga Nuga NP, Carnarvon Gorge (Takarakka), and Mt Moffatt (West Branch Camp ground). Takarakka was as expected; a bit crowded, touristy and expensive, and not without a few hiccups. But the Gorge made up for that and justified the revisit after 25 years. However, after many visits to all other sections of Carnarvon NP over the last 30+ years, we have finally made it to Mt Moffatt which is absolutely special if somewhat less spectacular than the more well-known Carnarvon Gorge.
We glamped it in a well built off-road caravan, but thanks to my brief recon trip in Nov last year, we were well prepared for this trip & thus didn’t experience any problems of note. I learnt from my recon trip that fuel capacity was more of an issue than water. I carried less water to save weight (because I knew I could get good water at West Branch), and I carried more fuel. Friends came in a few days later to stay with us this trip also with a caravan but built with sealed roads in mind, & it suffered some structural damage getting there. We chalked up an extra 200km inside the park over 4-5 days seeing and re-visiting the sights. Then we had to get back out to either Injune or in our case Mitchell, to refuel and continue home; hence the extra fuel.
There were plenty of other campers coming throughout our extended 6 night stay at West Branch – we outlasted them all. Some arrived in camper trailers, plus a consistent half-dozen or so to boost numbers each evening, on foot from the Great Walk; but the campground never felt crowded.
The highlights for us were: the Mahogany Forrest – reminiscent of the Bunya Mtns (same-same, but different!) but in an arid part of Qld; Marlong Plain; and, seeing a squirrel glider possum in flight above our campfire while sipping wine one evening! The longer stay allowed us to see more of these little gems each day.
Mt Moffatt is a special place, and is at the top of our list of National Parks in Qld. We expect be visiting more over the next few years, and re-visiting many.