The best camping spots in Yamba

From spectacular sites with million-dollar ocean or river views to places to pull up your posh motorhome, here are our picks of the top camping spots in Yamba.

Whether you’re a camping newbie or hard-core about sleeping under canvas, there’s a campsite near Yamba to suit. Choose between old-school camping grounds, sites for RVs, up-to-the-minute glamping grounds, or holiday parks where as much time as possible is devoted to bouncing on giant pillows or wading around water parks. There are also parks that are well placed to provide visitors with easy access to the top things to do in Yamba – from fishing to surfing, bush walks and beach hangs. Here are 10 of the best spots to go camping in and around Yamba.

1. Blue Dolphin Holiday Resort

It’s a beautiful thing to have a mess of different families come together in communal spaces where they instantly have something in common. The Blue Dolphin Holiday Resort is like a cruise ship that has run aground and it’s all action stations with go-karts, arcade games, water parks and yes, even wi-fi. The park, which is just minutes from the heart of Yamba, has cabins and villas as well as sites for tents and RVs.

The resort is like a cruise ship that has run aground and it’s all action stations. (Image: Blue Dolphin Holiday Resort)

2. Big4 Saltwater Yamba Holiday Park

Comfort is key at the Big4 Saltwater Yamba Holiday Park, where the appeal lies in a kind of collective commitment to family fun and relaxation. Cue a soundtrack of children squealing as you walk around the perimeter of the park, which has a jumping pillow, pump track, flying fox, pedal carts and movie room. The camping ground has campsites for tents and RVs, as well as cabins that are dog friendly.

3. Calypso Holiday Park Yamba

Arrive at the Calypso Holiday Park Yamba in the early afternoon and you will find a nostalgic scene that is reminiscent of all our childhood memories smooshed into one. There’s a chessboard of figures moving slowly around the park: a father lifting his son onto a swing, a young family shuffling back from the beach and a salty-haired grom cooking snags on the BBQ. Pitch a tent, park your RV or rent a cabin.

Find a nostalgic scene that is reminiscent of all your childhood memories at Calypso Holiday Park Yamba. (Image: Destination NSW)

4. Fishing Haven Holiday Park

This popular holiday park draws repeat visitors who spend the year yearning for their annual holiday in Yamba. Located on Palmers Island, just minutes from Yamba, the holiday park on the Clarence River is for active families who like to fish, spot wildlife, kayak and swim. There are powered and unpowered sites, new river-view cabins as well as space for RVs. The park has kayaks and boats for hire.

This holiday park on the Clarence River is for active families who like to fish, spot wildlife, kayak and swim. (Image: Destination NSW)

5. Minnie Water Holiday Park

Fans of retro family holidays will love Minnie Water Holiday Park, which is a popular stop-over for adventurers on the Yuraygir Coastal Walk, one of the best things to do in Yamba. The holiday park is like a small village furnished with cabins, vans and camper sites in quiet, natural surrounds. The pet-friendly park has a tennis court, pool and open campfires and is located near beaches and bushland.

Minnie Water Holiday Park is a popular stop-over for adventurers. (Image: Minnie Water Holiday Park)

6. Higher Ground Retreat in Bundjalung State Conservation Area

Romantics will thrill at glamping in fancy vintage-styled tents under giant star-studded night skies at Higher Ground Retreat in Bundjalung State Conservation Area. The tents are furnished with a comfortable double bed and the option of a single and glamping guests also have the option to attend yoga classes. The 60-hectare property is a working permaculture farm located 25 minutes from Yamba.

The 60-hectare property is a working permaculture farm. (Image: Higher Ground Permaculture)

7. Anchorage Holiday Park

The grounds at Anchorage Holiday Park are impeccably maintained, which is why it remains on the list of the Top Parks of Australia. Positioned on the North Arm, near the Clarence River, just a 30-minute drive from Yamba, the park is full of parents who come here with one single purpose: to keep the family tight. And the park provides the means to do that each day with a dedicated social calendar of fun activities.

Many holiday parks in Yamba are graced with a view of the Clarence River. (Image: Destination NSW)

8. Sandon River Campground

The Sandon River campground is sandwiched between the Sandon River on one side and the protected ocean on the other. As well as offering caravan sites, this lesser-known campground within Yuraygir National Park has picnic tables, barbecue facilities, a boat ramp and toilets. Find out about the remote campground’s rich Indigenous heritage from the informative panels positioned around the campground.

This lesser-known campground within Yuraygir National Park has everything you need. (Image: Destination NSW)

9. Pebbly Beach campground

Those setting off on the multi-day Yuraygir Coastal Walk will need somewhere to rest their head along the way. Stop overnight at Pebbly Beach Campground at the end of day one and you will be able to carve off and wander along the Freshwater Walk where you will find towering pandanus palms that the local Gumbaynggirr people used to weave neckbands, dillybags and baskets.

Those setting off on the multi-day Yuraygir Coastal Walk will need somewhere to rest their head along the way. (Image: Destination NSW)

10. Secret Lake Retreat

This family-run lakefront campground has communal fire pits fashioned out of old truck rims, complimentary kayaks and bushwalking trails that lead off into woodland. The facilities are clean and new and, although the site feels really remote, it’s just 10 minutes from the general store in nearby Lawrence. The park, just 20 clicks from Yamba, has a swimming platform moored in the lake.

This family-run lakefront campground has bushwalking trails that lead off into woodland. (Image: Secret Lake Retreat)