8 Places to Camp Beside the Murray in the Riverland
Free grassy reserves, national park creek camps and lagoon-side sites — fall asleep to the river
Camping is the Riverland's native art form: pick a red gum, back the van in, and let the river set the schedule. The region offers everything from free seven-day council reserves to bookable national park sites deep in the Katarapko floodplain — and for the no-tent version, there is always a houseboat. These eight camps all put the water within earshot; for day-trip alternatives see our picnic and riverfront spots.
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1
WaikerieRamco Point
Free, grassy and five minutes from Waikerie — shaded sites on a wide slow bend, with a boat ramp and toilets at the Apex park next door.
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2
BerriKatarapko (Murray River National Park)
Dozens of bookable creek and riverside sites across the Katarapko floodplain — the classic Riverland red-gum camp.
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3
BerriLyrup Flats, Murray River National Park
Floodplain camping among big gums and backwaters near the Lyrup ferry — kangaroos at dusk, birds at dawn.
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4
BerriMartins Bend Reserve
Berri's riverside camping reserve, minutes from town — easy sites, river frontage and sunset water-ski traffic for entertainment.
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5
WaikerieHolder Bend Reserve
A quiet free reserve on a beautiful reach near Waikerie, for campers who measure success in herons per hour.
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6
RenmarkChowilla Game Reserve
Remote sites up the anabranch country beyond Renmark — the wildest camping in the region, and the darkest skies.
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7
LoxtonMoorook Game Reserve
Lagoon-side camping on Wachtels Lagoon's floodplain — pelicans, swans and black box woodland between Barmera and Loxton.
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8
LoxtonLock 4 Bookpurnong
Camp the Lock 4 section of Katarapko near Booky Cliffs, with the lock's picnic area and boat ramp close by.
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Book national park sites ahead in school holidays, carry water and firewood, and check access roads after rain — floodplain tracks close fast. Then do the important thing: nothing, slowly, by the river.
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Image credits
- Sunrise, camping on Murray River Beach.jpg by Dancar79 , CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons