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
BerriMartin 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
Loxton
Moorook 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.
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