Camping near Perth: free campsites, beaches and holiday parks

If waking up to the sound of birdsong and watching the sun rise over a tranquil landscape, freshly brewed coffee in your hand, sounds like your idea of heaven, consider including free camping on your Perth motorhome road trip itinerary.

Free camping is as great as it sounds – designated places you can legally stay overnight without cost. These are usually in nature away from the bustle of a city, although sometimes it may be at a rest stop area to break a long drive. Free to stay in Western Australia’s gorgeous beachside locations, serene forests, and riverside? It’s not too good to be true!

Free camping is also known as wild camping or freedom camping, Western Australia has over 1,000 designated sites where you can stay in your fully self-contained Star RV home-away-from-home without spending a cent. It’s not a free-for-all; many national parks around Perth (and Western Australia) don’t have free camping options. However, following this useful guide can stretch your travel budget remarkably well.

Staying in a fully self-contained vehicle with everything you need to be self-sufficient (including a toilet) and leave nothing behind is a key rule at most free camping sites. As all Star RV motorhome hires in Australia are self-contained, you can stay at free camping sites when you travel with us. Other rules include a time limit on stays, usually between 24-72 hours.

As the experts in road trip travel, we have compiled a handy guide to the top 10 free camping spots in and around Perth to help you plan the perfect adventure. If the allure of freedom on the road, stretching your travel budget, and connecting to nature on a deeper level sound enticing, read on.

Welcome to Perth/Boorloo

As Australia’s sunniest capital, it’s no surprise that Perth is paradise for outdoor enthusiasts and travellers looking to disconnect from the stress of everyday life. Perth’s pristine beaches, lush forests, rich heritage, and vibrant city life, ensure there’s plenty to do to reconnect you to what’s important in life.

Beyond Perth’s city limits, the landscape transforms into stunning vistas that seem so picture-perfect, you’ll wonder if you’re dreaming. Touring Perth by motorhome is an exceptional way to explore the great outdoors without sacrificing comfort or time.

Not sure what to do in Perth? Check out the 30 best things to do in Perth with our Star RV travel guide.

Your camping options near Perth

There are three ways to camp around Perth, and the right one usually changes across a single trip. Most travellers mix them: a couple of nights off-grid where the view earns it, then a powered site when it is time for a long shower and a load of washing.

The top 15 places to free camp in and around Perth

Do a quick ‘free camping Perth’ search and you’ll find a ton of content that is actually hours from Western Australia. It doesn’t help you plan a Perth-bound adventure at all! Ever-changing council bylaws make it challenging to stay up to date on what sites are free. However, we’ve done the hard yards on the 10 best free camping options around Perth, so you don’t have to.

In this handy Perth guide, discover the best free camping spots within two hours of Perth, plus distance from our convenient Perth Airport branch, facilities you’ll find there, and even whether they are dog friendly.

Did you know you can bring your pooch on an adventure with us too (conditions and fees apply).

East of Perth

1. Relax at Clackline Nature Reserve

For journeys into Perth’s hinterland area, free camping at Clackline Nature Reserve offers a welcome respite at zero cost. Just off the Great Eastern Highway, settle into your peaceful forest home with only a few neighbours and some native critters for company.

Facilities: Toilets, fire pits, and picnic tables

Dog-friendly: Yes

2. Soak in Cobbler Pool, Avon

An hour east of Perth, outside of Toodyay and on the fringe of the gorgeous Avon Valley National Park, this free campground is a generally relaxing spot to enjoy Cobbler Pool (and the joy of skipping payment for staying somewhere). It is, however, close to a railway line, so your peace will occasionally be disrupted as a train passes.

Facilities: None

Dog-friendly: Unclear

3. A short hop east to Wundowie

Sixty-seven kilometres east of Perth, on the corner of Hawke Avenue and Kingia Road with the way in via Banksia Avenue, Wundowie is a former iron-smelting town that has turned a corner of itself into a free RV stop. It is the easiest first night out of Perth if you are heading east into the Avon Valley. There is a dump point, drinking water and a barbecue. The toilets on site are often locked, but there are public ones a short walk across the road beside the library. Self-contained vehicles only, and no tents.

• Free, maximum 48 hours
• Dump point, drinking water and barbecue
• On-site toilets are often locked. Public toilets across the road by the library
• Self-contained RVs and caravans only, no tents.

Dog-friendly: Yes

4. Riverside vistas at Viveash Reserve, Katrine

Not far from Clackline and Cobbler Pool, Viveash Reserve is a lush spot to park your Star RV for the night, thanks to its pretty riverside location along the banks of the Avon River. While a little noisy from street noise by day, by night, the sound of nature as you drift off to sleep makes up for it.

Swimming is not recommended here, and take it slow over the potholes on the road to the reserve. Check out the nearby Northam Silo Art during your stay.

Facilities: Toilets and picnic tables

Dog-friendly: Yes

5. Free facilities galore at Avon Park, York

Also nearby, spend the night in one of the region’s most facility-laden free campsites. Avon Park in York is close to the Avon River Walk Trail, so save some daylight hours to hike this 3.4-kilometre trail for the river and Mount Bakewell views.

Facilities: Toilets, sheltered picnic tables, BBQ facilities, fun nature playground, dump point, and skate park.

Dog-friendly: No

South of Perth

6. Park behind the dunes at Preston Beach

A hundred and twenty-six kilometres south, Preston Beach is a small settlement between Yalgorup National Park and the ocean, and the shire runs a free RV stop just off the beach carpark, in through Mitchell Road. Walk over the dunes and you have kilometres of empty coast in both directions. Forty-eight hours is the limit and it goes quickly. There are toilets, a barbecue area, picnic tables, a playground for anyone travelling with kids, and bins. Yalgorup's lakes and the thrombolites at Lake Clifton are a short drive south.

• Free, maximum 48 hours
• Toilets, barbecue area, picnic tables, playground and bins
• Fully self-contained motorhomes, caravans and camper trailers
• Beach access over the dunes.

Dog-friendly: Yes

7. Fill the tank and empty the other one at Jarrahdale

Sixty-four kilometres south of Perth and the closest free camp to the city on this list, the Jarrahdale RV stop is a large part-gravel, part-bitumen area off Jarrahdale Road. It is not scenic and it does not pretend to be. What it is, is useful. There is drinking water and a grey and black water dump point on site, which makes this the obvious first or last night of a longer trip: arrive with empty tanks, leave with full ones, and Serpentine Falls is twenty minutes up the road. Self-contained vehicles only, and no campfires.

• Free, up to 72 hours
• Drinking water and a grey and black water dump point on site
• Fully self-contained caravans and motorhomes only. Big rigs fine
• No campfires.

Dog-friendly: Yes

8. Snooze free at the Blythewood Rest Area

This free rest area is an ideal spot for adventures in the towering wilderness of the Dwellingup State Forest, an hour south of our Star RV Perth branch. While it’s just off a main road, it’s a surprisingly quiet spot. Australia’s Top Tiny Town 2023, Dwellingup, is handy for camp supplies.

Facilities: Basic with only toilets and picnic tables

Dog-friendly: Yes

9. Wide open spaces at Marrinup Campground

For a large open space surrounded by native bushland, head to Marrinup Campground, near Dwellingup and Marrinup State Forest.

If you’d like to stretch your legs, take the 1.3-kilometre Marrinup Falls Walk Trail or the 5km walking track to an old prisoner of war camp. If you’re travelling with a mountain bike, you’ll love the 8-kilometre Marrinup Circuit.

Facilities: Toilets, fire pits, picnic tables, and wood barbeques (BYO firewood)

Dog-friendly: Yes, on a leash

10. Dine & stay free at Quindanning Hotel

While not entirely free, if you’re planning on dining out while exploring the hinterland region around Lane Poole Reserve or Harris River State Forest, then why not do it at the Quindanning Hotel where you can access their campground for free if you are patrons of theirs.

Quindanning is around an hour and 45 minutes from Perth.

Facilities: Toilets

Dog-friendly: Yes

11. Camp for free in historic Grimwade

For a night in the barebones ruins of a historic old mill town, stop by the riverside grounds in Grimwade. There’s ample space, much secluded, and you can explore where houses once stood. While it sounds like it could be an eerie place to lay your head, it’s surprisingly peaceful.

Facilities: None, you must be fully self-sufficient to stay here

Dog-friendly: Unclear

North of Perth

12. Wake up beside the water at Lake Ninan

Two hours north-east of Perth and ten kilometres south-west of Wongan Hills, Lake Ninan is a wide salt lake with a sandy beach and almost nobody on it. Sealed road the whole way in from either Wongan Hills or Calingiri, which is not something you can say about most free camps this far out. There are no facilities at all here, so this one is for self-contained vehicles only, which is to say it is made for a motorhome. You can stay up to four nights, the mobile reception is surprisingly good, and there is a picnic shelter and an information board if you want somewhere to sit that is not your own awning.

• Free, up to 96 hours (four nights)
• No facilities. Fully self-contained vehicles only
• Sealed road access from Wongan Hills or Calingiri
• Suits motorhomes, caravans and big rigs.

Dog-friendly: Yes

13. A hot shower is not on offer, but a shower is, at Lake Indoon

Three hours north, twelve kilometres west of Eneabba and a short run in from Indian Ocean Drive, Lake Indoon is a freshwater lake with camping spread around its edge and a boat ramp on the north side. It is the closest thing to a facilities-equipped free camp on the northern run. There is an ablution block with showers, though the water is cold and it is not drinkable, so bring your own. A gas barbecue and picnic area sit near the boat ramp. Camping is by voluntary payment: five dollars a person in the honour box, which is a fair trade for a shower and a lake.

• Voluntary $5 per person in the honour box, maximum 72 hours
• Ablution block with showers, no hot water. Water is not drinkable, so bring your own
• Gas barbecue and picnic area near the boat ramp
• Year-round fire ban. Caravans and motorhomes catered for

Dog-friendly: Yes, on a leash

14. Rest & save at Moore River Bridge Rest Stop

While basic and limited (there’s only space for 6-8 vehicles), this rest stop is a great opportunity to save some travel funds when heading up the Coral Coast. By day, its highway position makes it noisy, though it calms down once the sun sets.

Facilities: Toilets, rubbish bins, and picnic tables

Dog-friendly: No

15. Stay close to the coast at Drummond Reserve

Two hours north of Perth and only 40 minutes from the postcard-perfect shore of Jurien Bay, Drummond Reserve welcomes fully self-contained travellers for a spot of bush camping for up to 72 hours. You must have at least 20 litres of fresh water and dispose of your waste off-site.

There are only 12 spots here, so get there early to nab a spot.

Facilities: None

Dog-friendly: Yes, on a leash

A quick note: while it’s a definite boost to the travel budget to skip paying for campsites, it’s worth noting many of Western Australia’s national park campgrounds fees are very affordable, generally between $10 and $20 per person per night.

Beach camping near Perth

Waking up to the Indian Ocean is the reason a lot of people hire a motorhome in the first place. Beach camping around Perth ranges from beachfront holiday parks with power and hot showers to remote coastal sites where it is you, the dunes and the sunset. The catch is access: some of the best-known coastal camps in Western Australia are four-wheel-drive only and soft sand is no place for a motorhome. These are the ones you can reach comfortably.

• Preston Beach RV site (south). About 1 hour 25 minutes south, sealed the whole way down the Kwinana Freeway and Forrest Highway. A free, signed RV short stay area off the Preston Beach car park on Mitchell Road, a short walk from the sand. Self-contained motorhomes only (integrated black and grey water), no power, no fires, no fixed annexes, and a 48-hour stay limit. Dogs are welcome on the beach itself, though not in Yalgorup National Park behind it. It is the closest genuine ocean camp on this list, with beach fishing for whiting and tailor and a sunset straight out over the water.

• Ocean Drive, Bunbury (south). About 2 hours south, sealed via the Forrest and Bussell Highways. A free RV rest area right on Ocean Drive with a beach shower, barbecue, picnic tables and open ocean views, capped at 48 hours and seven vehicles at a time. Fully self-contained vehicles only, with a free permit booked online through Visit Bunbury Geographe before you arrive, and dogs welcome on a lead. It is the pick for a proper sunset walk on the sand, with Koombana Bay's dolphins a short drive away.

• Guilderton Holiday Park (north). Under an hour north, sealed roads throughout, at the mouth of the Moore River. A paid, powered holiday park with hot showers, a camp kitchen, laundry and a playground, so it is the trade-up night after a couple of free camps. Calm river swimming and canoeing on one side of the sandbar, ocean waves on the other, and good fishing for bream where the river meets the sea. Pets are not permitted at this park.

• Ledge Point Caravan Park (north). About 90 minutes north, sealed access throughout, 10km south of Lancelin. A paid, powered beachfront park with camp kitchens, a pool and a playground, and one of the few coastal parks on this list that takes dogs on its grassed sites outside school holidays and long weekends. It is a launch point for crayfish diving in season, with calm swimming near the boat ramp and open ocean sunsets from the foreshore.

Preston Beach and Bunbury are the free coastal sites; Guilderton and Ledge Point are the beachfront holiday parks with power, so both also belong in the where-to-stay comparison below.

Where to stay near Perth with power and facilities

Free camping is the best part of a motorhome trip right up until you want a long shower and somewhere to put a load of washing. Most people alternate: two or three nights off-grid, then a night in a park with power, and the trip is better for it. Every Star RV is self-contained, so you can do either, and switch whenever you feel like it.

• Guilderton Holiday Park (north). Under an hour north, at the mouth of the Moore River. Powered sites for caravans and motorhomes, a camp kitchen, laundry, hot showers and a playground. Exact site dimensions are not published, so confirm a Polaris-length site before sending a customer there.

• Ledge Point Caravan Park (north). About 90 minutes north. Powered grassy sites, many a generous 10m by 10m, so a 7.2 to 7.9 metre Polaris fits with room to spare. Two camp kitchens, a pool and a playground.

• Dwellingup Chalets & Caravan Park (south). Around 97km, just over an hour south, and the closest powered option to Lane Poole Reserve. Powered sites suited to caravans and motorhomes, three sheltered camp kitchens, an on-site dump point and laundry.

• Toodyay Holiday Park & Chalets (east). 85km, about an hour north-east, beside the Avon River. Drive-through powered sites, so there is no reversing a Polaris into place, plus a camp kitchen, laundry, pool and an on-site dump point for a small fee. Dogs welcome on a lead.

National park campgrounds. Lane Poole Reserve, near Dwellingup about an hour and ten minutes south, has six Parks and Wildlife campgrounds: Baden Powell, Nanga Brook, Stringers, Charlies Flat, Yarragil and Chuditch. All run on the same fee and booking system: $20 per adult per night (concession $15), plus the standard $17 per-vehicle park entry fee (trailers and caravans are exempt from that fee). Bookings are essential through Park Stay WA, up to 180 days ahead, one campsite per booking.

A night with power is not a fallback for when free camping runs out, it is when the trip resets: laundry done, tanks full, everyone showered, ready for the next two or three nights off-grid.

Both the 2-berth Polaris and the 6-berth Polaris are fully self-contained, with a toilet, shower and 240V, so you can spend three nights at a free camp and still arrive somewhere civilised looking like you meant to.

How to plan your free camping adventure

Free camping in a motorhome is an effortless way to reconnect with nature and enjoy the simpler things in life at your own pace. Taking ‘home’ on the road offers the flexibility to explore Perth and Western Australia’s diverse landscapes while saving money on accommodation.

Dollars saved on campgrounds and holiday parks mean more to spend on the iconic experiences this region is famous for, including thrilling activities, enriching cultural attractions, or Western Australia’s sumptuous food and wine scene. From the lush greenery of national parks to the sparkling Indian Pacific coastline, every stop offers something new and exciting.

A little bit of planning goes a long way when including free camping into your Star RV road trip. Here are our top planning tips:

• Research free camping sites Perth: Gaining access to which free camping sites are available can be challenging in WA, as local council rules change frequently. We recommend WikiCamps or Campermate for the most up-to-date list.
• Know – and follow - the rules: Many free camping sites limit how long you can stay – often between 24 and 72 hours. Rangers keep an eye on overstayers.
• Check the road conditions: Once you’re out of the main city areas, road conditions vary. Your vehicle’s excess reduction does not cover travel on gravel roads and 4WD tracks, so check ahead on road conditions before setting out to avoid disappointment.
• Pack the essentials: Do you have enough food and water for your stay? And a first aid kit? Self-suffiency is key when you’re free camping as designated sites are often remote. It pays to be over-prepared, rather than under, so fuel up regularly, too.
• Respect the environment: Consider yourself a goodwill ambassador when free camping. How you act impacts the viability of whether those sites remain free. When road trippers respect the environment, local councils are more inclined to open more free camping locations.
• Leave no trace: Pack in and pack out, even at free camping sites where rubbish bins are available. When you travel in a fully self-contained vehicle like ours, there’s a little extra maintenance required to take care of your grey (sink water) and black water (toilet waste). You’ll find ample dump points/stations to safely dispose of your RV waste. Some are free; some are paid. Both apps list these for convenience.
• Support local businesses: As many free camping sites are in more remote areas, shopping local is an excellent way to give back to the community you’re visiting. Whether it’s buying groceries from a general store, enjoying a cheeky brunch at a family-run café or popping to the nearest pub to yarn with the locals, consider ways you can support local businesses on your travels.

The freedom to tour Australia at your own pace while travelling with a kitchen, bathroom, ample storage space, and the sweet, sweet comfort of mattresses is how you see the Sunburnt Country in style. That hiring a self-contained motorhome also means you can legally camp for free in thousands of places, saving dollars on campgrounds and holiday parks, is the cherry on top!

Feeling inspired?

If you’re ready to explore the beauty of Perth and start your WA free camping motorhome adventure, we’re ready to get you on the road! To book your Perth motorhome hire, click BOOK NOW or call 1800 875 018.