Wineries You Can Camp At
If wine is one of your passions (apart from camping, of course) what better way to combine those two loves than to camp at a winery!
VICTORIA
King Valley
Known as Australia’s home of Italian wine styles, the King Valley is one of Victoria’s great wine regions and has one of the greatest concentrations of varieties of any wine region in Australia. It is renowned for its Italian varieties – prosecco and sangiovese – which reflect the region’s cultural heritage, but the King Valley’s location along the King River at the foothills of the Alpine National Park also results in some premium cool climate wines.
There are numerous wineries along the valley all with their own distinct offerings from boutique accommodation, restaurants, cafes and trattorias, and winery tours. A number of Prosecco Road experiences are becoming very popular such as Pedal to Prosecco (this is great cycling country), a Prosecco Picnic or Yoga in the Vines.
There are several caravan parks in the King Valley region at Milawa, Whitfield, Everton and Wangaratta.
Free camping is available at the Edi Cutting campground on the King River, just a few hundred metres down the road from the King River Estate Winery, established in 1990 at the gateway to the King Valley. There are several fire pits and two pit toilets – one at each end of the camp. These shady campsites are popular with groups as there is plenty of room.
Open Friday to Sunday from 11am to 5pm, King River Estates offers wine tasting in a beautiful garden setting, accompanied by grazing platters which include a selection of cheeses from the local Milawa Cheese factory or a selection of arancini.
Just a few kilometres up the road in Milawa, John Francis Brown first planted 10 acres of vines in 1885. Four generations and 130 years later, Brown Brothers is one of Australia’s most loved and well-known brands.
Brown Brothers is open seven days a week (closed Christmas Day) and is a popular location for wine and food lovers with the restaurant using ingredients from its kitchen garden. At the cellar door, take part in wine tastings or buy a bottle and enjoy it sitting under the shady oak trees in the stunning gardens, which host many weddings.
Free camping is available directly across the road from the winery at the 48-hour RV parking area, adjacent to the local airstrip. There is water in the car park but no other facilities, although there are some public toilets in the township, which is about 1km down the road.
To find out more:
Seppelt Wines, Great Western
No visit to the Grampians is complete without visiting the region’s wine-making pioneers and taking a tour of the famous underground cellars.
The Great Western winery was founded by Joseph Best in 1865. He commissioned local gold miners to tunnel the underground cellars that became known as The Drives. With excavations beginning in 1868 by out-of-work gold miners, it took more than 60 years to dig the three kilometres of tunnels which can hold three million bottles of wine.
The tour concludes with a tasting of Seppelt Sparkling Shiraz, first made in the Seppelt Great Western Cellars in the early 1890s.
There is no camping onsite at Seppelt, but the Great Western Racing and Recreation Reserve is just a short walk away. Visitors can choose from powered or unpowered sites, with the unpowered being free of charge. Seppelt has about 12 caravan-sized parks on site for those who are staying elsewhere and passing through.
NEW SOUTH WALES
Cargo Road Wines, Orange
Cargo Road Wines is located at 860 metres above sea level, on the sheltered northern slopes of Mount Canobolas, Orange, in Central West NSW. The vineyard was taken over by a trio from quite different backgrounds in 1997. Now a successful 16-hectare vineyard with a range of red and white wines, the signature varieties are gewurztraminer and zinfandel.
The Cargo Road Wines Cellar Door is open for tastings seven days a week, 11am to 5pm and online bookings are essential. You can stroll around the vineyard, have a picnic under eucalyptus trees, look in the art gallery, and enjoy a light meal or coffee in the cafe.
Cargo Road has dozens of secluded private spots ideal for camping. Campervans and tents are welcome at a fee of $50 a night per family/couple which includes complimentary access to use Cargo Road’s kitchen and utilities. Power is available on request.
Mudgee
If Mudgee is not on your destination bucket list, add it now.
Located less than 270km north-west of Sydney, the Mudgee Region is the third largest grape-producing region in NSW and has a rich pastoral history reflected in the region’s heritage streetscapes.
With a viticultural history stretching back to 1858, Mudgee built itself on the much-loved Aussie styles of robust shiraz and cabernet sauvignon along with rich, fruity and buttery chardonnay.
The Mudgee wine region has more than 35 cellar doors offering a choice of the 44 grape varietals grown in the region which these days includes a wide variety of fresh and modern styles such as riesling, barbera, sangiovese, tempranillo, vermentino and pinot grigio, just to name a few.
With a range of breathtaking natural attractions, delectable wine and scrumptious local produce, events to excite, an impressive local shopping precinct, lush golf course, and picturesque streetscapes, a visit to Mudgee won’t disappoint.
With all types of accommodation on offer, Mudgee has three caravan parks in town – Big4 Mudgee Holiday Park, Mudgee Riverside Caravan and Tourist Park and the Mudgee Valley Park. A few kilometres away is the Gulgong Tourist Park, Cudgegong Waters Park and Reflections Holiday Parks Cudgegong River.
QUEENSLAND
Kingsley Grove Estate, Goodger
Kingsley Grove Estate was founded by the Berry family in 1998 and is operated by the family.
Kingsley Grove has plenty of signature wine and food, including a wine ice cream made daily, that you can enjoy while exploring country places via a scenic drive or just unwinding and getting back to nature. Kingsley Grove Estate is just eight minutes from Kingaroy and is the closest cellar door with its own vineyard to the majestic Bunya Mountains.
The cellar door is open seven days a week for free wine tastings, and lunch service is offered on weekends from 11am-3pm and weekdays from 11am-2pm. The range of wines includes whites, reds, sparkling and fortified wines both dry and sweet.
Kingsley Grove offers free caravan parking onsite for up to 48 hours for fully self-contained caravans and RVs. Spots are limited so book early to avoid disappointment. Visitors camping on site will need to make a separate booking for wine tastings and meals.
There is no water, power or dump point on site. Water and a dump point are available in nearby Kingaroy.
Anderleigh Winery, Gympie
Anderleigh Winery is located on top of Mount Anderleigh near Gympie, surrounded by State Forest just 2.5 hours from Brisbane, 1.5 hours from Harvey Bay and one hour from Tin Can Bay.
With an area of 16 hectares, the winery offers many flat, grassy spaces which will accommodate caravans, camper trailers and RVs. The cost is $10 per night for adults, $5 per night for children under 12 years and toddlers under three years are free.
Facilities include hot showers, flushing toilets and disabled access.
There is a large restaurant on site offering Taiwanese meals, dim sims, dumplings and other delicious dishes. Popular drinks, coffee and desserts are also available. Anderleigh produces red wine from McLaren Vale, SA, and tastings are free for campers.
WESTERN AUSTRALIA
Jarvis Estate Winery, Margaret River
The award-winning Jarvis Estate Winery in Margaret River takes in a small number of self-contained caravans and RVs on its property all year round.
Located in the heart of Margaret River, this world-class vineyard is just 10 minutes from the Margaret River township and the cellar door is open seven days a week from 10.30am-5pm at 808 Wirring Road, Bramley.
Jarvis Estate offers a full range of Margaret River’s famous wine blends including cabernet sauvignon, merlot, shiraz and malbec. It also produces one of Margaret River’s best cabernet francs – a traditional French variety that excels when grown in the sub-region of Bramley, where Jarvis Estate is located.
The award-winning white wine varieties include estate-grown chardonnay, semillon and sauvignon blanc. Jarvis prides itself on being a true ‘estate’, one in which the grapes are grown, fermented and bottled entirely on the property.
To camp near the vines, please contact the property for bookings.
Thomson Brook Winery, Donnybrook
Thomson Brook Estate, established in 1993, is a small family-owned and managed winery at which all wines are made on site and nearly all of the grapes are grown, tended and hand-picked by owners Pam and Terry.
Donnybrook is part of Australia’s Geographe wine region. It has traditionally been renowned as Western Australia's premier apple-growing region, but in recent years has established a steady reputation as a new and vibrant viticultural area.
Geographe’s notable wines are chardonnay, cabernet sauvignon and shiraz. The region’s producers are also exploring new styles and varieties, with verdelho becoming one of Thomson Brook’s standout whites.
Thomson Brook welcomes campers in self-contained caravans and RVs who would like to stay at the vineyard for a few days. Kids and dogs are welcome, and camping is free. There’s a dam with fish (and some tortoises) and you are welcome to bring some rods to distract the kids while you taste the hand-crafted wines.
Contact the property in advance for bookings.
Olive Hill Farm, Margaret River
Olive Hill is not a winery but a lovely farmstay located 10km east of the township which welcomes self-contained travellers to stay and use the farm as a base to explore the Margaret River Region.
Once a working olive farm, Olive Hill Farm has evolved to welcome self-contained travellers and offer farmstay accommodation.
The campground in the olive grove is pet and family friendly, with plenty of space and a lovely walk to the Margaret River at the foot of the property. Bins are provided and potable water and a dump point are available for a small fee.
Large sites within the olive grove are spaced out to offer privacy and to make physical distancing easy for everyone. Guests must all be self-contained as there are no toilets, bathrooms or camp kitchens on site.
SOUTH AUSTRALIA
Kimbolton Wines, Langhorne Creek
Visit Kimbolton Wines to experience its wines in the setting of its architecturally designed cellar door constructed from industrial shipping containers and recycled timber.
Kimbolton Wines offers seated wine tastings of five wines. Also on offer is the carefully curated Wine and Cheese Flights where visitors can taste four of the Kimbolton wines matched against four local artisan cheeses.
A range of local produce platters can be enjoyed while taking in the abundant views and tasting a glass or bottle from the Kimbolton wine range.
There is also a selection of kid-friendly food options. Kimbolton is also dog friendly with doggy bags, water and plenty of outside areas to sit.
Across the road from the winery, Frank Potts Reserve is suitable for camping, caravans and self-contained motor homes. Advanced bookings are not possible and there are no designated sites. Frank Potts Reserve is owned by Alexandrina Council and allows camping and overnights stays for a period of time up to 72 hours only.
Bellwether Winery, Coonawarra
Bellwether is a boutique winery, produce garden, kitchen and boutique campground located in Coonawarra on South Australia’s Limestone Coast. Bellwether Winery celebrates wine, nature, food, art, history and fun based in an 1868 stone shearing shed.
Winemaker Sue Bell’s wines are specifically selected climate-appropriate varietal matches. Sue loves the classics but dabbles on the fringe with emerging Mediterranean varieties. Fragrance, texture, mouthfeel and lower alcohol are features of all her wines.
Bellwether caters well for campers, offering six Glamping Bell tents (unpowered) and six campsites, (four powered and two unpowered) for people with their own caravan, camper trailer, RV or swag.
Powered sites are $55 per night and unpowered $40 per night and sites are well spaced – at least 100m apart from other campers. The amenities building has seven showers, six toilets and a claw-foot bath, as well as a disabled shower and toilet.
There is a barbecue, kettle, toaster and laundry for all campers in the camp kitchen. The onsite chef can even make something for you whether it be breakfast delivered to your campsite, a platter, a barbecue pack or a camp oven roast. Bellwether offers a daily brunch for up to 10 people at 10.30am and can do a spectacular wine lovers picnic basket for you to take touring around cellar doors and the region.
Tasmania
White Sands Estate, Ironhouse Point, East Coast
White Sands is family-friendly resort situated on Tassie's pristine East Coast an hour's drive from iconic Wine Glass Bay. The resort boasts its 29 villas, vineyard, distillery, the Slightly Salty Cafe and Bar, event and conference room facilities, 2m outdoor heated pool, games room, 50-seat cinema, tennis courts, putting green, lakes for kayaking, a boat ramp, its own private beach and camping for self-contained caravans and RVs.
On site is the Ironhouse Brewery, Vineyard and Distillery – a family-owned business that began 15 years ago with the creation of the vineyard – some 60 hectares of vines located on rolling hills overlooking the Tasman Sea produce fabulous sparkling, sauvignon blanc, chardonnay and pinot noir. Shortly thereafter the brewery opened, producing its first craft beers. Ironhouse brews are made to traditional recipes from quality ingredients and Tasmanian water, sourced from the brewery’s own spring. And with no additives or preservatives.
Eight years after the brewery, the distillery was born and now produces many different expressions of spirit and single malt.
Camping for caravans and RVs is free, however there is no power or amenities so self-sufficiency is a must.
NORTHERN TERRITORY
Purple Mango Café and Brewery, Marrakai
Unfortunately, the Northern Territory doesn’t currently have any wineries due to its tropical climate. However, if you’re travelling the Arnhem Highway between Darwin and Kakadu, make the short detour at Marrakai to the Purple Mango Café and Brewery which describes itself as the best brewery in the bush.
The Purple Mango Café and Brewery offers a range of refreshments to visitors and locals alike including mouth-watering pizzas which go perfectly with one of their craft beers or perhaps a cold white wine. Or maybe you’d prefer a Mezzo blend coffee with a homemade cake or dessert.
Tasting paddles can be purchased to sample the specialty brews to select your favourite to drink from the tap. Take away always available to enjoy or as a special gift.
Located 2.7km from the Arnhem Highway along the historic Marrakai Track, the Purple Mango is a perfect stop for birdwatchers, those travelling between Darwin and Kakadu and ideal to enjoy a weekend break in a beautiful bush setting.
Campers can enjoy the bush setting on a powered or unpowered shady site. There is a toilet and shower block with laundry hand-washing facilities. No pets or camps fires are allowed.
Fees are $10 per person per night for an unpowered site(kids under 16 free) and $30 per night for powered sites. There is also a couple of ensuite cabins.
CHECK FIRST
Given the significant rain and flooding in many parts of Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria in recent months, we recommend ringing ahead if you intend to visit any of these destinations.
THE NEXT STEP
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