Free camping in the ACT.

What free camping means in the ACT

There is no single legal category called free camping in the ACT. The ACT is small, and most of its camping sits inside Namadgi National Park and the reserves and recreation areas around Canberra. The Parks and Conservation Service (Parks ACT) looks after these places and runs them as booked campgrounds.1

• Parks, reserves and forests are managed by Parks ACT.1
• Streets, parks and open space in Canberra are managed by the ACT Government. We did not find an official page that sets out the rules for sleeping in a vehicle or tent on public land in the suburbs, so we do not state them. Read the signs, and use a campground.
• NSW land across the border is managed by NSW National Parks, Forestry Corporation, councils and others, each with its own rules.

We do not say that any single place is free to camp. Where we write that a land manager charges nothing, that is the manager’s own statement, and we say whose and when we read it. Fees and rules are set by the land manager, and they change. Where our own data records no fee for a place, the place page says so and shows where that came from. Where a source does not say, we say that it does not.

Camping with a vehicle: Parks ACT campgrounds

Parks ACT says “vehicle-based camping is only permitted at established campgrounds” and asks you to book before you go.1 The sites it lists include:

• Honeysuckle (Namadgi). Non-powered sites, up to four campervans or camper-trailers, a communal fireplace, pit toilets and no bins. Bookings are essential, the maximum booking is 7 consecutive days, and dogs, drones and motorised generators are not allowed. It is 17.5 km from the Namadgi Visitor Centre on sealed roads.2
• Orroral (Namadgi). Non-powered sites with a communal fireplace and gas barbecues. Bookings are essential, the maximum stay is 7 consecutive days, and dogs, drones and generators are not allowed. Parks ACT says it is not suitable for large groups.8
• Mount Clear (Namadgi). Listed as the most remote campground in the ACT. It is 44.5 km from the Namadgi Visitor Centre, the last stretch is unsealed, and the page says it is unsuitable for campervans and caravans. Bookings are essential, the maximum stay is 7 consecutive days, and no dogs are allowed.91
• Cotter Campground. On the Cotter River. The page lists hot showers, drinking water and flushing toilets. Bookings are essential, the limit is 2 weeks within any 6-week period, and no dogs are allowed.3
• Blue Range. Non-powered sites, a communal fireplace and toilets. Bookings are essential, the limit is 2 weeks within any 6-week period, and dogs are welcome on a lead in the campground only.10
• Old Kowen Homestead (Kowen Recreation Area). Reached by a dirt road about 10 km behind locked gates. The Parks ACT campfires page says it is available by booking only, and the Cotter page lists Kowen as a dog-friendly alternative.143
• Woods Reserve. Closed for an upgrade. The Parks ACT pages say it is due to reopen in early 2027.111

The Namadgi park page says admission to the park is free. That is the entry, not the campground.12 Campground fee amounts are not on the pages we read, so check the booking page for current rates. The Namadgi brief guide also says bookings are essential “except at the Cotter campground where an honesty box system applies”, but the current Parks ACT Cotter page says bookings are essential and does not mention an honesty box. The brief guide shows no date, so follow the current page and book.53

Camping on foot in Namadgi

Parks ACT says walk-in bushwalker camping is allowed in much of Namadgi National Park, and points to the park’s brief guide for where. Huts are for day or emergency use only, and you should bring a tent if you plan to stay at a hut site.1

• Cotter Catchment. The brief guide says camping is prohibited in the lower and middle portions and allowed by permit in the upper catchment. It also says no permit is needed for pack-based camping outside the catchment.5
• Bimberi Wilderness. The brief guide says camping permits apply, and its map marks the wilderness as permit camping only. Contact the Namadgi Visitor Centre on (02) 6237 5307 about permits, because the pages we read do not say how to apply.512
• Remote walking. Record your trip in the bushwalking registers, tell a family member or friend, and carry warm, waterproof clothing. A personal locator beacon can be hired from the visitor centre.512
• Dogs. Dogs are not allowed in Namadgi National Park.12
• Centenary Trail. Parks ACT lists the Northern Border Campground as basic, remote bush camping reached on foot or by bike on the trail.1

The brief guide is undated and the permit details may have changed, so confirm with the Namadgi Visitor Centre before you walk in.

Closures and alerts

Parks ACT publishes an alerts page for closures. When we read it on 29 October 2026 it showed Woods Reserve campground closed until early 2027, and it listed no alerts for the Lower Cotter Catchment Reserve. Namadgi’s roads can close for snow, floods and Total Fire Bans, and mobile reception is limited in the park.115

The ACT Government also says recreation areas can close during extreme fire weather forecasts, even without a ban. On a ban day, Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve and selected Namadgi roads close.13

Campfires and fire bans

• Where fires are allowed. The Parks ACT campfires page lists Namadgi National Park, Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve, the Cotter recreation area, Uriarra Crossing, Woods Reserve and several plantation forest sites. Old Kowen Homestead and Blue Range are booking only.4
• The rules. Use only the constructed fireplaces, bring your own firewood, keep 3 metres around the fireplace clear, stay with the fire and put it out completely. Collecting wood or timber in a park is prohibited, and lighting a fire outside a constructed fireplace is described as a serious offence.4
• Total Fire Bans. The ESA Commissioner can declare one for all or part of the ACT. It is usually decided the day before, starts at midnight and lasts 24 hours. It is an offence to light, maintain or use a fire in the open air unless an exemption applies.6
• Gas and stoves on a ban day. The ESA says gas or electric cooking appliances are allowed if an adult supervises constantly, the area is clear of combustible material and water or an extinguisher is on hand. The ACT Government says gas barbecues in parks and reserves are switched off, and the Parks ACT campfires page says your own gas barbecue or portable stove may not be used. The park pages are stricter, so on a ban day in a park, do not light a stove.6134
• Where to check. The ESA website shows a ban icon beside the daily fire danger rating. Access Canberra on 13 22 81 can give ban information, including nature reserve and road closures.6
• Fire danger ratings. The ESA uses Moderate, High, Extreme and Catastrophic, plus a “no rating” level.14

For the rules in every state and territory, see Total Fire Bans and fire danger ratings across Australia.

The nearest alternatives in NSW

The ACT Government’s Our Canberra article on camping near Canberra (18 September 2026) lists NSW campgrounds at Bungonia, Coree, Flea Creek, Lowells Flat, McIntyres and Wee Jasper. It says Coree, Flea Creek, Lowells Flat and McIntyres need four-wheel drive, that campfires are not permitted at Bungonia, and that most sites require bookings. It does not call any of them free.15

• Araluen Creek Campground. Queanbeyan-Palerang Council’s page says the site “has all basic necessities for a free overnight stay” and that no pre-bookings are required. It lists a water tank, an amenities block, a solar barbecue and picnic tables, and says pets are welcome. It says nothing about fire rules or stay limits, so contact the council (council@qprc.nsw.gov.au) and check fire bans first.7
• Bungendore Showground. Listed on the council’s tourism site at $15.00 to $22.00, with a grassed area for tents, trailers and caravans. The page says the shower and toilet block and fire drum are for use in non-fire-danger times. Contact details for the operator are on the page, which does not describe a booking process.16

NSW has its own Total Fire Ban and rest area rules. See our free camping in New South Wales guide, and check the NSW Rural Fire Service for bans on the day.

Free camping ACT map: what a pin does and does not tell you

People who search for a free camping ACT map usually want a pin they can trust. A pin tells you where a place is. It does not tell you that you may stay there tonight. The ACT pages in Trek Eleven are built on that idea:

• Campsites and caravan parks from OpenStreetMap appear as unverified suggestions in their own layer. We have not checked them.
• Where a list records no fee for a place, we write “recorded as free”. That is what the list says, not a promise that camping is allowed.

Use the map to find candidates, then use the land manager’s page and the sign to decide. Start with camping near Canberra, or look across the border at Bungendore.

How Trek Eleven helps

Trek Eleven is a free camping app for all of Australia. For the ACT and the region around it, here is what it does today:

• You can browse the map and lists with no account.
• Campsites and caravan parks from OpenStreetMap appear as unverified suggestions in their own layer. We have not checked them.
• Every fact shows where it came from and when. A place no one has checked says so plainly.
• You set your vehicle once, and access notes are flagged for it.
• Saved and recently viewed places open with no signal. Offline maps are coming soon.
• If something is wrong, closed or washed out, you can report it from the place page.

The app shows official warnings for most states, but they can be late, so use the official sources in the box below too. See the how it works and how we check pages. For the rules in every state and territory, see free camping across Australia.

How to check a place before you stay

1. Work out who manages the land: Parks ACT, a NSW agency, a road authority or a council.
2. Read that manager’s page and the sign at the entrance. A “no camping” sign settles it.
3. Book where booking is required, then check the Parks ACT alerts page and the ESA for the day’s fire ban.
4. If you still cannot tell, call the Namadgi Visitor Centre or Access Canberra on 13 22 81, or choose a place you are sure about.

Find places near you

Our Camping near pages for Canberra and Bungendore list the campsites, caravan parks and rest areas on record around the ACT, from open data. Each place says whether Trek Eleven has checked it, and unchecked places are only suggestions. They do not say that camping is allowed, free or open, so read the sources above first.

Open the app in your browser