Free Camping in WA: Rules, Rest Areas and Fire Bans

Free camping in Western Australia.

Short answer: WA law generally keeps camping to licensed caravan parks and designated campgrounds. The main exceptions are signed rest stops for up to 24 hours, private land with the owner's permission, and a genuine breakdown. Here is what the official pages say, in plain words.

Checked 19 to 29 October 2026

About 6 minutes

10 sources linked

The short version

The State Government says WA legislation generally restricts caravans to licensed caravan parks. Using one elsewhere without approval or an exemption may be an offence, on public or private land.1
Marked overnight rest stops allow up to 24 consecutive hours without approval. Main Roads says its 24-hour rest areas are not intended for camping.1 2
In WA parks, camping is only allowed at designated campgrounds, and fees apply.3 4
Each shire sets its own rules. Some say outright that there is no free camping.5 6
On a Total Fire Ban day it is illegal to light or use an open-air fire, including in forests and national parks.7

What the State says

The State Government’s summary says the Caravan Parks and Camping Grounds Act and its regulations generally restrict the use of caravans to licensed caravan parks. If you use a caravan or a tiny home on wheels outside a licensed park without an approval or an exemption, it may be an offence, whether the land is public or private.1 The exceptions it lists are:

Private land, with permission. Up to 5 nights needs the property owner’s approval. Up to 24 months needs the owner’s approval and the local government’s.1
State or federal reserves. You may need approval from the managing authority.1
A roadside emergency. Allowed if your vehicle has broken down or you cannot drive safely, as long as it is not a road hazard and you move it as soon as it is safe.1
Marked overnight rest stops. Clearly marked stops allow up to 24 consecutive hours without approval.1

Rest areas and 24-hour stops

Main Roads WA lists over 1,600 designated roadside stopping and rest areas on the state’s road network. Some operate 24 hours, but stays should not run past 24 consecutive hours, and Main Roads says they are not intended for camping. About 200 are designated for heavy vehicles, and Main Roads asks other drivers to leave them free for trucks when possible.2

We do not say which individual rest areas allow an overnight stay. Treat any list as a hint, then read the sign when you get there. If a stop is not signed for overnight stays, move on to somewhere that is.

National parks and forests

DBCA (the Parks and Wildlife Service) says camping in WA parks is only allowed at designated campgrounds.3 Fees are charged per person, per night, depending on the facilities. Most of the roughly 100 campgrounds are basic, with a cleared area and a pit toilet, and often no power, running water or phone signal.4

Booking. Popular campgrounds can be booked up to 180 days ahead. Where you cannot book, vacancies are not guaranteed, so have a backup. Payment is usually cash at the entry station or to a ranger.3
Busy times. Around Perth and in the south west, school and public holidays between Christmas and Anzac Day are very busy. Elsewhere in WA, the busiest time runs from Easter to the end of September. Many Kimberley campgrounds close from about November to April.3
Forests. The page covers parks, not forests, so check the forest’s own rules separately.3

What local governments say

Every shire and city makes and enforces its own rules, so read the camping page for the area you are in. Some examples, read on 19 October 2026 for our South West guide: the City of Busselton limits camping to registered caravan parks and camping grounds, and the Shire of Augusta Margaret River and the Shire of Denmark both say there is no free camping in their shire.8 5 6 The City of Albany runs nature-based campgrounds on its coastal reserves, with fees set out on its page.9 Our free camping in the South West of WA guide sets out six councils in detail.

Fire bans and the fire season

Total Fire Ban. It is illegal to light, maintain or use an open-air fire, including in forest and national park reserves. Gas or electric barbecues can be used with caution, but solid-fuel cookers cannot be used in areas that are not fully enclosed. DFES lists declared bans on the Emergency WA website, and the TFB Hotline is 1800 709 355.7
Park campfires. Some campgrounds never allow fires, and others only in the provided fire pits. The no-fires period is generally 1 December to 31 March, but the dates vary by location and year. Restrictions can take effect without notice.10
Gas stoves. Gas and liquid-fuel stoves can generally be used at any time unless a Total Fire Ban applies.10
Firewood. Collecting firewood, dead wood or leaves from parks is not permitted.10

Our fire season camping in WA guide covers how the layers fit together.

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

Camping with a dog

Dog rules differ by park and by council. Our dog-friendly camping in Western Australia guide sets out what DBCA, councils and the Dog Act say, and the South West of WA guide goes into more detail for that region.

How Trek Eleven helps

Trek Eleven is a free camping app for all of Australia. For WA, here is what it does today:

You can browse the map and lists with no account.
Rest areas and roadhouses from Main Roads WA’s list appear as supplied. We show a 24-hour stay only where that list says so, and we have not checked them.
Campsites and caravan parks from OpenStreetMap appear as unverified suggestions in their own layer.
Every fact shows where it came from and when. A place no one has checked says so plainly.
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 how it works, or browse the South West, Perth and Peel, the Kimberley, the Pilbara, the Mid West and Coral Coast and the Goldfields and Nullarbor. For a town page, see camping near Perth. Travelling east? Read our guides to free camping in New South Wales, free camping in Victoria, free camping in Queensland, free camping in South Australia and free camping in Tasmania, or see free camping across Australia for every state.

How to check a place before you stay

Work out who manages the land: a park, a forest, a shire or Main Roads.
Read that manager’s page and the sign at the entrance. A “no camping” sign settles it.
Check Emergency WA and DBCA park alerts for fire bans and closures.
If you still cannot tell, ask the shire or a park ranger, or choose a place you are sure about.

Find places near you

Our Camping near pages list the campsites, caravan parks and rest areas on record near each town, 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.

Albany Augusta Bunbury Busselton Collie Denmark Dunsborough Margaret River Pemberton Walpole

Open the app in your browser

Towns in Western Australia

The towns in Western Australia that have a Camping near page. Each lists the campsites, caravan parks and rest areas on record around the town, from open data.

Sources

Every rule, fee and date above comes from one of these official pages, written up in our own words. We read each page between 19 and 29 October 2026; each source shows its own date. Rules change, so open the page itself before you rely on it.

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Trek Eleven has not visited the places it mentions and does not say that any of them is open, safe or allowed.

Check before you go

Rules, fees, closures and fire bans change, and councils and agencies can update their pages at any time. This guide is general information, not legal advice. Before you stay anywhere, read the sign on site and the land manager's own page, and check closures and fire bans for where you are going.