Our review of campsites in South Australia

We’re exploring Australia in a campervan, so we spend our nights at campsites instead of hotels or hostels. It’s our first time travelling like this, and I have to say I was quite surprised how well equipped and clean (most) campsites in Australia are. In this blogpost we discuss our experiences with campsites in South Australia. Features or services we deem important are clean amenities and a WiFi connection (preferably unlimited, free, and fast). Shade on your site is always a plus, especially in hot areas, and a pool is nice as well. We noticed South Australia is the most environmentally conscious state: every campsite we stayed at had recycling bins, and we didn’t get plastic bags anymore at the supermarket. You also get a 10 cent refund when returning your plastic bottles to a collection depot. We’ve categorized the campsites in South Australia we stayed at according to our degree of satisfaction.

As we’d be spending three months on campsites in Australia, we decided to become member of two different campsite networks. Joining the BIG4 Loyalty Club cost us $50 for 2 years, granting a 10% discount (up to $40) on all bookings. For $40 you can buy a Family Parks Membership Card valid for 2 years, granting a 10% discount (up to $20 on sites and $40 on cabins) on all bookings. Both of these memberships are valid on a number of campsites in New Zealand as well, our next stop. A Top Parks Membership Card (used to be Top Tourist Parks) is included in the rental of our Spaceships campervan, good for a 10% discount (up to $40) on all bookings as well. If you were to buy this membership yourself, it would be $40 for 2 years, similar to the others.

Note that prices are in Australian Dollar and can vary depending on the time of the year you visit. We were in South Australia in February 2016.

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Click here to read our review of the Spaceships Campervan we rented in Australia. Spoiler alert: we loved it!

Our favourite campsites in South Australia

These campsites have everything we desire: free, and fast WiFi, clean amenities and a nice kitchen. These are campsites we highly recommend when looking for a campsite in the area.

Lakeside Tourist Park

• Price: powered site, 1 night, $34.20 (including 10% discount as a Top Parks member)
• WiFi: 800MB for free, fast (access for 3 devices, valid for 24 hours)
• Amenities: clean
• Friendliness of staff: very friendly
• Entertainment: television in camp kitchen, children’s playground
• Location: small town called Robe, go to What to do in South Australia for more information
• Laundry room: washing machines (4 x $1 per load) and dryers ($1 per 10 minutes), clothes line
• Camp kitchen: clean (cooking fire, oven, barbecues (barbies), microwave, electric kettle, toaster, sinks, fridge, some cooking and eating utensils)

Robe was a deliberately chosen stopover between Portland and Adelaide. Although it’s a small town, it’s definitely worth a (short) visit. We stayed for only one night at  Lakeside Tourist Park, where we got a very nice welcome from the owner. She not only gave us a map of Robe with a list about what to do and where to eat, but she disclosed her personal favourites as well. She was very friendly and sincere, and after a short talk about where we were headed next, she even gave us a recommendation for a campsite near Alice Springs where you can go fossicking. Although we really liked the idea of sifting through a bucket for precious stones (and keeping what we found), we didn’t make it there in the end. Still, we appreciated the recommendation.

There was no boom gate to enter the grounds of the campsite, you could just drive all the way up to the small office located in the original stable from the Lakeside mansion. The pug and post floor is made of local hardwood timbers which apparently go down one metre into the ground. The floor is uneven, purposely done so to make the horses move around and preventing poor circulation. Doesn’t work on humans though. There’s a little shop at the reception selling some basic groceries and an IGA Supermarket at a 10 minute walk. The nearest Woolworths is a 30 minute drive to Kingston. Should you suffer from a sudden sugar craving in the middle of the night, you can turn to the vending machine in the camp kitchen, selling drinks and snacks.

We were satisfied with the free WiFi on offer in Lakeside Tourist Park. You get a username and password which you can use on three devices for 24 hours, or until you reach the limit of 800MB. We’re not sure if you get one login per day or one per stay, as we only stayed for one night. The camp kitchen was a little old, but clean with tables, chairs, and a television in a covered area next to it. Recycling bins were provided, with clear instructions about what goes in which bin. The amenities block was clean as well. They ask you to limit your shower to 5 minutes, as there is a water saving policy in South Australia, the driest state in the country. You don’t have to pay to take a shower though, it’s based on trust.

Great campsites in South Australia if you don’t need WiFi

These campsites have everything we desire, except for unlimited, free, and/or fast WiFi. The kitchen is nice and the amenities clean. If you don’t need WiFi or can do without for a couple of days, we definitely recommend these campsites.

Port Augusta BIG4 Holiday Park

• Price: powered site, 1 night, $35.10 (including 10% discount as a BIG4 Loyalty Club member)
• WiFi: 200MB per person for free, but bad connectivity
• Amenities: clean and spacious, need key to enter
• Friendliness of staff: friendly
• Entertainment: television and game room, pool, children’s playground
• Location: 5 minute drive to Woolworths
• Laundry room: washing machines and dryers, each 3 x $1 per load, ironing board and iron, clothes line
• Camp kitchen: clean (cooking fires, ovens, barbecues (barbies), microwaves, electric kettles, toasters, sinks, fridges with freezer compartment, limited cooking utensils)

We didn’t do or see anything in Port Augusta, we just stayed one night at Port Augusta BIG4 Holiday Park on our trip from Adelaide to Coober Pedy. 850km wouldn’t have been a comfortable and relaxed day of travelling. The campsite was well located, a 5 minute drive from the Woolworths, so no need for a little shop at the reception. The camp kitchen was nice and quite new. There were two of everything, so two families could perfectly cook simultaneously. You could choose to eat inside at the tables and chairs, or outside at the picnic tables. Recycling bins are provided.

Upon arrival we got a map of the campsite, a list of the park rules, and a username and password for logging in on the WiFi connection. Data usage was restricted to 200MB per person, which is not a lot. On top of that, we couldn’t get a connection on our site, nor at the camp kitchen. When checking out (we had to return our keys for the amenities block), I asked about it and they told me to give it a try near the reception, but there are no picnic tables or benches there. The amenities block we used was clean and spacious, although it was a bummer you need a key to enter. Nothing as annoying as having to pee urgently and discover you forgot to bring the key.

Average campsites in South Australia

These campsites were nice, but had some flaws. The amenities weren’t that clean, the kitchen was closed at weird times, or the WiFi was very restricted. We were satisfied with our stay, but maybe it’s possible to find a better campsite in the neighbourhood.

Port Elliot Holiday Park

• Price: powered site, 1 night, $30.60 (including 10% discount as a BIG4 Loyalty Club member)
• WiFi: 300MB per person for free, but quite slow on our site
• Amenities: clean, need key to enter
• Friendliness of staff: friendly
• Entertainment: jumping pillow, children’s playground, half court basketball, television in camp kitchen
• Location: right on the beach of Horseshoe Bay, Woolworths and Coles at 15 minute drive
• Laundry room: washing machines and dryers, each 5 x $1 per load, clothes line
• Camp kitchen: clean (cooking fires, ovens, barbecues (barbies), microwaves, electric kettles, toasters, sinks, fridge, freezer)

After our night in Robe, we stopped for a second time on our way from Portland to Adelaide. This time we stayed at  Port Elliot Holiday Park, near Victor Harbour. We didn’t really see or do anything in the neighbourhood, but we did have a beautiful beach right next to the campsite. You can pay extra for a beachside site, but we settled for a regular one. We were lucky enough to be assigned to a site in the row next to the midrange sites, which are behind the beachside sites. In our opinion it’s not worth to pay extra for a beachside site, as there is a fence between the campsite and the beach, and we could hear the sea from our bed as well.

To enter the campsite you have to drive through a boom gate for which you need an access code. On top of this you need a key to enter amenities block. Guess otherwise beach visitors exploit the free pedestrian access to use the clean amenities of the campsite. Because of the water saving policy in South Australia they ask to limit your showers to 5 minutes. The view from the beach is beautiful and the water is very clear, but real cold in comparison to the tropical waters from Southeast Asia we got used to. If you need to do some grocery shopping, Woolworths and Coles are at a 15 minute drive from the campsite, but at the reception there’s a little shop as well.

The laundry room and camp kitchen are literally closed between 21h and 8h30, which is quite annoying if you’re up earlier and can’t get to fridge for your milk to pour over your cereal. The camp kitchen was clean and spacious though, with two of everything so two families can cook simultaneously. There were barbies and picnic tables outside, tables, chairs, and a television inside. Recycling bins are provided on the campsite. Last, but not least important, we could connect to the (free) WiFi on our site, but it was very slow. Data usage is limited to 300MB per person per day.

Adelaide Caravan Park

• Price: powered site, 4 nights, $151.20 (including 10% discount as a Top Parks member)
• WiFi: no free WiFi, but possibility to buy
• Amenities: toilets quite clean, showers not really
• Friendliness of staff: friendly
• Entertainment: television in camp kitchen, pool
• Location: 20 minute walk to the centre of Adelaide, 5 minute drive to Woolworths or Coles
• Laundry room: washing machines (4 x $1 per load) and dryers ($1 per 10 minutes), clothes line
• Camp kitchen: clean (cooking fire, barbecues (barbies), microwave, electric kettle, toaster, sink, fridge with small freezer compartment, limited cooking utensils)

During our visit to South Australia’s capital, we stayed at Adelaide Caravan Park, only a 20 minute walk away from the city’s centre. There’s a bus stop near the campsite as well, but we always went to the city on foot. You can read about what to do in Adelaide in another blogpost. Both Woolworths and Coles are at a 5 minute drive, Aldi is at a 10 minute drive, so no need for a little grocery shop at the reception. The receptionist was friendly, giving us a short explanation with the map of the campsite and surroundings, pointing out things like the nearest shop and bus stop.

There was no game room, only a television in the camp kitchen, and a pool with quite cold water. Nevertheless, it was nice to have a refreshing dip after a hot day in Adelaide, and the water was clean. The toilets were quite clean as well, but the showers not really. The space was rather small and it was always so hot and humid inside. The camp kitchen was clean, with tables, chairs, and a television. A bit small though. There were recycling bins, but unfortunately no free WiFi, only the possibility to buy data. We declined that offer and instead went to the State Library of South Australia, where there’s free WiFi to get some work done.

Campsites in South Australia we wouldn’t return to

Apparently we made some good choices concerning campsites in South Australia, as there wasn’t one we definitely wouldn’t return to. Doing some research before booking paid off! We’ll be covering this in a future blog post as well, but the WikiCamps app is a great starting point for finding campsites in South Australia (and all around Australia).

From Port Augusta we drove up to Coober Pedy, which technically is in South Australia as well, but we’ll dedicate another blogpost to our experiences with campsites in the Australian Outback.