Craving just the simple basics or a place with all the trimmings? Enjoy beachside camping to suit every kind of camper.

There’s nothing quite like falling asleep to waves breaking somewhere just beyond the tent flap, and waking up to that same sound doing the job of an alarm clock.

Whether you’re after a proper back to basics national park camp or a holiday park with all the trimmings, the Barrington Coast has beachside camping to suit every kind of camper. Here’s our pick, sorted by the experience you’re after.

For the national park purist

If your idea of camping means a genuine sense of remove, these three sit right where the bush meets the sand, no swimming pools required.

The Ruins Campground in Booti Booti National Park, 15 kilometres south of Forster, puts you between two very different waters, Seven Mile Beach for the surf and whale watching, Wallis Lake for a sheltered paddle, all fringed by cabbage tree palms and paperbarks. Hot showers and drinking water included, though dogs aren’t permitted.

Treachery Camp in Myall Lakes National Park, tucked into littoral rainforest near Seal Rocks village, is your base for surfing, fishing and bushwalks, with Treachery Beach and Lighthouse Beach both close at hand. Non-powered sites only, and again, no dogs.

Crowdy Gap in Crowdy Bay National Park, sitting between Crowdy Head and Diamond Head, is a good pick for group trips, camping among banksias and pink barked angophoras with an easy walk through rainforest and dunes to the beach. Worth knowing, shell middens scattered through the dunes here mark a place of real significance to the local Biripi people, an area once rich in fish, shellfish and wallabies.

For families who want the full holiday park experience

These spots trade a little wilderness for camp kitchens, kids’ clubs and the kind of amenities that make a week away genuinely restful for the adults too.

Reflections Holiday Park Seal Rocks sits between the forest and Number One Beach, with a pre-breakfast surf on offer, some of the state’s best diving right offshore, and mountain bike trails nearby if the kids need to burn energy. Powered sites through to deluxe cabins.

Tiona Holiday Park in Booti Booti National Park sits between Seven Mile Beach and Wallis Lake, genuinely offers two experiences in one, a surfside precinct for the more independent traveller, and a lakeside eco-retreat style area better suited to families, with the lake itself as the playground. Dogs are welcome here.

Reflections Holiday Park Tuncurry, flat and dog friendly, gives direct access to Nine Mile Beach and the well known Tuncurry Rock Pool, with Wallis Lake close by for a spot of fishing.

Reflections Holiday Park Forster trades a little space for unbeatable convenience, walking distance to Forster Main Beach, the shops and Wallis Lake, ideal if you’d rather not drive anywhere once you’ve set up camp.

Ingenia Holidays Old Bar Beach is the only true beachfront caravan park at Old Bar, and with most of the beach here now leash free, it’s a genuinely good option if the dog’s coming too.

Reflections Holiday Park Hawks Nest, between Bennetts Beach and the village itself, has the feel of an old fashioned family holiday, generously sized flat sites and enough space from the main drag to properly switch off. Fish and chips by the river at nearby Tea Gardens is a local ritual worth keeping.

Reflections Holiday Park Jimmys Beach, also at Hawks Nest, puts you a short stroll from calm blue water where dolphins are a regular sight, ideal if you want beach camping without the swell.

Big4 Happy Hallidays, Hallidays Point, two minutes from award winning Black Head Beach, is built for the full family holiday experience, resort style pool, jumping pillow, mini golf and a mini train that runs daily through school holidays.

A word on planning ahead

Bookings are essential at every one of these, especially through the warmer months and school holidays, and dog policies vary quite a bit from park to park and even season to season, so it’s always worth a quick call to confirm before you pack the whole family, four legged members included.

Know a beachside camping location that deserves a spot on this list? Get in touch, we’re always adding to it.