Are these Australia’s ultimate glamp-sites?

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Love the outdoors, don’t care for camping but still need your luxury? Amp your next adventure with these Australian glamping holiday sites…

A deluxe view of Uluru: Longitude 131

Antique trinkets, earthly furnishings in 15 tented pavilions that raise the concept of ‘camping’ to another universe. The best bits about Longitude 131 ? – the view of Uluru, guided walks and a champagne-lined experience.

Plunge pool. Longitude 131, Uluru, Northern Territory
Longitude 131, Uluru. Photo courtesy of Tourism NT.

Urban zoo camping: Taronga’s Roar & Snore

Sydney’s Taronga Park Zoo after dark: an intense in-tents experience. Roar & Snore’s luxury tents offer front-row harbour views and a lullaby of exotic animal noises to fall asleep to.

Experience 'Roar and Snore' at Taronga Zoo, Sydney.
Experience ‘Roar and Snore’ at Taronga Zoo, Sydney.

Outback glamping under the stars: Wilpena Pound

Deep within the Flinders Ranges most spectacular land formation this glampsite is closer to a hotel than a tent city with awe inspiring views from its timber decks. Wilpena Pound Resort is a grand place to base yourself for exploring all the outdoorsy options of this accessible-outback hub. All without banging a tent peg in anger.

Ikara Safari Tent Interior.

Stylish sea views: Sal Salis

The place to base yourself for everything that Ningaloo and Shark Bay have to offer including, of course, those majestic whale sharks. Set on the dunes of remote Cape Range National Park, Sal Salis eco bush camp limits its intake to just 18 guests at any one time, with en-suite luxury and plenty of opportunity for exploring during the day.

Wetlands luxury: Wildman Luxury Lodge

Halfway between Darwin and Kakadu National Park, Wildman Wilderness Lodge is a great base to explore NT’s tropical wetlands. King-size beds, plump pillows, ceiling fans, en suites and its own infinity pool – you get the picture. Watch out for the resident croc, the five-metre ‘Big Arse’.

Under Sky at the Mountain, Vic

Under Sky is offering luxury camping within Mount Buffalo National Park. the site consists of 10 canvas bell tents and operates until 17 December. In addition to queen-size beds, plush interiors and daily housekeeping, the tents also come with gas cookers, pots and cutlery. There are bathrooms on site, and a communal area for guests to gather.

Bubble Tents, NSW

Located in the Capertee Valley in the NSW Central Tablelands (referred to by some as Australia’s Grand Canyon – it’s the widest canyon in the world), Bubble Tents’ glamping experience involves sleeping under the stars in one of three see-through igloos – Virgo, Cancer and Leo – with en suite toilet (thankfully not see-through), telescope and a generous deck area with fire pit.

Glamping With Nature, Vic

Until 13 December, Glamping With Nature’s glampsite at Devil Cove in the Lake Eildon National Park, just two hours from Melbourne, offers couples’ and family tents complete with comfortable beds, all linens, towels and toiletries, a goodies basket of local produce and cooking utensils; there are shared bathrooms, barbecues and fire pits on site.

Into the Woods, VIC

The glamping concept from Into the Woods involves picking the luxury tent that suits (all are decorated in a cosy Scandi style) then choosing between campsites at Yackandandah Holiday Park and Discovery Parks Lake Hume, both in the Albury-Wodonga region. Or for something different, Into the Woods will bring glamping to you, setting up camp on your property.

Sanctuary at Sirromet, Qld

Located just 30 minutes from Brisbane at Mount Cotton, Sanctuary at Sirromet is a glampsite of 18 tents set up among the vines of this family-owned winery. In addition to luxe appointments – king-size bed, en suite, air-conditioning, locally sourced breakfast hamper – there’s TV-free solitude, stunning landscapes, lots of wildlife and a well-stocked cellar door just five minutes’ walk away.

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Mornington Peninsula’s storied past: war, shipwrecks and a runaway convict 

The Mornington Peninsula is a coastline of contrasts, where convict and military history meets shipwrecks, wild seas and adventures above and below the surface.

The Mornington Peninsula can be the kind of place where salt-tangled hair feels like a badge of honour – proof you’ve been somewhere wild, raw and real. Peel back the layers and you’ll discover stories that anchor this region to something other than its famed food and wine.

This land is the traditional Sea Country of the Bunurong/Boon Wurrung people. Long before grapevines were planted and artisanal goods were crafted, the Bunurong Traditional Owners lived in deep connection with the land and sea. Today, places such as Mushroom Reef Marine Sanctuary echo that tradition, with families exploring its rockpools in search of colourful sea stars and crabs at low tide and learning how these fragile ecosystems have been cared for across countless generations.

a group of people visiting the Port Nepean National Park
Take in the rugged coastal landscape at Port Nepean National Park. (Image: Tourism Australia)

A visit to Point Nepean National Park feels like stepping back through time. The fort, built in 1882, protected the narrow entrance to Port Phillip Bay until the end of the Second World War. It was here that the first Allied shot of the First World War was fired – at a German cargo ship trying to escape just hours after war was declared. Nearby, the old Quarantine Station, one of Australia’s first permanent quarantine facilities, established in 1852, still stands. Walking through the hospital and disinfecting complex evokes stories of those who arrived from faraway shores.

Not far from here is a story of survival that inspired the Aussie phrase ‘you’ve got Buckley’s chance’. In 1803, escaped convict William Buckley vanished into the bush near what’s now Sorrento. Everyone thought he had no hope of surviving, but he reappeared 32 years later, having lived with local Aboriginal people.

Even the waters here hold history. The infamous stretch known as The Rip, just three kilometres wide at the entrance of Port Phillip Bay, is among the most treacherous waterways. Countless ships were lost here in the 19th and early 20th centuries, and in 1967, Australia’s own Prime Minister Harold Holt disappeared while swimming off the coast, never to be found.

a seal swimming in Port Phillip Bay
A seal swimming in Port Phillip Bay. (Image: Tourism Australia/Two Palms/Harry Pope)

But for all its danger, the sea here also holds extraordinary beauty. Dolphins are often seen near Sorrento’s cliffs, while below the surface, seagrass meadows and rocky reefs teem with life. Marine tours offer a viewing to this underwater wonderland, while back on terra firma, walking trails lead along beaches, through coastal scrub, and over rock pools.

And if you think you’ll forget about the Mornington Peninsula once you’ve left? You’ve got Buckley’s chance.

A traveller’s checklist

Staying there

the suite interior at InterContinental Sorrento
Luxury interiors at the historic InterContinental Sorrento. (Image: Greg Elms)

Point Nepean Discovery Tents is immersive glamping beside the historic Quarantine Station. Or upgrade to luxury at the 1875-built InterContinental Sorrento .

Playing there

an aerial view of Cape Schanck Lighthouse
Make your way to the Cape Schanck Lighthouse. (Image: Tourism Australia/Two Palms/Harry Pope)

Bayplay Adventure Tours offer eco-adventures from snorkelling with sea dragons to kayaking with dolphins and cycling Point Nepean. Cape Schanck Lighthouse is fascinating to explore on a guided tour, which takes you into the lighthouse and keeper’s cottage.

Eating there

Portsea Hotel is a beautifully restored 1876 Tudor-style pub right on the beach, serving seasonal local fare.