Nature-lovers in NSW will soon have the option to arrive at camp a lot lighter, thanks to the introduction of supported camping in select campgrounds.

From 1 November, 17 campgrounds in NSW National Parks are giving campers the ability to hire gear that can be delivered, set up, and packed down, right at their campsite. This gives people the best of both worlds: to enjoy a night in nature without the associated headache (and cost) of having to BYO camping kit. 

The select campgrounds can be found across Sydney, the Central Coast, South Coast, Blue Mountains, Southern Ranges, and Central West.

How does supported camping work?

Sixteen campgrounds will support equipment hire via Camplify, an online marketplace that allows individuals to rent their equipped camper trailers, caravans, campervans, and motorhomes to other campers at an owner-set rate. It’s expected the average cost of hiring a caravan will be $165 per night.

Meanwhile, bell tent hire via The Glamping Nomad will return to The Basin Campground where it was available between 2015 and 2024. Prices begin at $380 for two people for a minimum of two nights, with additional camping equipment such as camp chairs, tables, and coolers available to rent at additional cost.

‘Visitors can book their campsite through the usual National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) booking system and then arrange equipment hire directly through the providers’, said NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service Deputy Secretary, Alex Graham. Campers will need to book a site appropriate for the hired gear and share their booking reference number with the supplier. 

Who is supported camping for?

Outdoor adventurer Michael Atkinson, AKA Outback Mike, who has drawn attention to changes in NSW National Parks in the past, agrees with the initiative for the most part, saying many people don’t have an appropriate car for towing trailers or caravans. However he questioned whether it was the responsibility of the National Parks and Wildlife Service to provide this service.

‘I don’t feel that national parks need to go out of their way to cater for people like that because I feel there are plenty of other caravan parks’, he said. ‘But if it does get people out there, we do have to look at the benefits – their happiness, their valuation of nature.’ 

Atkinson is also a fan of gear hire as it allows people to try camping as a hobby and assess different arrangements before buying gear for themselves, potentially saving plastic waste from landfill. 

‘I just think of a family that lives in Sydney that wants to go camping and spends $2000 on camping gear. They’ve just created all this extra plastic and waste that sits there and gets chucked out in twenty years time’, Atkinson said. ‘If that can be avoided, that’s good.’

Which campgrounds offer supported camping?

The 17 participating campgrounds are:

• The Basin Campground in Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park
• Wombeyan Caves Campground in Wombeyan Karst Conservation Reserve
• Killalea Campground in Killalea Regional Park
• Camp Blackman in Warrumbungle National Park
• Coorongooba Campground in Wollemi National Park
• Thredbo Diggings Campground in Kosciuszko National Park
• Dunphys Campground in Blue Mountains National Park
• Pretty Beach Campground in Murramarang National Park
• Mill Creek Campground in Dharug National Park
• Hobart Beach Campground in Bournda National Park
• Ganguddy-Dunns Swamp Campground in Wollemi National Park
• Freemans Campground in Munmorah State Conservation Area
• The Ruins Campground in Booti Booti National Park
• Abercrombie Caves Campground in Abercrombie Karst Conservation Reserve
• Depot Beach Campground in Murramarang National Park
• Picnic Point Campground in Mimosa Rocks National Park
• Ngarigo Campground in Kosciuszko National Park

‘We’ve carefully selected participating campgrounds by looking at facilities, site suitability, and existing occupancy levels to ensure campgrounds have the capacity to welcome people using hired equipment, while maintaining a great experience for all visitors’, Mr Graham said.

There are no current plans to extend supported camping services to additional campgrounds.

Equal booking access for all campers

In 2025, NPWS originally sought expressions of interest for suppliers to provide supported camping at 23 campgrounds, but reduced this to 17. This was one of several changes from the original plan, including reversing the controversial option to give suppliers the ability to book sites six months in advance of the general public. 

‘As we worked through how the services would operate, we considered feedback about fair access and refined the final approach to ensure all visitors have the same access to campsites’, said Mr Graham.  

Atkinson has praised this change to the plan. ‘It would have incentivised ghost bookings, so this is much fairer’, he said.