The best Warrnambool caravan parks and camping spots

If you’re searching for an affordable place to enjoy a carefree beach break, there’s a Warrnambool caravan park or campground to suit your needs.

Looking to enjoy a beach break on a budget? Don’t overlook Warrnambool. This thriving city at the end of the Great Ocean Road has plenty of caravan and holiday parks to check into. From beach frontage to a peaceful haven by the river and a central spot near all the shops, cafes and restaurants, here are our picks of the best Warrnambool caravan parks and camping spots.

1. Surfside Holiday Park

an aerial view of Surfside Holiday Park, Warrnambool — Surfside Holiday Park offers direct beach access.

You can’t beat the location of this large, council-run holiday park . Just a short walk to the beach, Lake Pertobe and Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village, you can easily get around on foot or bike after you’ve arrived and settled in.

Book a basic cottage or brand-new beach chalet or check in to a powered or unpowered site if you’re a happy camper or caravanner. All the basic amenities you need for a top beach break are here (barbecues, laundries and camp kitchen) and with the beach pretty much on your doorstep, fun in the sun is just a short stroll away.

Address: 120 Pertobe Rd, Warrnambool

2. Shipwreck Bay Holiday Park

the Shipwreck Bay Holiday Park in Warrnambool — The Shipwreck Bay Holiday Park is renowned for its prized waterside location. (Image: Road Tripping Faucetts)

Also run by the local council, this beach-facing holiday park is mostly only open during peak times like summer, Easter and the Labour Day long weekend. The perfect place to pitch a tent or set up your caravan, this holiday park has plenty of powered and unpowered sites, plus barbecues, bathrooms, laundries, picnic tables and open grassy areas to enjoy. With a prized beachside location, this park is popular so be sure to book your spot early.

Address: 42 Pertobe Rd, Warrnambool

3. Warrnambool Holiday Park and Motel

a superior ensuite cabin at Warrnambool Holiday Park & Motel — The superior ensuite cabin can fit up to six guests.

Whether you’re travelling solo or with a big group of family and friends, there are plenty of accommodation options at this holiday park that’s just off the Princes Highway. From a simple studio apartment to an economy ensuite cabin for four guests, and a premium apartment sleeping up to eight people, there’s plenty of room for everyone here.

A solar-heated swimming pool and indoor games room equipped with a TV, video games and billiards table means you’re covered for things to do during cooler weather too. If you’re into fishing (tuna season is big in these parts) this holiday park is a boat-friendly place to set up base camp since there’s free boat storage and bait and ice available for sale at reception.

Address: 83 Simpson St, Warrnambool

4. Discovery Parks – Warrnambool

You’ll be nice and close to the beach at this dog-friendly park . A great option if you’re travelling with kids and pets, this park has a pool, playground, movie room, pedal karts and a rotating line-up of fun activities like scavenger hunts and art workshops to keep the little ones entertained throughout your stay. Stay in a cosy cabin, book a powered site for your van or an unpowered site for your tent or swag – there are options to suit different budgets and holiday styles here.

Address: 25 Pertobe Rd, Warrnambool

5. BIG4 Tasman Holiday Parks – Warrnambool

the outdoor deck at BIG4 Tasman Holiday Parks Warrnambool — Fire up the grill for some barbecue on the expansive outdoor deck.

Just a 10-minute stroll from the city centre, this pet-friendly holiday park puts you in prime position to enjoy Warrnambool’s restaurants, bars, pubs and cafes. Stay in the comfort of a cabin, unit or suite, pitch a tent on a grassy site or set your caravan up on a shady, powered site.

No matter which accommodation you choose, you’ll enjoy access to the park’s facilities including a swimming pool, infrared sauna, tennis court, basketball court, games room and playground.

Address: 33 Lava St, Warrnambool

6. Warrnambool Holiday Village

Conveniently located right near a few supermarkets, you’ll be all set to enjoy a self-catered, budget break at this neat and tidy holiday village . Each cabin includes a full kitchen, air conditioning and free Wi-Fi, while the shared kitchen and barbecue area are perfect for visitors booked into the powered caravan sites. If you love the convenience of staying in the centre of town, be sure to bookmark this holiday village.

Address: 81 Henna St, Warrnambool

7. NRMA Warrnambool Riverside Holiday Park

the outdoor pool at NRMA Warrnambool Riverside Holiday Park — Cool down in the outdoor pool.

Occupying a lovely spot on the Hopkins River, this peaceful holiday park has all the ingredients for a restorative break. An impressive range of facilities means you’ll never run out of things to do here.

Make a splash at the lagoon-style outdoor pool with a waterslide, swim some laps in the heated indoor pool, challenge yourself on the mini-golf course or find a summer read at the book exchange.

With accommodation options ranging from campsites to powered caravan sites, and cabins and villas to suit everyone from solo travellers to large families, you’ll be able to bed down here at a price point that suits your budget. Travelling with your pet? This park welcomes four-legged guests too.

Address: 125 Jubilee Park Rd, Warrnambool

Feed the family at the best restaurants in Warrnambool

The Great Ocean Road has captured the hearts of Australians with its astounding scenery since 1932, but going off-course can enrich your experience with untouched nature, foodie delights and charming towns.

It’s a chilly 16 degrees. My husband pulls on a steamer and jogs – as all seasoned surfers do – into the water. We’re at Bells Beach , the legendary break on Victoria’s Surf Coast that’s home to the Rip Curl Pro, the world’s longest-running event in competitive surfing. Each year, over the Easter long weekend, up to 40,000 people descend on the region for the event. Today, though, we have the beach almost to ourselves, and the less-than-favourable temperature doesn’t deter my husband from surfing this famous break.

Torquay to Anglesea and Aireys Inlet

The red dome of Split Point Lighthouse in Aireys Inlet. (Image: Tourism Australia)

The nearby surf town of Torquay marks the starting point for the Great Ocean Road . Unfolding our map, which we have marked out with a highlighted route for our children to follow, we set off for lesser-known Anglesea, a chilled-out town 20 minutes south of here. Its wide, sandy beach is a gentler swimming option for our young family. Groms can learn to surf here with Go Ride a Wave, which also runs stand-up paddle boarding on the Anglesea River.

Split point lookout — The lighthouse overlooks the Shipwreck Coast. (Image: Tourism Australia)

After a couple of nights in Anglesea, we hit the road again, first stopping at Aireys Inlet. Here we stretch our legs at Split Point Lighthouse, which was made famous by the 1990s television series Round the Twist, before driving under the Memorial Arch that welcomes us, officially, to the Great Ocean Road.

This 243-kilometre coastal road was built by returned First World War servicemen and serves as a permanent memorial to those who fought and died during the war. Carved into rock using hand tools and horse-drawn carts, it was a huge engineering feat and provided much-needed access to isolated coastal communities.

Lorne to Birregurra

Lorne is a delightful beachside stop for lunch and browsing boutique stores. It’s also the gateway to Great Otway National Park , which comprises a varied landscape of old-growth forests, cool-temperate rainforests, heathy woodlands and rugged coast. With the highest rainfall in Victoria, the region is home to many waterfalls – 10 of which are within 10 kilometres of Lorne.

Turning slightly off the main drag, we wind along a gum-shaded road to Erskine Falls. Here, our son leads the way through the hyper-green rainforest and down 200-plus stairs to the cascade that drops 30 metres into a lush fern gully. We hop over large boulders to get closer to the falls, enjoying the entire place to ourselves; it’s worth the return climb.

From Sheoak Falls Picnic Area, there are walking trails to Henderson Falls, Phantom Falls, Won Wondah Falls and Kalimna Falls, some of which follow an old timber tramway from forest-logging days, which only came to an end in 2008.

You can follow your appetite north to the town of Birregurra, which is part of the Otway Harvest Trail that connects farm gates, markets, wineries, breweries and distilleries. It’s home to three-hatted modern Australian restaurant Brae , helmed by celebrated chef Dan Hunter, set among native gardens and an organic farm, and Otways Distillery, which produces small-batch spirits using local produce and botanicals.

Brae restaurant — Brae is a three-hatted restaurant in Birregurra. (Image: Tourism Australia)

Apollo Bay to The Otways

Back on track, the cliff-hugging stretch between Lorne and Apollo Bay is breathtaking. At Teddys Lookout, we overlook the winding road ahead and St George River spilling into the ocean. We spend languid days in Apollo Bay, a buzzy seaside town that boasts a three-kilometre-long, crescent-shaped beach with a backdrop of rolling green hills. One evening, as the sun sets, we take the steep 10-minute walk to Marriners Lookout, which affords panoramic views of the ocean, hinterland and town.

A 15-minute drive along the road, Maits Rest is a lush rainforest gully that has been protected since the early 20th century. Wandering along the 800-metre boardwalk, we inspect the delicate moss-covered forest floor and the gnarled roots of 300-year-old myrtle beech trees, then crane our necks to see their canopies, some 50 metres above us. It’s therapy in nature.

Cape Otway to the Twelve Apostles

The southernmost tip of Cape Otway is a delightful detour, home to the 1848-built Cape Otway Lightstation, the oldest surviving lighthouse on mainland Australia. We climb the narrow winding staircase to the gallery deck, explore the keepers’ quarters and telegraph station, and enjoy a coffee and some ‘famous’ scones at the charming onsite cafe.

It’s a pinch-me moment to finally see the Twelve Apostles in person. This unmistakable cluster of limestone stacks rising abruptly from the sea were never 12, however. When coined this in the 1890s as a marketing ploy, there were only nine; today, only seven remain after two collapsed in 2005 and 2009. We admire these Aussie icons from the viewing platform, in awe of Mother Nature’s ever-evolving artwork.

The Grotto is another natural attraction within Port Campbell National Park. (Image: Carmen Zammit)

Edging the wild Southern Ocean, this part of the coast – dubbed Shipwreck Coast – is made up of many sea-carved natural wonders including London Bridge, The Grotto and Gibson Steps. After exploring the lookout trails of Loch Ard Gorge/Poombeeyt Kontapool – its English name taken from the site of the 1878 shipwreck – we nestle into the sandy beach encircled by towering sandstone cliffs, as our children splash about on the water’s edge, and soak it all in.

Port Campbell to Timboon

Timboon Fine Ice Cream is part of a regional foodie trail. (Image: C McConville)

Just north of Port Campbell National Park, the region of Timboon is part of the 12 Apostles Food Artisans Trail, filled with purveyors of delicious foodstuffs such as Timboon Fine Ice Cream , Timboon Railway Shed Distillery and Apostle Whey Cheese. As an antidote to the indulgence, the 20-kilometre Poorpa Yanyeen Meerreeng Trail is a self-guided ride or walk between Port Campbell and Timboon through tall forests, over historic bridges and past sparkling lakes and farmland with grazing cattle.

Warrnambool to Port Fairy

Warrnambool building — A 19th-century building in Warrnambool. (Image: Peter Foster)

In Warrnambool, a town rich in maritime history, we take the four-kilometre Thunder Point Walk that traces the coast. The kids squeal when an echidna shuffles out from beneath the wooden boardwalk, and we stop to admire a seal lazing on a rock at the port.

Further along, the streets of quaint fishing village Port Fairy are lined with 19th-century cottages, old stone churches and Norfolk pines. Follow the historic walking trail to see some of the 60-plus National Trust buildings. Port Fairy is also home to Port Fairy Folk Festival (6-9 March), one of the country’s longest-running music and cultural festivals. You could time your road trip with the event for a fittingly celebratory end to any journey.

The Great Ocean Road can easily be done in three days, but we’ve spent a week on the road. The highlighted line on our now creased and well-worn map doesn’t follow the famous route precisely. It has sprouted branches in many directions, leading us to untouched rainforest and charming rural towns filled with culinary delights, and where we experienced some of our most memorable moments on the Great Ocean Road.

A traveller’s checklist

Staying there

The Monty is a highly anticipated, newly refurbished motel with a chic Palm Springs-inspired aesthetic set across the road from the Anglesea River. Basalt Winery in Port Fairy grows cool-climate wines such as pinot noir and Riesling in rich volcanic soil. Stay among the vines in its tiny home, complete with a kitchen, lounge area and outdoor firepit.

The Oak & Anchor Hotel has been a Port Fairy institution since 1857. Cosy up by the bar in winter or bask in the sunshine of the Lawn Bar in summer. The rooms are beautifully boutique with considered details, such as luxe baths for sinking into post-road trip.

Eating there

The Coast in Anglesea is a modern Australian restaurant focused on local ingredients. Grand Pacific Hotel has been a local landmark in Lorne since 1879 and recently underwent a restoration. It serves a mix of traditional pub and Italian fare alongside ocean views.

Graze is a cosy 40-seat dining room in Apollo Bay with a modern Australian menu complemented by regional wines. Apollo Bay Distillery offers tasting flights, a gin blending masterclass and serves woodfired pizzas.

Our guide to the best Warrnambool caravan parks and camping spots