Banksia Bluff Campground

A women walks her small dog through a camping setup around a campfire next to a small boy and another women preparing food on a foldout table

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Banksia Bluff Campground

Banksia Bluff is a tranquil wooded campground where the peace is only broken by dawn chorus and waves crashing off Bass Strait. Set up camp among mahogany gum and banksia woodland and explore the unique coastal playground. 

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Banksia Bluff Campground is perfect for families wanting to escape the big smoke and get a taste for nature. Set among mahogany and banksia woodland, the beautiful campground backs onto the wild Southern Ocean.

Relax at camp or explore on foot. Follow the Estuary view trail and take in the rich diversity of flora and fauna found in the lower reaches of the Yeerung River or the Cape Conran Nature Trail highlights white sandy beaches, rock pools, boardwalks, banksia woodlands and Aboriginal history of the coast.

If you're a keen angler, bring your fishing gear and cast a line off West Cape. Salmon, flathead and gummy sharks are plentiful. For the experienced diver, Beware Reef Marine Sanctuary hides three shipwrecks and a colourful underwater world.

Banksia Bluff Campground offers unpowered dog friendly and non-dog friendly campsites. Refer to the campground map and campsite selection guide to see which areas and sites are suitable to your equipment and book a dog-friendly site if you’d like to camp with your furry friend. Please note that your dog must be on a lead at all times. Campfires are permitted on select sites within the provided campfire ring. Bore water on tap is not suitable for consumption so bring your own water. Flushing toilets and outdoor cold showers are available.

Things to do in the area

Two men cast fishing lines on a beach.

East Cape

East Cape is a good spot for a picnic offering gas barbecues and picnic tables. There are also a number of walks from the visitor area.
Two women stand-up paddle boarders paddle up the Yeerung River.

Yeerung Gorge

Yeerung Gorge - a jewel on the Cape - is a surprising landform that harbours some unusual vegetation associations and contains several deep dark rock pools fed by the babbling East Yeerung River.

How to get there

Banksia Bluff Campground

Cape Conran Coastal Park is in East Gippsland approximately 420km east of Melbourne and 530km south of Sydney. When travelling from the west along the Princess Highway, take the Orbost exit and follow the signs through Marlo and on to the park. From the east, turn off the Princess Highway at Cabbage Tree Creek Road and follow the road on towards Banksia Bluff Campground.
Banksia Bluff Campground

Sites

When you're there

Banksia Bluff Campground is the main camping area within Cape Conran Coastal Park.

Download the visitor guide, campground map and campsite selection guide for further information.

The Banksia Bluff Office is open daily, with a range of retail items including ice, gas and firewood available for purchase. Nearby Marlo (17km) has fuel and basic convenience supplies. Orbost (34kms) has fuel, supermarket, chemist, medical and veterinary services.

Banksia Bluff Campground

The unspoilt beaches of Cape Conran married with the warmer weather of summer makes for perfect beachcombing conditions.

Just off the coast of Cape Conran Coastal Park, Beware Reef Marine Sanctuary hides some over 1000 fish species, three shipwrecks and colourful underwater ecosystems. Experienced divers, head to Beware Reef to see this unique underwater world for yourself.

Need to know

Banksia Bluff Campground

Drinking water and firewood

Bring your own drinking and cooking. The bore water on tap at Banksia Bluff campground is not suitable for consumption.

Bring your own firewood as firewood collection and the use of chainsaws within Cape Conran Coastal Park is not permitted, alternatively you can purchase firewood from the Banksia Bluff Office. All campfires must be contained in designated firepits and not left unattended.

All sites are un-powered, and the use of generators is not permitted.

Dogs

Dog friendly campsites are within loops C,D,E,F (sites 68 - 135). Dogs must always be on a leash and not left unattended. Paralysis ticks that are found in coastal areas of East Gippsland and you should search your dog daily for ticks. Ticks range in size from a few millimetres to the size of a small fingernail. If you find a tick, remove it using a pair of tweezers or your fingers.

Accessibility

The majority of campsites at Banksia Bluff Campground are on compacted sand and grassed areas, with natural undulation, uneven ground and some slope in areas.

Amenities are basic with a cold outdoor beach shower and flushing toilets. Accessible toilets are in Loops C and F.

 

Pathways around the campground, to amenities and the beach are generally unformed, and not graded for accessibility. Access to the beach is down sloped paths including stairs. Loop F does not have stairs.

 

Beach access

Many beaches at Cape Conran Coastal Park have strong undertows, rips and a steep ocean floor. Ocean waves can crash along rocky shorelines catching people unawares. Always keep an eye to the sea. Beaches are not supervised by Surf Life Saving patrols.

Be prepared and stay safe

Cape Conran Coastal Park is in the East Gippsland fire district. Bushfire safety is a personal responsibility. Anyone entering the park during the bushfire season needs to stay aware of forecast weather conditions. Check the Fire Danger Rating and for days of Total Fire Ban at emergency.vic.gov.au, on the Vic Emergency App or call the Vic Emergency Hotline 1800 226 226.

No fires may be lit on Total Fire Ban days. On Catastrophic Fire Danger Rating days this park will be closed for public safety. Closure signs will be erected but do not expect an official warning.

Change of Conditions

Nature being nature, sometimes conditions can change at short notice. It’s a good idea to check this page ahead of your visit for any updates.

  • Cape Conran Coastal Park

    Cowrie bay access closed

    Access to Cowrie bay from the Nature trail (eastern side - circled red on map) is closed until June 30th while track works are completed. 
     
    Cowrie bay can still be reached from the western side of the Nature trail (circled green on the map).

    Attachments: track log-PV87647 (40KB)

    Flood and storm related impacts to tracks and campgrounds

    • Pearl Point Rd between Bemm River township & Pearl Point - open - suitable for 4WD only.
    • East Yeerung Track – access via Yeerung bridge closed.  Access via Old Coast rd - open - suitable for 4WD only
    • Yeerung Bridge - open to pedestrians only
    • Swampy Ridges Track - closed
    • Hekarwe Track - closed
    • East Cape Boardwalk - closed for fire recovery rebuild

  • Notices Affecting Multiple Sites

    Dog Friendly Parks

    The wet and warmer weather has brought paralysis ticks out in record numbers. Paralysis ticks are known in Coastal and near by Coastal areas and rainforest gullies.


    Keep your dog on lead in permitted parks


    Dogs are permitted in many parks and reserves provided they are under control and on leads at all times. Visitors should keep their dog on-lead except in designated off-lead areas. Keeping your dog on a lead ensures you both have a safe park visit.
    • Poison baits may be laid to control foxes or other feral animals. Baits can be fatal to dogs.
    • Even if your dog is friendly, other dogs may not be.
    • Your dog can catch parasites (such as fleas and ticks) from wildlife.
    • Snake bites are a real risk in natural areas such as parks.
    • Wildlife such as kangaroos and koalas will defend themselves if threatened by a dog and can cause significant injury to or the death of your dog.

    Dog-friendly code of conduct

    • Consider other park users and ensure that dogs are always kept under effective control.
    • Always carry a lead, even when in off-lead areas.
    • Bring a friend if you wish to walk with more than two dogs.
    • Ensure children are supervised whilst near dogs, as they are vulnerable to attack.
    • Ensure your dog’s identification, registration and vaccinations are up to date.
    • Minimise any disturbance to native fauna, including birdlife in the park.
    • Clean up after your dog and take all rubbish home.

    Camping area coordinates

    Access to Dock Inlet Walk camping area from the beach can be identified from a white totem pole on the sand dune, or by following coordinates: Latitude -37.784001, Longitude 148.847296. 

    Attachments: Dock Inlet Walk camping area coordinates and map (1,024KB)

  • Banksia Bluff Campground (Cape Conran Coastal Park)

    Road Condition - Yeerung River Road

    Civil repairs along Yeerung Road are currently suspended while we undertake assessments to better support the protection of cultural heritage during works in the park and to better protect of cultural heritage in the long term.
    Yeerung Road remains open to vehicles. Drivers should adjust to the conditions, and be aware of potholes, rough and uneven surfaces.

    Road Condition - Yeerung River Road

    Civil repairs along Yeerung Road are currently suspended while we undertake assessments to better support the protection of cultural heritage during works in the park and to better protect of cultural heritage in the long term.
    Yeerung Road remains open to vehicles. Drivers should adjust to the conditions, and be aware of potholes, rough and uneven surfaces.

  • Notices Affecting Multiple Parks

    Ground shooting operations targeting deer

    Control operations (ground shooting) targeting deer are undertaken in this area.  The Park will remain open to visitors during operations.
     
    For more information about deer control to protect biodiversity, please visit this link.

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