Outdoors Websites

Historical snapshotThis list was published by The Sydney Morning Herald and reprinted here with permission. It dates from the mid-2000s. I checked every address on it on 26/07/2026: of 25 websites listed, at least 16 no longer resolve, and a further 2 could not be reached from here. The list is kept exactly as it was published, because it is a record of what the web looked like to a working journalist at the time, and because this site does not quietly rewrite other people's articles. Treat it as history rather than as a set of recommendations. Note added 26/07/2026 by Michael Townsend.

Reprinted with permission of "The Sydney Morning Herald"

Camping: Are we there yet?

Happy campers: take a caravan and you can take your time exploring our Wide Brown Land. Several Web sites have comprehensive lists of caravan parks and camping spots.

Whether you prefer a tent, a caravan or sleeping au naturel under the stars, the great outdoors awaits, writes Lenny Ann Low.

Australian Bushwalking & Camping Reference Site

http://www.galactic.net.au/bushwalking

Camping and bushwalking devotees will rejoice. Part of the walkers' and hikers' Webring - a linked series of 189 Web sites - this hub includes information about 700 Australian national parks and reserves, more than 520 walks, tourist and camping spots, as well as a photo gallery, bushwalker's guide, tips, maps and tricks for outdoor exploration.

NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service

http://www.npws.nsw.gov.au

The diversity of environments in our state is revealed here showing rainforests, deserts, mangrove swamps, eucalypt forests, alpine herb fields, coastal heaths and grasslands. Learn more about our national parks, including the major threats to native plants and animals, and a guide to what cannot be brought in (pets) or taken out (native flora).

Bushwalking In Australia

http://www.bushwalking.org.au

A top stop for bushwalkers with tips on safety, clothing, equipment, food, grading of walks, what to look out for in the bush and a brilliant reference guide to the best books. Diligent hikers will know the official Bushwalker's Code by heart: "Be self-reliant.

Tread softly. Watch your safety. Pack it in, pack it out. Be hygienic. Keep water pure. Be very careful with fire ...".

Aus Outdoor - outdoor pursuits

http://www.flinders.com.au/koutpur.htm

South Australian "camping identity" Roscoe Shelton has listed his top three walking trails in Australia as: the traverse of the western Arthur Range in Tasmania; the Gammon Ranges National Park in South Australia, and the Great Dividing Range from the goldfield town of Kiandra across to Thredbo.

Australian Nudist Federation

http://www.aus-nude.org.au

Warning: this site contains nudity and lots of bare-bottomed people trying to sit comfortably. The 33-year-old Australian Nudist Federation assists campers who want that little extra freedom. The site provides plenty of camping and caravanning options. There are links to naturist clubs, resorts and businesses happy to accommodate nudists.

Stepping Out

http://www.tracks.vic.gov.au

A handy pull-down menu whisks you to tracks in the southern mainland, with a page dedicated to the walk lengths, amenities and so on of each. It advises on supplies and equipment. It warns you should not assume you will be within range for your mobile phone use. Send an electronic postcard of a spectacular mountain sunrise, or a misty creek, or download a natural vista screensaver.

Bureau of Meteorology

http://www.bom.gov.au

If you're planning a trip outdoors the one thing to ruin it is the weather. As well as forecasts, you will find handy information on fire bans, which is particularly useful going into bushfire season.

Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service

http://www.parks.tas.gov.au

Have a look at the wildlife slide show to see who you might meet in the island state - chocolate wattled bats, eastern quolls, pygmy and brush-tail possums, and potoroos, to name a few. Also has safety guidelines for when you come across a Tasmanian devil, quoll or snake.

National Parks - Environmental Protection Agency, Queensland

http://www.env.qld.gov.au/environment/park

About half of Queensland's national parks have been developed for public recreation and they are open almost year-round. This site drums in the message about permits (you'll be evicted if you don't have one) and explains how to get one. It has news on track closures and facility upgrades.

Environment ACT

http://www.environment.act.gov.au/ie4

It may be wee but the Australian Capital Territory has plenty of bush reserve to explore. This offering lists park locations, mountain-biking areas and cultural heritage sites. It also explains how to deal with swooping magpies during nesting season without having to resort to a tennis racket (magpies are a protected species).

Blue Mountains Australia Official Site

http://www.bluemountainstourism.org.au

The Blue Mountains National Park covers more than 240,000 hectares of bushland. This site lists 13 bushwalking areas and the 81 walks within them, and includes a fantastic reference guide for each. Information about walk lengths, birdlife, views and nearby camp sites is included. Walks are graded and warnings given if people from certain age groups or who have medical conditions should not be attempting them. Remember to advise friends or police of route and destination times.

Bushwalking and Travel (Danny Yee)

http://danny.oz.au/travel

"Somewhere around here it started to rain more seriously, and by the time we reached the top of White Pup the track down to the Coxs was very slippery. I fell three times, and must have strained my ankle, though I didn't notice it at the time." Relive Danny Yee's camping highs and lows through his bushwalking log. Also includes links to bushwalking clubs.

Caving Down-Under - Australia and New Zealand

http://www.cavepage.magna.com.au/cave/auscave.html

It's dark, it's damp but it's an intriguing sideline to camping. Speleologists, as cavers are known, scramble into dark recesses all over the world. The site features hot cave spots, vertical techniques and gripping stories of rescues. Check the lists of preloved caving gear for sale, links to caving newsgroups and lyrics to caving songs.

Welcome to Carry On Line

http://www.carryonline.com

OK, so it is not strictly a guide to camping, but Carry On Camping does have almost every sight-gag and tent-peg innuendo you could imagine, by Brit scallywags Sidney James and Bernard Bresslaw. Lots of accidental clothing removal, tent mishaps, washroom and bedroom mix-ups and embarrassments.

Welcome to Camping in New Zealand

http://www.2000.co.nz/holiday-2/camping-new-zealand

Boasts NZ's most extensive list of sites for camping, caravans and motorhomes, with links to locality descriptions. Pitch a tent beside the glory of the Bay of Plenty and spot a kiwi rustling in the undergrowth. Lists peak NZ holiday times and details special interest holidays.

Ecotourism Information Centre

http://lorenz.mur.csu.edu.au/ecotour/EcoTrHme.html

This site was developed by the biological and social science research centre at Charles Sturt University for eco-tourism professionals. If you have a hankering to set up an environmentally sound tourism venture there are links to eco-tourism associations. One operator gives anecdotal accounts of trying to please tourists looking for that special nature moment: "What do you mean, you can't guarantee whales on your whale-watching tour?"

Caravan Industry Australia - Caravanning, RVing Camping Australia

http://www.caravanaustralia.com.au

Not everyone wants to lie in a sleeping bag with the threat of leeches squelching in through an open tent flap. Once a great Aussie pasttime, caravanning has heavy competition from all-in-one campervans. There are true believers, however. A clickable map helps you source caravan parks and sites in the area and there is a list of the 2001 Caravan Park Award Winners.

Discount Camping Tents Australia

http://www.discountcamping.com.au

Established in 1969, this South Australian company accepts online orders and delivers across Australia. Portable chemical toilets, gas cookers, backpacks, sleeping bags, air mattresses, mosquito nets and a big range of tents. There is a picture of each item, prices and even a handy step-by-step tent assembly guide.

Camping Australia

http://www.charmantus.tzo.com

Primarily designed for motorhome owners, click links to individual state camp sites, motorhome rentals, and food and fuel prices. Each state link is broken down into regions and towns with information about where to park the family. Join the emailing list for motorhome camping updates and check the weather on a meteorological map (the satellite image is updated every three hours).

Tourism NSW

http://www.tourism.nsw.gov.au

This is pretty flash, very detailed but quite hard to fathom if you simply want to go camping. Select a destination and the site lists tourist spots in that vicinity. The suggested guesthouses, hotels and resorts make a perfect plan B to any proposed camping expedition for those who simply can't survive without room service.

Bush Tucker Man Unofficial Home Page

http://members.ozemail.com.au/~canine/bushtucker/

Ex-Australian Army major Les Hiddens was a familiar sight on local TV screens with his bashed Akubra, broad grin and crouching "Aussie pozzie", as comedian Greg Fleet once termed it. Touring remote parts of Australia, the Bush Tucker Man demonstrated outback survival skills and pointed out such exotic bush dishes as rotten cheese fruit, lemon/lime ants, witchetty grubs and baked turtle. Armchair campers, or those with extreme camping ambitions, can get tips from TV episode listings and descriptions, links to BTM interviews and sound files, info on BTM's model of Land Rover and details about where to get your own version of his hat.

Australia/Papua New Guinea Emergency Snakebite

http://www.xmission.com/~gastown/herpmed/aubite.htm

Step-by-step instructions of what to do if bitten by a venomous snake, and what not to do, and also what you should tell them at the hospital. Big no-nos include trying to catch the snake, for identification later at the hospital, washing or cutting the bite, applying tight tourniquets or using "any form of electrical shock treatment". Best advice? Apply a pressure bandage to the bite site, immobilise the affected area and contact the nearest hospital as soon as possible.

New South Wales Fire Brigades

http://www.nswfb.nsw.gov.au

Click on "Safety" for an exhaustive list of life-saving procedures if caught in a bushfire. The best place to be is low to the ground, as the air is fresher, and the brigade advises campers to seek shelter, if possible, in a vehicle or a large body of water. Never run uphill from a fire as bushfires burn faster up an incline, and do not attempt to run through a bushfire unless flames are under one metre.

Pathfinders

Orienteering Australia

http://www.sportnet.com.au/orienteering

You could call this competitive camping except that there is little time to put up a tent. Using a map and compass, the aim of orienteering is to make your way from one designated checkpoint to another in the shortest time possible. Includes information on foot-orienteering, mountainbike orienteering, ski-orienteering and trail-orienteering. For athletic campers rather than those preferring to munch on marshmallows beside a campfire.

Australian Wilderness Photo Gallery

http://www.ginini.com.au/wilderness

Hosted by photographer Peter Sundstrom, click on thumbnail pictures for beautiful photographs documenting bushwalking areas in national parks in the ACT, NSW, Victoria, Queensland and Tasmania. Top spots include the South Coast Track in Tasmania, Hinchinbrook Island in Queensland and Victoria's Mt Buffalo and Wilsons Promontory.

Happy camping

The caravan and camping industry is worth in excess of $1.5 billion annually to the Australian economy, according to Caravan Industry Australia (CIA). The CIA estimate that Australia has almost 3,000 caravan parks and camping grounds providing about 200,000 holiday sites and 90,000 long-term sites.