Where to for Free Camping in Victoria? Half-Price Fees, Dispersed Sites and 4WD-Friendly Spots
If you’re planning trips around Victoria over the next couple of years, there’s some good news. Parks Victoria has confirmed that the half-price camping fees will continue from 1 July 2025 for another two years at bookable campgrounds. For anyone travelling with a 4WD, a camper trailer, or a more remote setup, that’s actually pretty decent. Cheaper camping means more nights out bush without smashing the budget.
On top of that, a lot of people forget that dispersed or bush camping is still allowed in plenty of Victorian parks. These aren’t formal campgrounds — they’re the spots with no toilets, no facilities and usually no phone reception. They’re the places where you actually get peace and quiet. The catch is you need to be fully self-sufficient and, in a lot of cases, you’ll need a proper 4WD to get in and out safely.
Some parks also list certain campgrounds as 4WD access only, or suitable for bigger rigs like camper trailers and off-road caravans. Not every site allows caravans, and not every track is suitable for a big setup. It pays to check ahead so you don’t get stuck halfway down a track with nowhere to turn around.
Here are a few general tips for planning 4WD-friendly camping in Victoria:
• Look for the remote camps that haven’t been commercialised. These are usually the spots with the most character
• Take the time to check the access notes on the Parks Victoria site — some tracks change a lot after rain
• Dispersed camping means thinking ahead: extra water, recovery gear, and some sort of comms if you’re going properly remote
• The half-price fee still applies to a heap of the better bookable campgrounds, so if you want something a bit more structured without paying too much, it’s worth a look
Over the next little while, I’m planning a run of posts and videos that cover some of Victoria’s more interesting 4WD-accessible camps. If you’ve got a spot you reckon deserves a look — hidden gems, river flats, forest tracks, whatever — let me know and I’ll check it out on a trip.