Coolendel Camp Grounds were recommended to us ten years ago by some friends. After being to a few other camp grounds, we were pleasantly surprised by how fantastic this little gem of a place is, and have been back many times since!
Coolendel is about three hours drive from Sydney’s North Shore and 30km west of Nowra on the Shoalhaven river. The last 11km of the journey into Coolendel is on dirt road, but it’s perfectly fine for regular vehicles. There are some hairpin bends, but a trailer can be driven down there. So when you arrive with your car all covered in dust, you’ll really feel like you’ve started the camping adventure!
Once you arrive, you can drive around the whole campsite and look for the perfect place to set up your camp. We always went there after Christmas and stayed for New Years – although very busy, there was still enough space for everybody. We always make sure we find a place with an open campfire (you must use pre-existing fire places only) and plenty of trees for some shade. Families tend to settle in the Main Camping area because it’s very close to the amenities block with hot showers and flushing toilets, but we preferred to camp at one of the other areas and have a couple of bicycles with us for fast trips up to the amenities block.
There’s plenty of room for everyone to set up camp
Throughout the day and night you can expect to share your campsite with peacocks, wombats, wallabies and goannas. Don’t be alarmed if you hear a wombat munching grass outside of your tent while you are going to sleep! Most of these animals are quite tame so you can have a photo with them.
Pack a cricket set for some mid-afternoon entertainment
You won’t be short of activities while staying there. We always pack a cricket set for a friendly match in the wide open spaces, a Frisbee and some board games. You can also go canoeing, fishing and easy or advanced bush walking. We even stumbled across a very old gold mine at Grassy Gully Creek! Go for a swim in the Shoalhaven river, take a lilo and float along and if you are brave, jump from the giant rock jump!
Go for a jump (and swim) in the Shoalhaven River
Make sure you pack a tarpaulin to fill up your boot with the fire wood at the main entrance so that you can get your fire started. The kiosk also sells ice, bread, milk, gas and snacks such as marshmallows for the camp fire!
If camping in tents isn’t really your thing, you can also stay in a two-bedroom cabin or the bunkhouse. It’s not a cheap camping area, but given what they provide I think its well worth the money. Being a private property and nature reserve, you cannot bring pets or generators. It is advisable to book ahead as they do limit the number of campers on the property.
