Escape the city at these top Coffs Harbour camping grounds in and around town.

The thought of stargazing under a sky freckled with light, sleeping under canvas and breathing in fresh air has never been more appealing. From private, one-site only campsites to the creature comforts of a kitchen, bathroom and even waterslides, here are our favourite spots for camping in Coffs Harbour and across the Coffs Coast.

1. Big4 Park Beach Holiday Park

Rest right near the wave-kissed coastline at Big4 Park Beach Holiday Park. A wonderland for kids, it’s only a few footsteps from Park Beach so you’ll spy barefoot grommets ducking in and out of Coffs Harbour’s main surf beach between rounds of mini golf, dips in the outdoor pool and water slides, backflips on the jumping pillow, stints in the games room and sessions at the kids’ club. For the grownups, there’s Parkies Poolside Cafe for easy meal prep and you’re within walking distance to Donovan’s Surf Club Restaurant & Bar, one of the best pubs in the Coffs Coast region. Cabins and villas provide excellent four-walled accommodation however it’s often more fun setting up your own caravan, tent or trailer at one of the park’s powered or unpowered sites.

Address: 1 Ocean Parade, Coffs Harbour

2. Sapphire Beach Holiday Park

Idyllic beaches are just a short stroll away from Sapphire Beach Holiday Park, a Coffs Harbour campsite with its own billabong located in a quiet, shady pocket of lush, subtropical rainforest. From there, you can surf, fish, go on gentle hikes or chill by the swimming pool, which serves as a hub for happy campers. While its prime coastline location, just 50 metres from the sand and surf, is the main draw, the family-family choice also has a nine-hole golf course, a games room, a camp kitchen and playground.

Address: 48 Split Solitary Road, Coffs Harbour

3. Mojosurf Camp Spot X

If sitting around the campfire playing guitar with a bunch of grizzled surfers sounds like your idea of nirvana, then mark Mojosurf Camp Spot X on the map. The absolute beachfront campsite in the town of Arrawarra, 31 kilometres north of Coffs Harbour, will suit action heroes also into kayaking, volleyball, and surf rafting. Those entirely new to the sport of surfing might also want to join the Academy and become an instructor themselves through a three-month process. Creature comforts include a cooking area, wi-fi, hammocks, a movie room, a laundry and cabins with small ensuites.

Address: 46 Arrawarra Beach Road, Arrawarra

4. Reflections Coffs Harbour

In town to tick off the Big Banana? You’re not alone. Visitors to the Coffs Coast flock to the country’s most famed Big Thing and Reflections Coffs Harbour puts you right down the road from it. Whether you’re here with your caravan or canvas, or seeking a secure cabin, this park offers plenty of amenities to keep you comfortable.

Choose from one or two-bedroom stays or powered and unpowered sites and take advantage of the park’s laundry, amenity blocks, camp kitchen, kiosk, barbecue area, fire pit, dog wash (yep, furry pals are welcome), a bushtucker and herb garden, school holiday activities, dump point and more.

Address: 123 Pacific Highway, Coffs Harbour

5. Banana Coast Caravan Park

Sure, it’s on the highway but Banana Coast Caravan Park puts you in prime position to tick off many of the Coffs Coast’s hot spots. Within walking distance to the beautifully secluded Charlesworth Bay Beach, less than five minutes in the car to the Big Banana and right on track to dip in and out of the Coffs Coast’s most charming beach towns, it’s a convenient option with cabins plus individual camping sites. A swimming pool, kids’ playground, barbecue area, laundry facilities, tennis court and convenience store are all located within the grounds.

Address: 429 Pacific Highway, Coffs Harbour

6. Woolgoolga Lakeside Holiday Park

Looking for a stripped-back stay to allow for ample nothingness? Woolgoolga Lakeside Holiday Park is a peaceful option. Choose from a range of villas, cabins, unpowered and powered sites as shimmering lake views and golden sand beaches encourage unbridled unwinding. There’s a large amenities block, barbecue shelters, a swimming pool, dog wash, dump point, recycling station, playground (across the road from the park’s entry) and laundry facilities to take advantage of.

Address: 80 Lake Road, Woolgoolga

7. Woolgoolga Beach Holiday Park

Located just a few steps from the coastline, Woolgoolga Beach Holiday Park puts you in the heart of the Coffs Coast’s suburb’s fabulous beach culture. Whether you’re strolling the short walk up to Woolgoolga Headland to spy on whales or seizing a sun-soaked beach day, this is a small spot for relaxed camping with a few key amenities. Powered and unpowered sites are up for grabs, as are one, two and three-bedroom villas with beach views. Plus, there’s a camp kitchen, amenities block, laundry, dump point and playground to help add comfort.

Address: 12 Wharf Street, Woolgoolga

8. Big4 Sawtell Beach Holiday Park

Offering beautiful bushwalking trails and pristine creek-to-beach action, Big4 Sawtell Beach Holiday Park is yet another one of the chain’s typically picturesque locations stacked with amenities. Catering to caravan and canvas right off Sawtell Beach and offering a range of cabins, the Coffs Coast caravan park is filled with a modern camp kitchen, a swimming pool, tennis court, BMX track, playground, convenience store, everything you need for a game of croquet and hireable paddle boards to help you embrace that ultra-serene water. Bonus: it’s located next to a bowls club so grabbing a laidback drink and meal is easy.

Address: 5 Lyons Road, Sawtell

9. Darlington Beach Holiday Resort

Darlington Beach Holiday Resort gets the gong for one of the most family-friendly parks on the Coffs Coast, with everything from a pump track to waterslides and pools, a nine-hole golf course, giant bouncing pillow, kids club, the Bear Grylls Survival Academy for kids (which is exactly what it sounds like) and lawn bowls. Drone shots of the park show the familiar Coffs Coast palette of blues and greens as the park is in prime position on Arrawarra Beach, which is necklaced by subtropical forest. Book your break in a spacious villa, safari tent, caravan or campsite.

Address: 134 Eggins Close, Arrawarra

10. Moonee Beach Holiday Park

Moonee Beach Holiday Park leans gently into the landscape near beautiful Moonee Beach, which is wild and flat, and has prime spots on offer by the beach and creek which snakes inland past the park. Coffs Harbour’s year-round weather makes the park ideal for surfing and seaside frolics and fishos will love the fact they are so near to the neighbouring estuary. The pet-friendly park is only a 10-minute drive to the Big Banana and choc-coated frozen banana heaven.

Address: 50 Moonee Beach Road, Moonee Beach

11. Emerald Beach Holiday & Caravan Park

Unplug from your smartphone and pitch a tent on an unpowered site at Emerald Beach Holiday Park  to start releasing your escape valve. For families and those who like their creature comforts, the park also has a swimming pool, bouncing pillow and waterpark as well as cabins and powered sites for campers and caravanners. The park, 30 minutes from Coffs Harbour, is an ideal base for surfers who want to catch a few lefthander waves at Emerald Beach, a not-so-hidden gem.

Address: 73 Fisherman’s Drive, Emerald Beach

12. Reflections Red Rock Holiday & Caravan Park

Parents of fur babies will appreciate the fact their four-legged friends are permitted at Reflections Red Rock Holiday & Caravan Park during the off-peak season. This hot spot, located 30 minutes away from Coffs Harbour, ticks off all the icons when it comes to facilities: a barbecue area, wi-fi, great fishing, a boat ramp, laundry, camp kitchen, school holiday activities, dump point, dog wash, table tennis and more.

The best thing about this old-school holiday park, which has powered and unpowered sites, cottages and glamping tents, is its proximity to untamed coastline.

Address: 1 Lawson Street, Red Rock

13. Coffs Harbour Camping & 4WD

Keen to find your hinterland fix in the stunning Orara Valley? Book a spot at Coffs Harbour Camping & 4WD, five minutes from Nana Glen, one of the region’s hidden-gem towns, to immerse yourself in the lush, 4WD-friendly bushland. The space itself sprawls across 230 acres so there’s plenty of space to keep your setup rather private.

Offering direct access to the Lower Bucca State Forest, the campsite welcomes caravans, motorhomes and tents as well as your adventure wheels. You’ll find fire pits and a shared toilet on-site plus pets are welcome though you’ll just have to run it past the team.

Address: 1119 Bucca Road, Bucca

This article was originally written by Carla Grossetti with updates by Kristie Lau-Adams

For more unexpected wonders of the Coffs Coast, read our guide to Coffs Harbour and beyond.