Depot Beach campground

Murramarang National Park

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Overview

Depot Beach campground in Murramarang National Park is right by the beach and perfect for a family camping holiday. Spend your days swimming, snorkelling, and fishing.

Accommodation Details
Number of campsites 59
Camping type Tent, Camper trailer site, Caravan site, Camping beside my vehicle
Where 2B Depot Beach Road, Depot Beach, NSW, 2536 - in Murramarang National Park
Facilities Picnic tables, barbecue facilities, carpark, drinking water, showers, toilets, electric power
Equipment provided No. Water is available at this campground but it’s tank water so you’ll need to boil or treat it before drinking. Bring your own drinking water if you prefer.
What to bring Food supplies
Entry fees

Park entry fees are not included in your camping fees.

Group bookings Book up to 40 people or 9 sites online. For larger groups, make a group booking enquiry.
Please note
  • Check in 12pm, check out 11am. Fees may apply for late checkouts. 
  • You must check in to the on-site office to confirm your site number. Please check the whiteboard if the office is unattended.

Set amongst the beautiful spotted gums native to the area, the location is perfectly idyllic for a weekend away. Once you’ve set up your tent, swag, camper trailer or caravan you’ll never want to leave.

The beach is just a couple of minutes' walk away and is the perfect spot to go for a swim, a snorkel, or relax with a book on the golden sand. There are great spots for fishing, and if you’re lucky, you’ll catch a glimpse of the local dolphins that seem to love this part of the coastline too. Once you’ve had enough of the sun and sand, both Rock Platform walk - Depot Beach and Depot Beach Rainforest walk leave from this area.

After a day of beach-dwelling, you can relax at your campsite, watching kangaroos graze on the surrounding grass and enjoying a tasty camp dinner as the night sky come alive with stars. You’re bound to feel a million miles from home.

Take a virtual tour of Depot Beach campground captured with Google Street View Trekker.

For directions, safety and practical information, see visitor info

Map


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Current alerts in this area

There are no current alerts in this area.

Local alerts

For the latest updates on fires, closures and other alerts in this area, see https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/camping-and-accommodation/campgrounds/depot-beach-campground/local-alerts

Bookings

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Park info

See more visitor info

Visitor info

All the practical information you need to know about Depot Beach campground.

Getting there and parking

Get driving directions

Get directions

    Depot Beach campground is in the central precinct of Murramarang National Park. To get there:

    • From the Princes Highway enter the national park via Mount Agony Road
    • Take the right fork onto North Durras Road
    • Then take Depot Beach Road to the campground

    Road quality

    • Sealed roads

    Vehicle access

    • 2WD vehicles

    Weather restrictions

    • All weather

    Parking

    • Parking is available on your campsite for 1 vehicle.
    • Parking for tent-only sites is available on the perimeter of the tent-only camp area.
    • Limited additional parking is available within Depot Beach campground carpark.

    Best times to visit

    There are lots of great things waiting for you in Murramarang National Park. Here are some of the highlights.

    Spring

    Spring is a great time to dust off your hiking boots and take to the park's tracks. Try the Pretty Beach to Durras Mountain walk for spectacular views of the coast and ranges.

    Summer

    There's no better time to head down the coast and catch some sunshine. With crystal clear waters for swimming and snorkelling, a beach camping trip is the ideal way to enjoy the Aussie summer.

    Winter

    Birdwatching opportunities abound at this time of year, see if you can catch the courting displays of lyrebirds in the park's rainforest areas.

    Weather, temperature and rainfall

    Summer temperature

    Average

    16°C and 25°C

    Highest recorded

    43.3°C

    Winter temperature

    Average

    7°C and 16°C

    Lowest recorded

    0°C

    Rainfall

    Wettest month

    March

    Driest month

    August

    The area’s highest recorded rainfall in one day

    275.3mm

    Facilities

    • Campsites are marked. Sites are suitable for caravans, camper trailers, campervans and tents.
    • Water is available at this campground but it’s tank water so you’ll need to boil or treat it before drinking.
    • You can buy firewood, gas (swap-and-go) and ice at the campground office.
    • Please place your rubbish in the bins provided.

    Toilets

    • Flush toilets

    Picnic tables

    Barbecue facilities

    Shared covered picnic shelters with gas barbecues and a pizza oven. You can buy firewood at the campground office.

    • Gas/electric barbecues (free)
    • Fire rings

    Carpark

    Drinking water

    Water is available at this campground but it’s tank water so you’ll need to boil or treat it before drinking. Bring your own drinking water if you prefer.

    Showers

    • Hot showers

    Electric power

    Powered and unpowered sites are available. Power is not available elsewhere in the campground.

    Maps and downloads

    Safety messages

    Beach safety

    Beaches in this park are not patrolled, and can sometimes have strong rips and currents. These beach safety tips will help you and your family stay safe in the water.

    Camping safety

    Whether you're pitching your tent on the coast or up on the mountains, there are many things to consider when camping in NSW national parks. Find out how to stay safe when camping.

    Fire safety

    During periods of fire weather, the Commissioner of the NSW Rural Fire Service may declare a total fire ban for particular NSW fire areas, or statewide. Learn more about total fire bans and fire safety.

    Fishing safety

    Fishing from a boat, the beach or by the river is a popular activity for many national park visitors. If you’re planning a day out fishing, check out these fishing safety tips.

    Mobile safety

    Dial Triple Zero (000) in an emergency. Download the Emergency Plus app before you visit, it helps emergency services locate you using your smartphone's GPS. Please note there is limited mobile phone reception in this park and you’ll need mobile reception to call Triple Zero (000).

    Accessibility

    Disability access level - medium

    • Assistance may be required to access this area
    • The campground has a wheelchair-accessible toilet and shower accessed via ramp
    • The beach can be reached with assistance.

    Permitted

    Camp fires and solid fuel burners

    Fires are permitted only in the fire rings provided. BYO firewood or purchase on-site. No fires may be lit on the ground.

    Prohibited

    Gathering firewood

    Firewood may not be collected from the park.

    Generators

    Pets

    Pets and domestic animals (other than certified assistance animals) are not permitted. Find out which regional parks allow dog walking and see the pets in parks policy for more information.

    Smoking

    NSW national parks are no smoking areas.

    Learn more

    Depot Beach campground is in Murramarang National Park. Here are just some of the reasons why this park is special:

    Bird watching

    Murramarang National Park. Photo: David Finnegan

    Birdwatchers are in for a treat; the park boasts more than 90 species of birdlife including three owl species, peregrine falcons, sea eagles, gannets, shearwaters, white-faced storm petrels, sooty oystercatchers, eastern yellow robins, satin bowerbirds, the rufous fantail and even a penguin colony. Look for the sea eagles and peregrine falcons soaring above the park’s cliffs and headlands and the rufous fantails and eastern yellow robins in rainforest gullies around Durras Mountain. You’re most likely to see sooty oystercatchers wading around the edges of lake areas.

    Native animals

    Australian King-parrot (Alisterus scapularis), Murramarang National Park. Photo: David Finnegan

    There’s an abundance of wildlife living in Murramarang National Park, but by far one of the highlights is seeing eastern grey kangaroos that spend their days dozing near the beaches and by campgrounds until dusk when they gather to feed. In the moist forests of the park you might see lyrebirds fossicking in leaf litter. Look for the stately, strutting wonga pigeon with its pastel blue-grey back feathers and black dotted stomach. If you don’t see it, you may well hear its repetitive, deep ‘whoop, whoop’ call that carries through the forest.

    • Burrawang walking track Burrawang walking track, across Depot Beach Headland, features scenic coastal views, forests and birdwatching in Murramarang National Park, near Batemans Bay.
    • Richmond Beach Richmond Beach is one of Murramarang’s hidden treasures. Just 50m from the carpark on an easy walking track you can enjoy picnicking, swimming, snorkelling, fishing and paddling.

    Native vegetation

    Dark Beach walking track, Murramarang National Park. Photo:Michael Van Ewijk

    One of the really special things in Murramarang is the forest of majestic spotted gums; it’s one of the biggest continuous stands in NSW. With an understorey of burrawang palms, the forest stretches right down to the ocean and is truly a sight to see. You’ll easily recognise the spotted gums – they have a smooth, dimpled bark which is shed in summer to produce a mottled cream and grey ‘spotted’ appearance.

    • Dark Beach walking track Dark Beach walking track leads to a secluded beach with unique rock formations in Murramarang National Park. Ideal for fishing, swimming and snorkelling.
    • Depot Beach Rainforest walk Depot Beach marks the start and end of this easy walk through lush littoral rainforest. Go for a swim, surf, snorkel or paddle in the clear waters when you return.
    • Rock Platform walk - Depot Beach Rock Platform walk near Depot Beach is a short walk to fascinating rockpools offering excellent birdwatching and scenic ocean views of the South Coast, just north of Batemans Bay.

    Rich Aboriginal cultural heritage

    Pebbly Beach, Murramarang National Park. Photo: John Yurasek

    Aboriginal people have a long connection with the Country of Murramarang National Park, and this continues to the present day. The south coast headlands have long been a focus for economic life, giving easy access to the food resources of both the sea and the land, and plants within the park provided medicines and shelter. There is much evidence of the past today, including shell middens, tool manufacturing sites and indications of a specialised industry producing bone points and fishing hooks. Take a walk around Murramarang Aboriginal Area, near Bawley Point - there's a complex of middens that are of great cultural value.

    • Then and now: Aboriginal culture Aboriginal culture then and now is a Stage 2 (Years 3-4) school excursion in Murramarang National Park, focusing on Geography and History. Through story and creative expression, the life and culture of the local people are shared.
    • Then and now: Aboriginal culture Then and now: Aboriginal culture is a Stage 4 (Years 7-8) school excursion in Murramarang National Park, focused on History. Through story and creative expression, the life and culture of the local people are shared.
    • Then and now: Aboriginal culture This excursion experience has been updated and is now being delivered in line with the new NSW Department of Education Curriculum. We will be revising this excursion's name and information online soon. Contact your local national parks office for more information about the updated excursion.
    • Wasp Head walk This short walk leads to a spectacular view of Wasp Island and passes through historic Aboriginal sites of the area.

    Plants and animals protected in this park

    Animals

    • A male satin bowerbird with black plumage and blue eyes stands in a bower made of brown twigs. Photo: Peter Sherratt © Peter Sherratt

      Satin bowerbird (Ptilonorhynchus violaceus)

      With vibrant blue-violet eyes and curious antics, the satin bowerbird is a favourite for bird watching and easy to spot as it forages for food in open forest. Relatively common across eastern Australia, in NSW they’re found in coastal rainforests and adjacent woodlands and mountain ranges.

    Plants

    • Blueberry ash. Photo: Jaime Plaza

      Blueberry ash (Elaeocarpus reticulatus)

      The blueberry ash is a rainforest shrub which produces blue olive-shaped berries and spectacular bell-shaped flowers, which often appear on the plant together. It is a tall slender shrub or small tree found in rainforest, tall eucalypt forest and coastal bushland in eastern NSW, south-east Queensland and Victoria.

    •  Black sheoak. Photo: Barry Collier

      Black sheoak (Allocasuarina littoralis)

      The black sheoak is one of a number of casuarina species found across the east coast of Australia and nearby tablelands. Growing to a height of 5-15m, these hardy Australian native plants can survive in poor or sandy soils. The barrel-shaped cone of the black sheoak grows to 10-30mm long.

    • Cabbage tree palm in Dalrymple-Hay Nature Reserve. Photo: John Spencer/OEH

      Cabbage palm (Livistona australis)

      With glossy green leaves spanning 3-4m in length and a trunk reaching a height of up to 30m, the cabbage tree palm, or fan palm, is one of the tallest Australian native plants. Thriving in rainforest margins along the east coast of NSW, in summer this giant palm produces striking spikes of cream flowers which resemble cabbages.

    • Wonga Wonga vine. Photo: Barry Collier

      Wonga wonga vine (Pandorea pandorana)

      The wonga wonga vine is a widespread vigorous climber usually found along eastern Australia. A variation of the plant occurs in the central desert, where it resembles a sprawling shrub. One of the more common Australian native plants, the wonga wonga vine produces bell-shaped white or yellow flowers in the spring, followed by a large oblong-shaped seed pod.

    Environments in this park

    Education resources (1)

    School excursions (3)