Sandy Point Primitive Camping Reserve is situated on a large bend in the Murrumbidgee River on the southern end of the lovely NSW town of Hay. Sandy Point is a large area and up to 74 campers can stay for up to 72 hours for free.

We’ve camped there many times. You can have a fire but you must bring your own wood as wood collection is not permitted.

There are lots of rubbish bins, picnic tables and shelters with BBQ’s.

A toilet block is located near the beautiful sandy beach. The beach is very popular in summer with swimmers ad water skiers.

A boat ramp gives access to the river and a walking/cycling track can take you along the river or into town.

Water is available at the Visitors Centre and Hay has a Public Dump Point in town.

The Hay Skate Park is located on the corner as you enter Sandy Point from Brunker Street. It has a number of a bowl and a number of ramps. The skate park is surrounded by a large grass area with picnic tables and chairs so you can sit and watch the skaters.

Hay has received a grant to revitalise the Historic Treatment Plant Works which are located opposite the Skate Park at Sandy Point Reserve. The treatment works were only the second town sewerage plant to be built in NSW and the grant will enable the preservation of the ruins.

Sandy Point is a fabulous spot and we recommend it for self-contained campers. Beware of wet weather though. The black soil can become like glue in the wet. Stay on the gravel if it looks like rain.

What a magic spot but I guess we stayed at the right time. It was July 2022 after there’d been lots of rain and everywhere was green, lush grass. The river was in flood with the weir completely under water. Some of the nearby paddocks were also under water however the camp sites next to the weir were high and dry.

There is a 4km dirt road that leads off the Sturt Highway 5km west of the town of Balranald. The road is a good quality dirt road with a few minor corrugations. There were a couple of spots that looked like they might be boggy if it’s wet or raining.

There are multiple spots to camp near the weir but the main camp is to the right of the weir. There is a picnic table and fireplace. You need to bring your own wood as there was not much lying around. The camp site is flat and you can park without being under one of those huge River Red Gums.

There is room for all types of campers. Even a big rig would fit.

We camped for one night at Brewery Flat Reserve just on the outskirts of Narrandera. This great campground is located in between the Murrumbidgee River and the Main Canal.

The campground is provided by the Narrandera Shire for the traveling public in self contained vehicles. You can stay for free for up to 72 hours. There is a toilet block, multiple rubbish bins around the site, a couple of shelters with BBQ’s and fire pits. The campground is a large flat grassy site with plenty of room for lots of RV’s.

It is the site of the old Oakbank Brewery, a listed historical building. The Brewery had its heyday in the Riverina between the 1890’s and mid-1920’s. The Oakbank Brewery was amongst the most modern in NSW and was run with all the latest equipment from England. Up to 100 men were employed there. During 1921, the brewery had a capacity of 20,000 gallons of stout, bottled and draught beer and could produce 10,000 bottles of beer and 15,000 bottles of cordial daily.

Branches sprang up throughout the Riverina and fifty hotels in the region were controlled by the brewery. In 1924 the brewery was sold to Tooths of Sydney for a reported price of £200,000. The new owners closed down the brewing operation, but the Oakbank Cordial Factory – followed by a number of other operators – continued with the production of cordials at the site until 1986.

Today it is a private residence.

You can find Brewery Flat listed on most camping apps. Well done Narrandera Shire for providing this fabulous facility.

A boat ramp and a pontoon are available at the river although the river was so full during our visit that the water covered the walkway out to the pontoon.

It had been raining for a couple of days but we were still able to find a campsite for our motorhome and our daughter’s caravan that was on lovely thick grass and reasonably dry.

We had three grandchildren with us and I took them for a very long walk to see if we could find koalas as the area is a koala sanctuary. We walked all the way to Lake Talbot and back but only saw lots of birds and one goat…..no koalas.

The children were so excited the next morning when we were packing up to find a koala up as tree not far from where we were camped. That really made our stay a special one. It’s not very often you get to see a wild koala.

Lake Pamamaroo is a large inland lake and part of the Menindee Lakes Water Storage system. The lakes are a natural series of shallow ephemeral lakes fed by the Darling River that have been developed into water storage. There are four main lakes, Wetherall, Pamamaroo, Menindee and Cawndilla. The Main Weir is located on the Darling River and the water that is damned by the weir forms Lake Wetherall.

When the lakes are full they hold three times the water in Sydney Harbour and today the water is used to supply Broken Hill, irrigation and stock use and to supplement the Murray River system.

Camping at Lake Pamamaroo is all along the shoreline. Camping is free. There are numerous camping spots to choose from. You will need to be self-sufficient. There are toilets available at Burke & Wills Campgound and further around at the Main Weir Campground.

As you are lakeside it is the perfect spot for kayaking and swimming. The lake is very shallow so it would be great for children.

Dogs are allowed and you may use generators. There is a boat ramp down near the Regulator and fires are also allowed.

Sunsets at Lake Pamamaroo are usually a special time of the day.

Bald Rock National Park is some 30km north of Tenterfield in far northern NSW, almost on the Queensland border. It is a tar road all the way.

The campground is set amongst beautiful forest. The camp sites are well marked out and quite separate from each other. Most camp sites have a fire pit and there is free wood available for campers use.

It is a tranquil spot in the bush and one of our favourites.