Where's a good place to camp on the coast in the Darwin area ??

[rijidij]

We will be in the Darwin area in August. We would like to see some of the NT coast. Are there any recommended places to camp, be it an 'official' camp site or just bush camping.
Also, what do we need to know about the feral population at that time of year......not the people:D.........mozies, flies, crocs etc etc.
My wife is looking forward to the trip, as am I, but she would prefer not to be eaten by a wild animal if we can help it :p

Cheers, Murray

[dmdigital]

Don't know where to camp around Darwin.

As for the mozzies, sandflies, crocs. .. yes to all. Watch where you swim, heed the warnings and don't set up camp on the waters edge. Mozzies and sandflies can be big problems so make sure you have a good insect repellant - Bushman's is about as good as it gets, but remember it melts plastic, removes body hair ... and you still wonder why insects don't want it on them :confused:

[LSBob]

A lot of the sea surrounding Darwin finishes in mangroves, not sand so a/ you cannot often see the sea, b/ there are things living there which will love your blood, c/ the mamgrove mud will smell, d/ you have to fight your way through a lot of scrub to get there.

The nearest place with a beach would be Gunn Point which is off the road to the Howard Springs Reserve, turn right - there is a sign there, follow the road over the Howard River where the old crossing used the WW2 iron thingies for mud (will remember the name later) :( then follow the gravel road for about 30 km to Shoal Bay. No facilities. There is a beach here and is near the old prison farm. Mossies and other bities should not be a problem but cannot speak for what might be in the sea.
The other choice is the other side of the harbour beyond Mandorah to Point Charles, again no facilities but should be able to find areas to camp. I would not camp close to Mandorah though. Be about 100kms and you pass Noonamah then the Berry Springs.
Further away is Dundee Beach, off the above road about 11kms beyond the gravel road into Litchfield,
About 20 km past the Dundee Beach turnoff are tracks going into the other side of Bynoe Harbour, there are several fishing camps here.

[LSBob]

A lot of the sea surrounding Darwin finishes in mangroves, not sand so a/ you cannot often see the sea, b/ there are things living there which will love your blood, c/ the mamgrove mud will smell, d/ you have to fight your way through a lot of scrub to get there.

The nearest place with a beach would be Gunn Point which is off the road to the Howard Springs Reserve, turn right - there is a sign there, follow the road over the Howard River where the old crossing used the WW2 iron thingies for mud (will remember the name later) then follow the gravel road for about 30 km to Shoal Bay. There is a beach here and is near the old prison farm. Mossies and other bities should not be a problem but cannot speak for what might be in the sea.
The other choice is the other side of the harbour beyond Mandorah to Point Charles,
If your ancestors can claim a spiritual relationshipo with the land then there are areas out at Lee Point where people camp until they get moved on, but would not recommend it. no camping allowed at the beaches around Darwin.

[rijidij]

What about West Alligator Heads at the top of Kakadu. A quick read on the net, it sounds good..........."Best Time To Visit // August to October – but be sure to check if the track has re-opened following the end of the wet season".
4x4 access only. What do you locals think about this spot ?

[Bundalene]

Lee Point caravan park is pretty close to Darwin and has heaps of facilities. A handy place if you want to camp a bit closer to town . Cheers, Erich.

[GregTD5]

West Alligator Heads is a nice spot, has a full time caretaker with a nice beach and camping in a rainforest location. I believe it can be a bit of a challenge getting out there sometimes, with plenty a bit of water and mud on the flood plains. Also think it has a restriction on numbers allowed out there.
A bit further out is Cobourg Peninsular and Black Point. This a fantastic spot, particularly if you like fishing and have a boat. Another location that has a cap on the number of visitors allowed.
Closer to Darwin is Gunn Point, as mentioned in a previous post. Nice long sandy beach with a bit of shade, but this is normally taken pretty quick. The beach and tide here have claimed many a vehicle, so be careful.

Regards,

Greg

[LSBob]

Cobourg is a long way from Darwin a good days drive but the track in is now a lot better. You need to book over 6 months in advance now to get in. Numbers are limited due to the limited water supply. Good spot though but if you have a lot more money you can fly into Seven Spirits Bay the other side of the harbour, Port Essengton where the original settlement was.

[hodgo]

As far away from them big crocs as possable .

cLIFF

[LSBob]

Forgot to mention but the fishing is lousy there, unless you only want fish heads for a stew. The sharks beat you most times.
I was on the "wharf" at Port Essington which was in no more than 10 feet of water and there was one fish hanging around a good 7 feet long, swimming is not recommended there at all.

[blitz]

There are no free places close to Darwin to camp on the beach but as mentioned above Gunn Point is pretty spekky this time of year, we try to camp up there as much as we can this time of year. Gunn point is about 1 & 1/2 hours from the CBD or there abouts.

Lee Point has a very good caravan park with an excellent boat ramp at Buffalo creek just around the corner from it (up to about 5.5m). Anglers reef 1.5 km off the coast from it is the best Spanish Mackrel fishing in North Australia and it is in Darwin.

As mentioned above we have an abundance of mangrove swamps which have hardly any crocs or sharks coz the bloody mozzies and sand flys are so big they eat them. Astually I was joking never swim in a creek or mangrove area up here period.

gunn point is ok as it is one hell of a streach of beach where you can see forever.

When you get up here give us a call and I would be happy to say hi and show you some of the spots (litchfield is the best kept secret in the NT)

Cheers Blythe

[1103.9TDI]

Check out Litchfield NP, great croc-free water holes reasonably close to Darwin.......most campsites include BBQ's. NP style dunnies, everything else BYO.