Aussie couple praise 'rare' feature at remote beach campsite

While it's nice to board a plane and travel to Europe, South East Asia or the Americas, our very own backyard here in Australia can certainly hold its own. It's something that more and more travellers are realising as curiosity, paired with a cost of living crisis, sees people embrace camping and caravanning as the best way to travel.

What they've discovered is that Australia is full of incredible places to stay - with spectacular views, wildlife encounters, and scenic hikes. And the best part is that many of these places are either free or extremely cheap! And if you can bring your best mate (of the fur variety)? Even better.

One such place that has travellers raving about its crystal clear waters and serenity is Delicate Campground on the New South Wales Mid-North coast. It's not far from Crescent Head in Goolawah Regional Park, and it is open to campers and caravans for as little as $24.60 per night (for two people).

Aussie couple Daz & Lee, who have been travelling around Australia with their dog Oz in their caravan, told Yahoo Lifestyle that what drew them to Delicate was their strong preference for camping off-grid. And the fact they could bring Oz along for the experience only sealed the deal - especially as dogs are typically not permitted in Australian National Parks where many popular campsites are located.

"Being dog friendly yet a conservation park was a real treat for us," they explained. "It’s so rare to be able to stay in these places with a dog and that was an absolute winner for us."

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"We use Wikicamps (an app) to find campsites", they continued. "Our criteria is generally that it needs to be dog friendly and have some saltwater nearby! And so we stumbled across the Delicate Campground listing."

What to do at Delicate Campground

Explaining that they try to stay away from busy caravan parks as much as they can, the pair said that when they first arrived there were quite a few campsites available.

"Whilst we had ample choice, we hastily set up on one [campsite] that would fit our big rig – we were worried that there would be a flood of incoming campers and so rather than taking our time to find the ‘best’ spot, we took the first one that would fit us.

"This turned out to be a bit of a mistake because we were camped on top of black sand – and after 8 days we and everything we owned was filthy!"

Daz and Lee, who share their adventures on social media as @our_salty_life_ said that while the campground did end up full, and was booked out for the weekend, they were able to work out with the ranger a way that they could stay for 8 nights in total.

"Our days were filled with fishing, beach walking, reading and sitting in the sun, enjoying a campfire at night and the occasional trip into Crescent Head for supplies or just to experience some civilisation for a moment," the pair said.

What facilities does Delicate Campground have?

Although the site does have toilets and cold water shower facilities, it is pretty remote otherwise, so you'll want to stock up and come prepared for the simple life.

With Delicate Campground being one of the few dog-friendly beach camping areas in northern NSW, pet owners can also enjoy the off-leash dog beach where their furry best mates can frolic and meet other adventurous pooches.

This was certainly something that appealed to Daz, Lee and, of course, Oz!

"It was relatively quiet during the week and so we had the beach to ourselves so we could really focus on doing some dog behaviour training in an environment that usually sends him over the edge of excitement," they said.

The couple also cited the walking distance and the boardwalk to the beach as a huge plus.

"The access was really good and it meant that we weren’t as scared of snakes and ticks when we were walking through the dunes to the beach as we’ve been at other campgrounds," they said.

"We also liked that free camping aspect where there are no designated sites – it’s more of a 'pull-up and find a spot' arrangement."

What to know before camping at Delicate Campground

As with any camping ground, there are things to keep in mind before showing up, as Lee and Daz reminded us.

"You do need to have a booking as the number of campers is limited," they said. "There are two different campgrounds – both of them are good.

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"Make sure you take your own drinking water in and put all of the rubbish in the bins before you leave."

And, for those travelling with their canine companions, Lee and Daz have this word of caution.

"We found a dead tick on our dog so, it’s a good reminder that they are out there," they advise. "Make sure you’ve got all of your tick prevention up to date and be vigilant with checking."

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