Depot Beach Campground

Depot Beach Campground sits in the central precinct of Murramarang National Park, nestled within remnant temperate littoral rainforest and set back just a couple of minutes from one of the South Coast’s best family beaches. The combination of easy beach access, excellent facilities, and genuinely outstanding wildlife makes this one of the standout national park campgrounds between Sydney and Batemans Bay.

The campground has 59 unpowered sites spread among spotted gums and coastal scrub, with marked bays and off-street parking for one vehicle per site. There are no powered sites here — if you need power, Pretty Beach campground in the same park has powered options. But for families who are happy off-grid, Depot Beach offers more than enough in return. Sites are suitable for tents, campervans, caravans, and camper trailers. The park also has a small number of cabins available separately through the NPWS booking system for those who want a roof over their head without leaving the park.

Facilities were comprehensively upgraded in 2021 with an $850,000 new amenities building. The build was specifically designed to cater for families and improve accessibility, featuring indoor and outdoor showers with solar hot water, a coin-operated laundry and dishwashing facilities, a fully accessible bathroom, and dedicated family and baby change rooms. Low voltage lighting and off-grid solar power were also part of the upgrade. It’s the best-equipped unpowered national park campground on this stretch of coast, and the contrast with what was there before is significant. Hot showers are coin-operated at $1 for 4 minutes — bring a handful of $1 coins and you won’t run short. There’s no mobile reception anywhere in the campground. A public phone near the office is available for emergency calls only during office hours.

The camp kitchen is a genuine highlight. Beyond the standard gas and electric BBQs, Depot Beach has wood BBQs and pizza ovens — a setup you won’t find at most national park campgrounds. Bring your own wood or buy it from the campground office, which is staffed seven days a week and also sells ice. Note that the on-site water supply is tank water only: it needs to be boiled or treated before drinking. Bring your own drinking water, particularly in summer when tanks run lower. Fires are permitted in approved containers at individual sites, but not on the ground or on the beach. Check fire ban status before you visit.

Kangaroos graze the campground itself, reliably, most evenings. Swamp wallabies are common too. Head to the headland or beach and you’ll regularly see dolphins working the coastline — Depot Beach sits within the boundaries of Batemans Marine Park, which supports a strong marine wildlife population. Back in the bush, expect lyrebirds, possums, sugar gliders, goannas, yellow-tailed black cockatoos, and king parrots. The spotted gum forest running right to the ocean edge creates a habitat mix that’s unusual and genuinely diverse.

Walks start from the campsite. The Rock Platform Walk takes you around the headland to tidal rock pools — do it at low tide and the rock pools are excellent for kids. The Depot Beach Rainforest Walk loops through the littoral rainforest directly behind the campground, and is a good wet-weather option given the dense canopy. A village loop walk delivers elevated views across the beaches below. The Murramarang South Coast Walk, a three-day coastal route between Ulladulla and Batemans Bay, also passes through this section of the park and can be tackled in day sections from the campground.

For fishing, the boat ramp at Kioloa is about 3km away and gives easy offshore access. The headland at Depot Beach itself is good for land-based fishing, particularly for blackfish and drummer. The beach is unpatrolled — there are strong rip currents, so check the Beachsafe website before swimming and keep a close eye on children in the water. Bluebottles can be a problem in summer. Accessibility at the campground is rated medium: the upgraded amenities building is wheelchair accessible via ramp, but some site terrain is uneven.

The campground office handles bookings and sells firewood and ice, and staff are available seven days a week. No pets and no generators are permitted. Booking is essential via the NPWS online system. Depot Beach is one of the most popular campgrounds on the South Coast — school holidays and long weekends book out fast and the booking window opens 12 months ahead. If you want peak summer dates, set a reminder for when the window opens.