There are countless spectacular beach camping spots all along the NSW coast. On the North Coast, you can pitch a tent at Trial Bay Gaol campground just metres from Front Beach. Enjoy the ideal spot for surfing, fishing and bushwalking at Tallow Beach campground on the Central Coast. Or head to the South Coast, where the Pebbly Beach and Pretty Beach campgrounds offer stunning ocean views and close encounters with native wildlife.

Yes, it is legal to camp on the beach in NSW if you do so in designated beach camping areas. There are countless free beach camping sites all over NSW where you can legally camp by the beach, including on the North Coast, South Coast, Central Coast, as well as in Sydney and its surrounds. 

Sydney and its surrounds are home to plenty of beach camping grounds. Fifty minutes’ drive north of the city you can picnic, bike ride or swim while staying at The Basin campground in Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park. Forty minutes south of the city, stunning coastal vistas and peaceful bushland meet at Bonnie Vale campground, where you can enjoy fishing, kayaking or hiking through Royal National Park.  

Not far south of Sydney, you’ll find free beach camping at North Era campground, which boasts stunning views of Garie Beach and easy access to hiking tracks. Or you can pitch your tent right on the edge of the beach at Coledale Beach campground, where you can swim, surf, fish or just relax to the sound of the waves.