Camps Australia Wide
Free camping near Winton
Looking for free camping near Winton? It’s out there, and it’s closer than most travellers expect. Every camp on this page has been personally checked by our team, which means you won’t tow the van down a dirt road to a locked gate, a closed camp, or a site you can’t turn around in. And nobody can pay to be listed here. If a camp is on this page, it earned its place.
Winton sits on the Landsborough Highway in central west Queensland, dinosaur country, and it is the natural overnight stop between Longreach and Cloncurry. We’ve been checking camps through this country since 1992, so when we say a site near Winton takes dogs or suits your rig, it’s because one of our team has personally checked it.
The three closest free camps to Winton
Closest first, and every detail checked by us, not scraped from a five-year-old forum post. Full details, GPS coordinates and offline maps for these and every other site in the region are in the Camps Australia Wide App.
3 km from townLong Waterhole
On the Jundah Road, about 3 km south of Winton
- CostFree
- FacilitiesSwimming, fishing, fires. No toilets
- Max stayUp to 96 hours
- AccessDry weather only
3 km from townMistake Creek
Bush camping beside the creek, about 3 km from Winton
- CostFree
- FacilitiesSwimming, fishing, fires. No toilets
- Max stayUp to 96 hours
- AccessDry weather only
44 km from townCrawford Creek
Corfield, a sealed overnight stop about 44 km north west of Winton
- CostFree
- FacilitiesToilets, picnic tables, fires
- Max stayUp to 20 hours
And that is just the closest 3. All three free camps near Winton are listed above, and our database holds 9 personally checked places to stay in and around town, from the free waterholes to the pub van park. They run from free waterholes to the showground overflow and the caravan parks in town, with Bough Shed Waterhole out in Bladensburg National Park among them. Every one is in the Camps Australia Wide App. Details like fees, time limits and facilities do change, so always follow the signs on site and check the current listing before you set up.
What you get with every Camps Australia Wide campsite
There is no shortage of camping information online. What’s in short supply is camping information you can trust. That’s the gap our Personally Checked Standard fills, and it’s why the sites above appear here only after we have checked them for ourselves.
- Personally checked, not crowd-sourced. We visit each site and assess it against our 12-point Personally Checked™ standard, from access and arrival to safety, noise and tested phone signal, so the surprises are gone before you arrive.
- Re-checked regularly. Camps close, fees change, tracks wash out. We revisit and update the details, so you’re not planning tonight’s stop around last year’s information.
- No paid listings, ever. We have never charged a council, farmer or park to be listed, so a camp is recommended because it’s good, not because someone paid us to say so.
- 16,000+ personally checked campsites across every state and territory, including right through central west Queensland, so wherever the trip takes you next, the same checked information goes with you. Read exactly how we do it on our the Personally Checked™ Standard page.
Two ways to find your next camp near Winton
On the road: the Camps Australia Wide App
The Camps Australia Wide App finds Personally Checked free and low-cost sites near wherever you are, works offline when you lose coverage on the range or out west, and lets you filter for your setup, whether that is a tent, a camper or a big rig. One subscription covers the whole country, and the maps keep working when the signal drops out.
Get the Camps Australia Wide App
On the dash: our print guides
Prefer a book on the dash? CAMPS 13 is our go-to for free and budget camping right around the country, with CAMPSPendium 2 alongside it as the full state-by-state trip planner. After caravan parks instead? Have a look at Caravan Parks 7. All personally checked, the same as the Camps Australia Wide App.
Shop the print guidesFrequently asked questions about free camping near Winton
Is there free camping near Winton?
Yes. Our team has personally checked 3 free camps within 50 km of Winton, two of them within 4 km of town, the closest being Long Waterhole on the Jundah Road. All of them are in the Camps Australia Wide App with offline maps.
Can I take my dog to free camps near Winton?
Yes. All three sites on this page allow pets. Policies do vary from site to site across the region, so check the listing for each camp in the Camps Australia Wide App and keep dogs under control around other campers.
Is free camping near Winton suitable for caravans and big rigs?
It depends on the site. Crawford Creek has been personally checked by our team as suitable for big rigs. Long Waterhole suits caravans, motorhomes and camper trailers. Mistake Creek is Swimming and better for smaller setups. We note access for every site we check, so you know before you commit the van down a narrow track.
How long can you stay at free camps near Winton?
Time limits vary by site. Long Waterhole and Crawford Creek are signed for stays of up to 24 hours, while Mistake Creek is a short stay camp spot. Because we personally check each site, you’ll know before you set up whether it’s a one-night stop or somewhere to settle in for a few days. Councils do change limits, so always follow the signs on site.
What facilities do free camps near Winton have?
All three free camps on this page have toilets and tested phone signal. Long Waterhole adds BBQs, picnic tables, a playground and disabled access. Long Waterhole and Mistake Creek both allow fires and generators, and both are good for a swim and a fish, but neither has toilets, so you need to be self contained. Both are dry weather access only, and Mistake Creek goes boggy after rain, so check the forecast before you commit the van. Crawford Creek does have toilets and picnic tables, but it is a short overnight stop rather than a base. The listing tells you what is actually there, before you commit the van, not after.
Where can I find more campsites around Winton?
Our database shows 9 personally checked places to stay within 50 km of Winton, from the pub van park in town out to Crawford Creek. They range from the free waterholes to the showground overflow and four caravan parks, plus Bough Shed Waterhole out in Bladensburg National Park. The Camps Australia Wide App lists every one with offline maps.
Keep exploring
Wherever the road takes you around Winton and the central west, we hope you find a cracking camp and love it out there. For more tips and new sites as we check them, join our free weekly newsletter.
