23 NSW National Park Campgrounds to Get Commercially ‘Supported Camping’ by Next Year

 

NSW National Parks is taking expressions of interest from commercial operators to provide ‘supported camping’ options at 23 campgrounds in sixteen national parks across the state.

What is supported camping?

The trial of these supported camping services may include the hire, delivery, and set up of tents and caravans, the hire and delivery of equipment such as bedding and cooking, as well as food offerings. 

A NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) spokesperson has said, ‘By offering a service that provides fully set-up camping gear, NPWS can make camping more accessible, encourage more people to explore the outdoors and help them gain confidence’.

NSW National Parks says research published by Instinct and Reason in 2023 concludes that 10% of adults in NSW ‘have never camped before but are keen to try’ and that ‘15% say having camping gear set up for them is essential’, while ‘49% of campers are more likely to choose a campground that offers equipment hire’.

‘NPWS has developed the trial in response to growing demand from people interested in camping, but who lack the necessary gear and experience, which can be a significant upfront cost hurdle for first-time campers’, the spokesperson said.

When asked how NSW Parks will regulate the cost of supported camping campsites across multiple operators and licences, a response was not provided.

‘Supported camping will also allow travellers from interstate and overseas opportunities to camp, without having to bring all their gear with them, which is often impractical’, the spokesperson said.

Changes to NSW National Park Campgrounds Already Face Backlash

The expression of interest call out comes just days after the closure of a formal petition campaigning against proposed national park campsite fee increases in NSW, launched by outdoor adventurer, Michael Atkinson, AKA Outback Mike, and the NSW Nationals.

‘As a government department, they have not met the needs of the Australian people over the last decades. They haven’t increased, as far as I’m aware, the number of campgrounds and campsites’, Mike said.

An increase in campgrounds formed part of the ask in Mike and the NSW Nationals’ petition.

‘They’ve already failed in their duty to provide for the general public. So why are they going out of their way to bring a new market of people in if they can’t keep the existing ones happy?’, Mike questioned.

‘Overall, I don’t think there’s much to be gained for the public to be allowing something from this’, he said. ‘If they want to access a caravan, go to a caravan park, I don’t think national parks needs to take on the responsibility of providing caravans for the Australian public.’

Listen now: Why Outback Mike Wants to See the NSW Campground Booking System Removed

Which campgrounds have been selected for supported camping?

A range of campgrounds have been selected for supported camping, from NSW’s alpine region, to Western NSW, and up and down the state’s coastline.

When asked how the campgrounds were selected, NPWS did not supply a response.

The 23 campgrounds selected for supported camping are:

Will this change the number of self-supported sites at each campground?

Licensed operators will have access to a ‘limited number of sites’ within each campground to book and on-sell to customers seeking supported camping services.

When asked about the percentage or number of commercially-bookable sites in each campground, NPWS did not supply a response. However, operators will have the option of early access to reserve sites up to 365 days in advance, as opposed to the standard public access of 180 days in advance.

‘What percentage of these campgrounds can these commercial entities book out?’, questioned Mike. ‘If it’s unlimited, that’s terrible. If it’s anything more than 10%, that’s not good. That’s an important bit of information that I’m holding out my judgment for’, he said.

Each operator licence agreement will run for at least three years, with the option to extend for a further three years.

Expressions of interest are now open and will close on Tuesday, the 28th of October, 2025, with licences to be awarded in February 2026 and commencement of licences in March 2026.

Feature photo by D Parsons/DCCEEW