09 Jul Camping and Exploring Fitzgerald River National Park

There is so much to explore in Fitzgerald River National Park. This National Park has some amazing camping and so much rugged and remote landscape to explore. The FRNP is located along the South West Edge, tucked in between Bremer Bay and Hopetoun. Its a 7hr drive however worth the journey. Keep reading to find out what camping and adventures await in FRNP.

Where is Fitzgerald River NP and why do you want to go?

FRNP is a massive national park that is over 300,000 hcts, it sits on the South coast between Bremer Bay and Hopetoun. Its a much lesser known national park because its on the way to Esperance. Most people high tail it straight to Esperance and bypass this amazing place.

According to the WA Department or Parks and Wildlife “Fitzgerald River National Park is one of largest and botanically significant national parks in Australia”. It is a stunning place to explore. With relatively easy hikes like East Mt Barron and West Mt Barron. 

Drive along the coast to check out all the amazing rugged beaches tucked away like Whalebone Bay, West Beach, Point Ann on the Western Side. Or drive along to Cave Point or the Mt Barron Lookout on the Eastern side of the park. There are amazing beaches to explore within the park that offer snorkeling and also in the right season when the Fitzgerald River is full you can kayak or SUP the inlet. 

Getting there.

The South Coast Hwy will get you there either coming from Esperance or from Albany or from Perth. If you are coming directly from Perth it’s approx 7 hr drive. It is a stop along the south west edge, which is a well known Perth to Esperance road trip. 

One thing to note, is there are 2 sides to this park, east and west. The main entrance is through Hopetoun on the Eastern side and the closest campground is 4 mile. The entrance off the South Coast Hwy is the western side of the park includes unsealed roads. The Western side is suitable for 2wd’s but the WA parks website does not recommend or encourage caravans on the western side because the road can be rough. 

What is there to do in Fitzgerald River National Park?

If you like nature, you will love this park. 

There are multiple hikes. Amazing beaches. Lookout points. Great camp sites, 4wd’ing, fishing and amazing photography opportunities. In Spring the wildflowers here are out of this world. Beach fishing and also whale watching in the migration months of July and October.

East Mount Barren is a popular hike. It is quite steep but manageable and the view is work it. The rugged terrain makes the rocks a little loose underfoot so make sure you have good footwear. Sunrise and set will be very rewarding times of the day to visit. With the sunsetting over West Mount Barren, as you can see here.

The Mount Barren lookout is a great place to view the inlet and coastline looking east towards Hopetoun and Esperance.

Cave Point is a stunning lookout over the rugged coast. Not to mention Barren Beach is quite stunning, the beach right alongside the 4 Mile Campgrounds.

Best time of year to visit Fitzgerald River National Park?

This will lend itself to Spring for the amazing diversity of wild flowers, Summer for the beach and Autumn for the light winds. This coastline will get hammered with wind in the winter months, which will make hiking or sight seeing limited. So ideal time to make the most of this National Park would be Spring, Summer and Autumn. 

Fees + Facilities

Park Entrance fee is $15 for a day trip to visit the park, camping fee is $11 per night pp.

If you have an annual parks pass you don’t have to pay the entrance fee. You can book 4 mile campsite on the dep of wildlife website. The other campsites you cannot book they are first in best dressed. There are plenty of well kept long drop toilets and the road on the eastern side is sealed all the way to the inlet. The roads on the Western Side are unsealed.

Camping in Fitzgerald River National Park.

There are 4 main campgrounds. The only one you can book is 4mile, the others are on a first come first serve basis so you have to take the gamble. Keep reading below to see what campsite best suites your setup or experience.

4 Mile Campsite:

This campsite has recently undergone a huge revamp. The facilities here are amazing and has 15 sites total, 4 tent only the rest suitable for caravans, camper vans, roof top tents. The Sites are big and well spaced out. Good clean long drops and even a cold shower at the 4mile campsite.

The communal camping kitchen facilities are honestly the best I’ve seen, it includes an open air camp kitchen with 2 sinks and 2 gas cooking hobs. Plenty of seating and bbq’s. Access to this campsite is on the Eastern side of the park, on a sealed road. Bookings can be made through Park Stay HERE.

Hamersley Inlet:

Approx 20 campsites, plenty suitable for caravans. Access from the Eastern side of the park is along a sealed road of you can access from Hamersley Dr off the South Coast Hwy, however part of the drive is unsealed. Nice toilets and cooking facilities. No bookings, first come first serve basis.

There are additional camping grounds in this National Park like Quoin Head Campground and St Mary Inlet although the access to these other sites is more difficult as the roads are unsealed and  not suitable for 2wd caravans. You can’t book here so it is a gamble and the campgrounds are much smaller. and its a longer trek to get to these campsites. 

St Mary’s Inlet:

You can’t book at this campground. It is small and part of the access is on an unsealed road. Suitable for tents and off road campers. You will be able to access 2wd but towards the end of the high season (end of summer) the road will be rough after much use over the summer. 13 campsites. Not all suitable for 2wd camper vans or caravans. 

Quoin Head:

Is pretty deep into the park along an unsealed road recommended for 4wd only. There are very few sites but because of the distance and access its not super busy campsite. 5 campsites in total and you can’t book so if you are after an adventure… go nuts. The campsite is worth it if you go with its own private beach. 

Final thoughts

This national park was such a surprise. I booked it because we couldn’t get into Cape LeGrand for the amount of time we planned to be away for, so we booked one night at 4 mile as a pit stop on our way to Esperance. Little did we know this campsite was such a winner. It was our first stop and such a highlight for our trip to Esperance. So good in fact I went back alone. Solo. I felt so safe and comfortable at this park. Highly recommend the journey. 

Most people stop here on their way to Esperance however it’s definitely worth just making this your destination.

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