Five Rocks Camping Area Byfield National Park
Five Rocks camping area is in Byfield National Park. This is one of the two camping areas located within Byfield National Park with Nine Mile Beach being the other. If you do not like beach camping and require facilities, then the Five Rocks camping area will be the best option for you. Five Rocks camping area is suitable for tent, 4WD and off-road camper trailer setups however some sites are only suitable for tents or swags.
Refer to the National Parks Byfield area map for more information on Byfield National Park. National Parks have also provided a map of the individual campsites at Five Rocks Camping Area in Byfield National Park.
Getting There
Five Rocks camping area is in Byfield National Park approximately 35 kms from Byfield Road and Water Park Creek. You get here by taking Water Park Road off Byfield Road and then continue along Stockyard Point Track. The camping area is close to Stockyard Point Township. Getting here requires you to drive up Big Sandy which is a 1km long sand dune not long after you enter Byfield National Park. Big Sandy requires some level of experience in sand driving. To conquer Big Sandy, you will need to drop your tyre pressures to at least 15PSI and maybe even lower. Driving up requires you to be in low range and probably second gear, although this will be easier for those lucky automatic gearbox owners. There are sections of this dune that are only one track and as a result you need to have a UHF and using channel 40 double check if anyone is coming down when going up and vice versa when going back down. This will all become even more difficult when towing if you are taking a camper trailer or boat up here, so be prepared with recovery gear in the event it does not go as planned. We have done a detailed post on Byfield National Park that talks about Big Sandy if you would like to read it here.
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Five Rocks Campsites
Once you have conquered Big Sandy you will continue along the Stockyard Point Track until you see the signs to Five Rocks camping area as you approach Stockyard Point township. There are 12 numbered campsites in Five Rocks camping area. As you drive in there will be the first toilet block and after this on the left-hand side the sites will be numbered from 1 with the final site number 12 being opposite on the right-hand side. Queensland Parks recommend sites 2 to 4 and 9 to 11 as being the only ones suitable for 4WD and trailer camping. From what we could see this is the case with all other sites only suitable for tent or swag camping. This is because most sites have spots to park your 4WD but then have bollards between where you park your vehicle and where you can setup camp. All parking spots for your 4WD and trailer have timber sleepers on the ground so are all fairly level. Each site does have a table with benches as well as a fire pit.
Best Sites for 4WD Setups & Trailers
As mentioned above, the best sites for 4WD and trailer camping are sites 2 to 4 and 9 to 11. The reason we have included 4WDs here is for those that rely heavily on their 4WD setup when camping. Be it a roof top tent or a kitchen setup off your 4WD. If you do not rely heavily on your 4WD setup then all other sites will be fine. Site 1 is the biggest and looks good for a trailer or 4WD, but this appears to be reserved for wheelchair access so be aware of this. In our opinion, site 3 is the biggest and would be the best for a trailer setup. The other recommended trailer and 4WD sites will all be fine, but they are not big, and space will be limited depending on how your trailer setup works. We have taken a few photos of the different sites which you can see in this post so hopefully that will help you work out what is best for your setup.
Sites for Tents & Swags
All other sites are more suited for tent and swag camping as they have smaller parking spaces where you will not fit a trailer. As there are bollards between where you park your 4WD and where you can setup camp be prepared in some sites to not have the best access to your 4WD if you need to rely on your vehicle awning and other bits of gear.
Facilities
There are two toilet blocks with cold outdoor showers at each block. One toilet block is located at the entrance of the camping area beside campsite 1 and opposite campsite 12. The other toilet block is located at the end of the camping area in between campsites 7 and 8. The toilets are composting toilets so read the signs and do not throw anything in them that is not recommended. There is running water as well however this is not drinkable without treating it appropriately. The outdoor showers are rustic, there is no hot water only cold, but provide a good enough pressure to wash off when needed.
Access to Little Five Rocks Beach
From the Five Rocks camping area you can access the walking track that takes you down to Little Five Rocks beach. The walk is steep but has steps most of the way down, so is extremely easy on the way down with a little more effort on the way back up. It is an extremely scenic and pretty walk with amazing views of Five Rocks and Stockyard Point. The walk will only take 15 minutes or so. The beach is nice but unfortunately a lot of rubbish can be washed up on the beach which takes away some of its beauty. There is no 4WD access to this beach, so it is a great one if you have kids and do not need to worry about vehicles driving around on the beach. At low tide you can walk out to Five Rocks which is worth it.
Other Useful Information
Be Fire Safe
Each campsite does have a fire pit or fire ring so make sure you use these if having a fire. You can have fires if there are no fire bans. When booking your campsite, you should be notified of whether there are any fire bans in the area. You must bring your own firewood, do not collect firewood in Byfield National Park. Remember whenever you are having a fire to be fire safe. Make sure you put out your fire when going to bed and when leaving be sure that your fire is fully extinguished.
Do Not Leave Rubbish
There are no rubbish bins in the Five Rocks camping area or Byfield National Park. Make sure that anything you bring in you take back out with you and dispose of appropriately. Throwing empty beer cans into the fire is not the correct way to get rid of your rubbish. Always remember that when you are camping leave no trace. On top of leaving no trace, remove any rubbish you see lying around. You might not have left that rubbish, but if everyone makes an effort, campsites will be kept clean and will stay open. If you were able to bring it in, then you can take it back out again. Do not be a dickhead and always clean up after yourself. Keep Australia clean and our campsites open.
Sandflies & Mosquitoes
Expect to be fighting lots of mosquitos and sand flies, especially in the warmer months of the year. The sandflies are extremely bad. You are in Central Queensland and outdoors so there is no getting around this. Just be prepared and have the right repellents and you will not have a problem. Good quality mosquito coils will provide some assistance. However, the only product we find that ever works is Bushman’s with a high percentage of DEET. We only ever use the heavy-duty Bushman’s spray with 40% DEET or their DryGel product with 80% DEET. The DryGel Bushman’s product is by far the best when insects are extremely bad.
Mobile Coverage
There is no mobile coverage while you are in the Five Rocks camping area. However, if you need mobile coverage you will get Telstra 4G reception at Stockyard Point.
Booking a Campsite
If you are planning on staying at Five Rocks camping area in Byfield National Park, make sure you book online using the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service online booking portal here. If you are camping here, you need to make sure you pay your camping fees. Fees are cheap and they help keep these campsites clean and open to the public. Search for Five Rocks in the online portal and the campsite will come up. Remembering that every campsite is individually numbered so you need to choose a campsite number. Make sure you chose the campsite that best suits your setup based on the information we have provided above.
Our Thoughts on Five Rocks Camping Area
Overall, the Five Rocks camping area in Byfield National Park is a great spot if you do not want to be too isolated and require facilities. The toilets are clean with toilet paper provided and having an outdoor shower is great to rinse off. Having pre numbered sites will make it a bit more difficult for first timers in trying to get the right spot for your setup. With most sites having bollards between where you park your 4WD and where you setup this will be a problem for some, but most are close so should not be a big issue. If you manage to get a trailer up Big Sandy, then you are limited with sites that suit a trailer and each site will be slightly different depending on how your trailer setup works. If you do have a trailer and can get site number 3 then you will have plenty of space no matter how your setup works.
Most sites are close to one another so if it is busy there is the potential it could be noisy depending on who is camping there. If it is quiet and there are not many campers then it will be a great spot. We would highly recommend double checking what sites are available when booking so that you can try and keep some distance between yourself and others if you like a bit more privacy. There are no sea views from the Five Rocks camping area as you are surrounded by bushland and trees which does provide some cover from the sun and wind. The walk down to Five Rocks beach is amazing and we highly recommend it. The views on the way down are just stunning.
If we did have to choose where to camp in Byfield National Park, we would camp along Nine Mile Beach rather than at the Five Rocks camping area. However, this is our personal choice as we prefer to be more isolated with more space, and as we are self-sufficient this is easy for us. If you do prefer to have access to toilets and a cold shower, then Five Rocks camping area in Byfield National Park will be a better option for you.
We hope you have enjoyed our post on Five Rocks Camping Area in Byfield National Park. For more information on Byfield National Park, read our other posts here. To keep up to date on our future posts join up to the 4WD Adventurer Community here. For more regular updates please follow us on social media.
Thanks for reading legends.
The thoughts of Peter.
04/09/2021 @ 2:29 PM
Can I take my dog to 9 mile beach camping
05/09/2021 @ 9:15 PM
Hi Walter
Unfortunately, you can’t take dogs. Byfield is a National Park and parks don’t allow dogs.
Cheers
Peter