Nine Mile Beach Camping Byfield National Park
Nine Mile Beach camping is in Byfield National Park in Central Queensland. As its name suggests the beach is nine miles, approximately 14 kms, long and spans from the bottom of Stockyard Point to Water Park Point. It is a beautiful spot, and outside of weekends and holidays you will probably find no one else. The campsites at Nine Mile Beach are the best camping options in Byfield National Park, no questions asked. If you are happy to be self-sufficient, love to be more isolated and prefer beach camping, then Nine Mile Beach is the best camping option for you. If you would rather be in designated campsites, have access to toilets and be camping close to others, then you will prefer camping at Five Rocks Camping Area. We have written a post about Five Rocks Camping Area so you can check it out here.
Getting to Nine Mile Beach
Nine Mile Beach is one of the three beaches you can access at Byfield National Park and it is the only beach that allows camping.Â
Need to Conquer Big Sandy
Getting to Nine Mile Beach is a lot of fun. You need to navigate through Big Sandy, the infamous 1km long sand dune that has got many a traveller bogged with a long reverse and reattempt through the thick sand. Big Sandy requires you to drop your tyre pressures to at least 15PSI, sometimes less, throw your 4WD into low range and hope for the best. A high clearance 4WD is required to make this dune far easier. People get up towing trailers and boats, so if you drop your tyres and keep up a little momentum you should not have any issues at all. Once you have managed to accomplish Big Sandy, you have two options to get to Nine Mile Beach. You can either take the Southern Access Track which is to the right when you get up top of Big Sandy. The other option is to continue along the Stockyard Point Track, go and have a look at Stockyard Point and the view of Five Rocks on the left and to the right Nine Mile Beach. From Stockyard Point you can then access Stockyard Point Track that will take you down to Nine Mile Beach. The best option here is to go through to Stockyard Point on your way in, and then when leaving take the Southern Access Track. The only real obstacle in getting to Nine Mile Beach is Big Sandy and then after that it is just a matter of watching the tides. Two to three hours either side of low tide is required to access Nine Mile Beach due to the 4 metre tides in the area.
- And 15PSI
Must Know When It's Low Tide
The beaches at Byfield National Park, including Nine Mile Beach, have 4 metre tides. Compare this to say Fraser Island which has around 2-2.5 metre tides. This is a massive difference at high tide between the two. As a result, you can only access Nine Mile Beach and drive along it two to three hours either side of low tide. The change between low and high tide is quite something. At low tide there is a huge amount of sand between the sea and the sand dunes. At high tide, the sea will be up against the dunes. Therefore, it is paramount that you know when high and low tides are occurring throughout the day so that you can plan your trip. If arriving at Byfield National Park and it is high tide, you will need to do some exploring for a few hours until you will be able to access the beaches.
Freshwater Creek
Freshwater Creek on Nine Mile Beach is a must stop to have a nice cool dip. When coming in from Stockyard Point you will drive past Freshwater Creek when going to the campsites. If you come in along the Southern Access Track you will need to go left when you arrive at Nine Mile Beach. If camping here for a few days, Freshwater creek is a perfect spot to spend a few hours; take a walk up the creek as it is shallow and then float around for a while to cool off. There is a small parking area behind the sand dunes where you can leave your 4WD. You will need to cross Freshwater Creek when accessing the campsites along Nine Mile Beach when coming in from Stockyard Point.
Campsites at Nine Mile Beach
Along Nine Mile Beach there are four camping areas to choose from, these are in order as you head South down the beach: Myrtella, Melaleuca, Pandanus, and Casuarina. Each camping area is slightly different, and we will try and give you an overview of each below. Queensland National Parks have been awesome and added a sign outside the entrance to each campsite. To add to this, they have laid timber sleepers down in the access tracks making entry to the campsites that much easier. So even though some of the entrances are steep, you can drive up them nice and slow without any worry of getting bogged. All four camping areas are located within a kilometre or two of each other. With all the campsites, there are signs and maps near each entrance. These signs show you where you can and cannot camp. In most of the campsites there are bollards to keep 4WDs off the sand dunes. When referring to the maps, you will see that you can camp on the other side of the bollards, but it does mean you will be away from your vehicle. This will be no good if you are camping with a camper trailer.
Myrtella Camping Nine Mile Beach
Myrtella is the first camping area along Nine Mile Beach. This camping area has approximately four small spots scattered around a looping track. There are bollards beside the track so in some spots you will be camping away from your 4WD. There are a couple of spots though where you would be able to camp closer to your 4WD. Myrtella is probably no good if you are camping with a camper trailer. You could get away with it in one of the spots however if this spot were taken you would be struggling. All campsites are exposed to the Easterly ocean breezes that you can expect. Even though the spots are small, most campsites have great ocean views but come at the cost of being exposed. We personally would not camp here unless we had no other option.
National Parks have provided an area map of the campsites at Myrtella which you can see here.
Melaleuca Camping Nine Mile Beach
Melaleuca is the second camping area along Nine Mile Beach. This camping area is probably the smallest of the four as it is now quite overgrown and some of the designated camping spots are no longer usable. Most spots are extremely small and no good for a camper trailer. There is one spot under the trees which will provide lots of shade. None of the spots have any views of the sea and as a result are not exposed to the wind. Currently with it being a bit overgrown, there are probably only two to three different spots to camp in this camping area. In our opinion this is the worst of the four but if you do not want to be exposed and hit with the ocean breezes there is one good spot under the trees. Melaleuca uses the same entrance as the Pandanus camping area.
National Parks have provided an area map of the campsites at Melaleuca which you can see here.
Pandanus Camping Nine Mile Beach
Pandanus is the third and best camping area along Nine Mile Beach. As a result, it is the most popular so be prepared to find a lot of toilet paper and rubbish lying around due to (insert many profanities) inconsiderate people. Pandanus uses the same entrance as Melaleuca. One reason for this being the best camping area along Nine Mile Beach is that it is a large area with many different options to setup camp. You can either choose a spot under the trees and partially sheltered from the wind, another spot that has no shade but fully sheltered from the wind, and one absolute cracker spot on top of the dunes overlooking the ocean but fully exposed to the wind. All these sites are big and give you a few different options if you have a camper trailer. If you rely heavily on your 4WD setup when camping this is the best spot as you can camp in most spots without any bollards in the way. Pandanus is by far the best spot if you are planning on camping along Nine Mile Beach in Byfield National Park.
National Parks have provided an area map of the campsites at Pandanus which you can see here.
Casuarina Camping Nine Mile Beach
Casuarina is the fourth and final camping area along Nine Mile Beach. This is also a small camping area but, in our opinion, the next best after the Pandanus campsites. There are probably only three different spots you can chose to camp here. Every camp spot has great views of the ocean but as a result you will be completely exposed. There are a couple of spots that will be good for a camper trailer. Two of the camping areas are big, one on each side of the bollards. If we could not get into Pandanus, then we would camp at Casuarina before the other two.
National Parks have provided an area map of the campsites at Casuarina which you can see here.
Booking a Campsite
If you are planning on camping along Nine Mile Beach, 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 Nine Mile Beach in the online portal and the four different beach campsites will come up. Make sure you chose the campsite that best suits your setup based on the information we have provided above. Remembering that once you chose your campsite make sure that is where you camp as it is extremely inconsiderate if someone else arrives and you have taken another spot that they have booked.
Other Useful Information
Fully Self-Sufficient
If you choose to camp along Nine Mile Beach in Byfield National Park, you need to make sure you are fully self-sufficient. What this means is you need to carry water, use the toilet correctly and remove all your rubbish. There are no facilities along Nine Mile Beach so if this is a problem for you choose to camp at Five Rocks Campgrounds.
Unfortunately, this is something we must discuss in most of our posts as it is becoming an ever-increasing problem these days. Removing your rubbish and using the toilet correctly would seem to be something that everyone would understand, but for some reason this is not the case. We do not want to be a 1950’s school headmaster here, but please remove any rubbish that you bring in with you. Every camper should live by the moto of “leave no trace”. Meaning, once you leave it should have been as if you were never there. If you see rubbish lying around due to inconsiderate people, please pick it up. If you also see someone leaving rubbish behind, take their details and report them.
The other unpleasant topic to discuss here is using the toilet. When in the bush camping and you do not have a portable toilet, make sure you use the toilet correctly. Do not walk into the bush and do a number 2 on the ground, wipe and leave your toilet paper lying there. This is absolutely disgusting. It is not difficult to dig a hole 30cms deep and then do your business. If there are no fire bans and it safe to do so, burn your toilet paper in the hole you just dug. Once the toilet paper has burned, cover up the hole. Toilet paper can take 1 to 3 years to breakdown, so dispose of it correctly. Not that we want to tell women what to do, but we are going to anyway, if you are doing a wee and then wipe, do not throw your toilet paper on the ground. This is the worst thing that you could do. Either dispose of it in your rubbish bag, throw it in the fire, or dig a hole and burn it as we discussed above if it is safe to do so.
Campfires
You can have fires if there are no fire bans in the campsites along Nine Mile Beach. However, if you are going to have a fire please be aware of Queensland National Parks requirements. Fires must be in a fire pit contained off the ground. This requirement does not seem to be followed by many as we noticed old fires on the ground when we have pulled into all the different camping areas. Nowadays you can buy an enclosed fire pit from cheap to expensive and most of them pack away nice and small. Using a portable fire pit helps to keep the coals off the ground and makes it easier for you to clean up when you are done. On top of this you need to ensure that you bring your own firewood. You are not permitted to collect firewood anywhere in Byfield National Park.
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. If it is extremely windy, which it is likely to be on the beach, you will find the sandflies and mosquitoes are not too bad.
Mobile Coverage
There is no mobile coverage while you are anywhere along Nine Mile Beach. However, if you need mobile coverage you will get Telstra 4G reception at Stockyard Point.
Our Thoughts on Nine Mile Beach Camping
Overall, Nine Mile Beach is the premium camping location in Byfield National Park. Of the four campsites along the beach, in our opinion Pandanus is by far best of the four with Casuarina the next best option. Be prepared for the wind as you are camping on the East coast and the wind can howl along the beach. Sandflies and mosquitoes can be bad so pack Bushman’s and you will not have a problem. Unfortunately, we have found that the better campsites are used more often and as a result be prepared to find a lot of toilet paper and other unwanted finds when you are looking for a place to use the toilet properly. On top of this rubbish can also be a problem, so if you see any lying around please try and pick it up.
Freshwater Creek is a must stop and take the time to enjoy floating in the cool freshwater, especially on a hot day. As we highlighted above, four metre tides mean you need to plan carefully as you will only be able to drive along the beach 2 to 3 hours either side of low tide. The speed limit is 50 km/h along the beach so drive slowly, take your time, and enjoy being in Byfield National Park. When visiting, if you do not like it when it is busy, go outside of school holidays and if you can, visit during the week as you are likely to have it all to yourself. If it is busy, then it should not be a big problem with noise as the wind and sound of the waves crashing on the beach will drown out most noise. This is one of the benefits of beach camping.
Check out the National Parks area map of Byfield National Park here if you need more information. To read our other posts on Byfield National Park check them out here. To keep up to date on our future posts then join up to the 4WD Adventurer Community here. For more regular updates then please follow us on social media.
If you have any comments or questions then please comment below. Thanks for reading legends.
The thoughts of Peter.
