Red Rock Camping Area Byfield State Forest
Red Rock camping area or campground is in the Byfield State Forest. This is a great camp spot if you are heading out to Byfield National Park and need a stopover after a long drive to get here. Especially if you are coming from Brisbane or somewhere else that requires a bit of a drive to get here. There are a few other camp spots in this area including the very popular Upper Stony Creek (always busy and has allocated sites) and Water Park Creek. Upper Stony Creek is popular because it is an awesome spot, so if you do not mind a few people around and are staying for a period of time, then this camp spot will be great for you. Water Park Creek is located on the road to Byfield National Park, if you have no other choice then camp here. However, we would recommend Red Rock Camping Area or Upper Stony Creek before Water Park Creek.
Location
Red Rock camping area is located off Byfield Road, which is the road between Byfield, Yeppoon and Rockhampton. When driving North this will be on the right-hand side of Byfield Road. To access Red Rock camping area, you will need to drive 1km down a gravel road that is suitable for any type of vehicle. Here is the Queensland Parks Byfield area map to give you a better idea of where Red Rock camping area is located as well as all the other camping areas and points of interest.
Red Rock Campsites
There a few different campsites located at Red Rock camping area in Byfield State Forest. There are ten vehicle camp sites and four walk-in tent sites. The vehicle sites allow you to camp beside your vehicle or trailer. The walk-in tent sites are located away from your vehicle. If you need access to your vehicle for your fridge, kitchen and so on, the walk-in sites will be no good. The vehicle sites are a better option for any type of camp setup as you have easy access to your vehicle. The walk-in sites are on the left-hand side when you enter the camping area. There are bollards in place therefore the sites are walk in. The walk-in camp area has a small slope and is mainly grass – it is a large area.
The vehicle sites are a mix and match, with some sites being sort of level but most having some sort of a slope. If towing a trailer or caravan, you will most likely need to try and level out your trailer in most spots. There is mostly grass but there can be patches of dirt depending on the site. These sites are all close together, so during busier periods and weekends, expect it to be noisy depending on who is camping there. All sites have a table and benches on a small concrete slab as well as a fire pit. Having the large tables and benches is great as it makes setup a lot easier.
Useful Information
Red Rock Facilities
The Red Rock camping area has toilet facilities as well as running water that must be treated if using for drinking water. The toilets when we visited were in fantastic condition, with toilet seats and toilet paper. There is a sink and tap to wash up as well as a tap for easy access to water if needed. The toilets are located at the top of the vehicle site camping area but easily accessible from all camp sites.
Be Fire Safe
You can have fires when there are not any fire bans. There are fire pits in all camp sites, and you must use these if having a fire. If you do plan on having a fire you need to bring your own firewood. Do not collect firewood in the area. When having a fire remember to make sure that you put out your fire at night and when leaving make sure that the fire has been completely extinguished. If you are unsure, pour water over the coals to be safe. When we did stay here, we arrived late in the evening and the coals in the camp site we chose were still warm when we held our hands over it. Be careful with fires, as it is extremely easy for strong winds to reignite coals and start a bushfire.
Do Not Leave Rubbish
There are no rubbish bins in the Red Rock camping area. 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.
Be Prepared to Fight the Insects
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
You will get 4G Telstra mobile reception if this is something that you need. We had plenty of coverage with 4G data access.
Dogs Allowed
You can have dogs at Red Rock camping area. Just remember though that they must be always kept on a leash. You are not allowed dogs at Upper Stony Creek or Water Park Creek camping areas. So, if you do have a dog, Red Rock camping area is your only option in this location.
Booking a Campsite
If you are planning on staying at Red Rock camping area, 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 Red Rock in the online portal and the campsite will come up. Make sure you chose the correct type of site being walk-in or vehicle campsites. None of the sites are numbered so it is first come first serve.
Our Thoughts on Red Rock Camping Area
Overall Red Rock camping area is a lovely spot when it is quiet. We have camped here mid-week when it is extremely quiet and there is no one else around. It is not our usual choice of camp spot as we prefer being far more isolated. During weekends and busier periods, we personally would give this spot a miss, this is a personal opinion though, if you do not mind being around others then you will not have an issue. We can see that from how the sites are laid out, when it is busier and depending on who is camping there, it could get out of hand with noise.
The sites are all fairly clean and the toilets were in accumulate condition when we stayed here. Each site having its own camp table and benches does provide for those who might not have the best camp setups; it does make for easier setup even if you do have all the gear. People on apps like Wiki Camps complain about the mosquitoes and sandflies but these are always expected when camping in Queensland. Just be prepared and have the right repellents. There are only a few spots that are level for trailers or caravans so if you do not get the correct spot be prepared to have to level out your trailer. Overall Red Rock camping area is a great spot to stop over for a night when heading out to Byfield National Park. If you are planning on camping for a few days or more, then Upper Stony Creek will be a far better option, although busy as it is a more popular spot because of what it offers.
Always remember to remove your rubbish, leave no trace, pick up any rubbish you see lying around, and if you see someone doing the wrong thing, let them know and if you do not feel comfortable telling someone to clean up after themselves, take a photo and report them. We need to make sure we leave no trace, and we try and stop others from doing the wrong thing. If we do not make a concerted effort, as camping becomes more popular, we will start to see more campsites being closed to the public. This is already happening!
Thanks for reading our post on Red Rock Camping Area in Byfield State Forest. If you would like to read our other posts on Byfield National Park you can read them here. For more posts on our adventures you can read them here. To keep up to date on our future posts please join the 4WD Adventurer Community here. For more up to date information then please follow us on social media. If you have any questions or comments about our post on Red Rock Camping Area in Byfield State Forest please comment below.
The thoughts of Peter.
