If you’re looking for a quick and easy way to find the best free and budget campsites around Australia without relying on your phone or navigation device, then the brand-new Camps 13 guide from Camps Australia Wide is worth a look.
In this technological age, apps, navigation devices and saved tabs are how many of us keep track of our favourite campgrounds. But there’s something to be said about the tangible reliability of a print guide.
When I got to take a look at the new Camps 13 guide by Camps Australia Wide, complete with detailed maps by Hema Maps, it instantly reminded me of road trips where the shotgun seat meant being navigator and there was always a collection of guides and print maps tucked into the glove box or door pocket. Holidays weren’t planned down to the fine print, rather there was a rough goal about when we were going to reach a place and the rest we worked out along the way — which is the way many of us prefer to travel.
Camps 13 is a touring guide, atlas and trip planner all wrapped up in one sturdy spiral-bound cover, and this latest edition marks the 25th anniversary of a series that has been helping travellers find free and budget-friendly campsites for a quarter of a century.
It comes in two formats: the Standard Edition, a spiral-bound A4 softcover, and the Easy to Read Edition, a larger B4 hardcover with bigger text, larger maps and photos of the campsites themselves.
Camps 13 Standard Edition (A4)
First impressions
There’s a ton of detail packed into this guide, from the state-by-state (and the NT, of course) chapter breakdowns with detailed campsite listings to the colour and shape coded icons and the maps themselves.
The spiral-binding isn’t unusual for guides like this, but I do appreciate the choice as it makes it easy to flip pages all the way back so that you don’t lose your spot, or to fold it flat on the dashboard. And the inclusion of a fold-out map of Australia inside the front cover is a nice touch we’ve seen in previous editions.
Fold-out map of Australia by Hema Maps inside the front cover
Inside, you’ll find more than 4250 free and low-cost verified campsite listings, including 500 new additions since Camps 12 and more than 3300 pet-friendly locations. The listings cover everything from showgrounds and roadhouses to national parks and remote station stays. It’s a good mix of places and angled towards travellers who want to get away from busy locations and don’t need information on the big caravan parks you can find on every app and street sign.
Using the Camps 13 camping guide
The layout of the book is pretty user-friendly, with each state and territory colour-coded so you can easily flick through and find what you’re looking for. If you haven’t used one of the previous editions, the main thing you’ll have to familiarise yourself with is the different icons. There are two different kinds — the site type icons and the listing symbols — and there are icon keys at the start of the book to make things easy.
The site type icons on the maps are shape and colour coded
The listing symbols are detailed and pretty self-explanatory, but the site type icons did require me to flick back to the start of the book to figure out how they worked. These are the symbols that appear on the maps, not the campsite listings, so they’ve got to pack essential information into one small icon. To do this, Camps Australia Wide uses both shape and colour coding. The colours indicate what kind of site they are (e.g., RV park, station or farm stay, caravan park), while the shape (curved-edge rectangle or hexagon) tells you if it’s pet-friendly or not. A blue border means it has a dump point available. It’s a handy system and great if you’re a map-first kind of planner who likes tracing your route and finding the closest campsite that suits your needs rather than pre-planning every stop.
The listing symbols legend
The site listings themselves include basic but essential info such as site type, highway route number, contact information, map reference, GPS coordinates and facilities available on site (there is a breakdown of what all the information is and means in the symbols legend early on in the guide). The listing symbols make it easy to scan what’s available where and to choose a campsite that suit your specific needs.
Flick between the maps and the listings to find your perfect free or budget campsite
Within each state/territory chapter, the order of listings is organised along highway routes such as Brisbane to Rathdowney (aka Mt Lindesay Highway) or Stanthorpe to Newcastle (New England Highway), which makes trip-planning and finding the relevant map/s simple.
Camps 13 is also part of Camps Australia Wide’s partnership with Hema Maps and features an updated Hema 4WD Road Map Atlas, meaning all the maps are clear, detailed and ideal for exploring off-the-beaten-track locations across Australia.
Standard vs Easy to Read
We’ve only had a chance to check out the Standard Edition so far, and it’s compact and easy to stash in the car or spread out on the kitchen table while you plan your trip (utilise the print benefits, people — we’re talking sticky notes, writing in the margins and circling your favourite spots so you don’t forget them).
But if your eyesight’s not what it used to be, or you just like being able to see campsite photos before committing to a stop, the Easy to Read Edition is a smart upgrade. It’s bigger, sturdier and the images add context that the standard version lacks (and let’s be honest, being able to see photos is where digital listings can win us over, so this is a great compromise).
What’s new this time around
There’s a bright new cover for this 25th-anniversary edition, and the interior has had a refresh as well with clearer icons and space to write notes. Each copy also includes a one-year CAMPS App subscription, meaning you’ve got the flexibility of both digital and print planning.
In addition to the more than 500 new campsite listings, one of the great additions (particularly for the caravanning audience) is the new water and dump point sites. These are small but practical inclusions that make life on the road easer, especially with so many remote campsites operating on a ‘take your rubbish with you’ basis.
This edition includes new dump points and water sites
There’s something about physically tracing your route on a map, jotting notes or circling favourite campsites that you just don’t get from a screen. When you’re well past reception or wondering where your next pet-friendly stop or dump point might be, a printed guide like this can be a great backup.
Final thoughts on the new Camps 13 free and budget camping guide
Camps 13 doesn’t reinvent the wheel, and that’s not a bad thing. Backed by more than 33 years of research, it’s a familiar, reliable companion for anyone who likes to travel without depending on technology. The updates from the previous edition are practical rather than flashy (apart from the vibrant orange cover), the maps are solid and the information is detailed and handy for all kinds of travellers.
At $89.99 for the Standard Edition and $115.99 for the Easy to Read Edition, it’s a good deal for the amount of detailed information you get, and if you’re the kind of camper who spends a lot of time on the road and prefers budget or free stays, it’ll easily earn its keep.
Detailed maps by Hema combined with Camps Australia Wide’s more than 33 years of research
All up, Camps 13 continues to prove why it’s been a trusted name among Australian road trippers for decades, and for those who still enjoy a printed guide and a bit of old-school planning, it’s a worthy addition to the glovebox.
It’s available to pre-order online now via the Hema Maps store, with delivery in November 2025.
- Camps 13 Standard Edition (A4): RRP $89.99
- Camps 13 Easy to Read Edition (B4): RRP $115.99
RRP: $89.99 (Standard Edition, A4), $115.99 (Easy to Read Edition, B4)
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