The Fairhill Blog · 28 July 2026
Free Camping Near the Sunshine Coast, and How to Spend Your Days
There is a quiet movement of travellers touring Queensland almost without paying for a bed: swags and vans, free legal campgrounds, and days planned around the places that cost little or nothing to enjoy. The state has hundreds of free and low-cost camps across national parks, state forests and council reserves, and some of the loveliest of them sit within half an hour of us here at Ninderry.
So here is our local version of the idea: where to point the van, and how to fill your days like a local once you are here.
Free and low-cost camps nearby
Obi Obi Creek, near Kenilworth
A well-loved free camp on the creek about 7km from Kenilworth, with grassy areas either side of the old bridge and easy access to the water.
Little Yabba Creek Rest Area
Shaded by tall trees right beside the creek just outside Kenilworth. Overnight stays are limited to around 20 to 24 hours, so it suits a touring rhythm perfectly.
Kandanga RV Park
A donation-based stop for self-contained vehicles in the Mary Valley. Contribute what you can, typically a few dollars a night, and it goes to the upkeep.
Sites, rules and time limits change with the seasons, so always check the current council or Queensland Parks information before you set up, and leave every site better than you found it.
Spend the day in nature's playground
The best part of budget touring is that the days can be as rich as you like. Entry to Fairhill's Nursery, Botanic Gardens, The Gardens Café and the Terrace Bar & Takeaway is completely free: come for the plants, stay for the exceptional coffee and food, and let the kids roam acres of gardens that were made for exploring.
For the full nature's playground, a Fairhill Farmyard Adventures day pass covers the kids while adults come in free: ranger-led sessions run every half past the hour in the mornings, from feeding the animals to the Goats Promenade down to the water.
Wild Nature, and a gardeners' paradise
Our Wild Nature realm is the part of Fairhill that feels furthest from a highway: rainforest walks under the canopy, the Little Engineers & Builders Dig Zones, and Turtle Lake with its turtles, ducks and water dragons. It is the same country the campgrounds sit in, seen at walking pace.
And if you are the kind of traveller whose van slowly fills with plants, welcome home. Fairhill is a gardeners' paradise: South East Queensland's largest native nursery, benches of natives and flowering favourites grown on site, and a team who will happily match a plant to the garden waiting for you at the end of the trip.
Plan your stop
114 Fairhill Road, Ninderry, five minutes from M1 exit 215. Open every day from 8am.