Best Caravan Parks & Camping in Gerroa
28 Sept 2026
Gerroa is one of those places that makes you wonder why you'd ever bother flying anywhere. It's a small headland town at the southern end of the Illawarra, sitting just past Gerringong, where the highway peels away and the land drops down to meet one of the longest, cleanest stretches of sand on the New South Wales coast. Seven Mile Beach runs north from the mouth of the Crooked River in a near-perfect arc, backed by littoral rainforest and spotted gums, and for generations of families it has meant one thing above all else: summer holidays under canvas, or in a van, or in a cabin with sandy floors and wet towels on every railing.
Camping culture here is genuinely old. Kids who learned to fish off the rocks at Black Head come back decades later with their own kids, booking the same fortnight every January and grumbling good-naturedly about how much has changed while, in truth, very little has. The river is still the best place in the district to teach a child to paddle a kayak. The surf is still reliable without being intimidating. The walk from the sand back to camp is still short enough to do barefoot.
If you're looking for somewhere to base yourself, Discovery Parks - Gerroa is the obvious starting point. It's a laid-back getaway with a real spread of accommodation on offer — rooms, apartments and cottages — which makes it a good fit for groups travelling at different comfort levels, whether that's grandparents who'd like a proper bed and a kitchen, or a couple happy with something simple. There's a playground and an outdoor pool on site too, which anyone who has ever holidayed with small children will recognise as the difference between a relaxing week and a long one. The pool in particular earns its keep on those still February afternoons when the surf is flat and nobody can be bothered walking anywhere.
The other name you'll hear locally is Seven Mile Beach Holiday Park, which takes its name from the beach that defines this whole stretch of coast. It's a straightforward, well-known option in the area and sits in the sort of position that Gerroa camping is famous for — close to the sand, close to the river, close to not much else, which is rather the point. If you're the kind of traveller who wants a base rather than a resort, it's worth putting on your list and calling ahead, especially over school holidays when Gerroa fills up fast.
A few things worth knowing before you book. Peak season here is no joke — Christmas through to the end of January is booked out months in advance, often by the same families year after year, so if you're planning a summer stay, think of it as a spring job. The shoulder seasons are arguably better anyway. April and October in Gerroa are quietly perfect: warm enough for the water if you're brave, cool enough for a fire pit at night if conditions allow, and blissfully free of the queue at the boat ramp. Autumn especially has a soft, golden quality along Seven Mile Beach that photographers drive down from Sydney for.
Bring more than you think you'll need in the way of shade and insect repellent — the rainforest edges are beautiful but buggy at dusk — and don't underestimate how much of your holiday will be spent simply walking. Gerroa rewards walkers. The headland tracks, the long beach itself, the stroll up to the lookouts with the Illawarra escarpment stacked up behind you and Gerringong glowing white on the hill: it's the sort of scenery that makes a week feel like a fortnight.
And if you need a change of pace, you're spoiled. Gerringong is minutes away for a coffee, a bakery run or a swim at Werri Beach. Kiama, with its blowhole and harbour and markets, is a short drive north. Berry, with its main street of pubs and providores, sits just inland. But most people who camp in Gerroa find they barely leave. You set up, you unpack the chairs, you look at the ocean, and suddenly it's Thursday.
That's the appeal of this little corner of the coast. It doesn't ask much of you, and it gives back a great deal — which is exactly what a good camping holiday should do.
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— The Illawarra's Best Team