Bonnie Vale Campground in Royal National Park books out on summer weekends. How to book, when it sells out and how to grab a cancellation for your nights.
About
Bonnie Vale is the campground Sydneysiders book when they want a proper camping trip without a long drive. It sits on the Hacking River in Royal National Park, between Bundeena and Maianbar, on the southern edge of the city. You can paddle straight off the Bonnie Vale picnic area, fish or swim at Jibbon Beach about ten minutes' drive away, and pick up the Coast track a short drive from camp.
Being this close to Sydney has an obvious downside: everyone else has the same idea. Weekends and school holidays go fast, and summer is close to impossible without either very early planning or a well-timed cancellation.
During weekday school holidays NPWS runs guided kids' activities at the campground, and there's a guided nature walk that starts from camp, which makes it a good pick for families.
The sites
The official NPWS page lists 79 campsites at Bonnie Vale, suitable for tents, camper trailers, caravans and camping beside your vehicle. There's a mix of powered and unpowered sites, and sites are marked.
Facilities, per NPWS:
- Flush toilets and hot showers
- Drinking water
- Barbecue facilities and picnic tables
Check-in is from 2pm and check-out is by 10am. You can book up to 18 people or 3 sites online; larger groups need a group booking enquiry. There's a limit of one parked vehicle, trailer or boat per site, and grey water has to be captured and emptied at the dump points next to each amenity block. Quiet time starts at 10pm, pets aren't allowed (certified assistance animals excepted) and recreational drones are prohibited.
NPWS also asks campers to avoid setting up on grass that's been recently used, so the turf has a chance to recover. Camping fees don't cover park entry, which is charged per vehicle per day.
How booking works
Bonnie Vale is booked through the NSW National Parks website or by calling the National Parks Contact Centre on 1300 072 757 (7am to 7pm daily). There's no ballot: availability is first in, best dressed, shown by site type for each night.
Every booking carries a non-refundable booking fee. If you cancel:
- 31 days or more before arrival: 75% of the fee back (booking fee excluded).
- Less than 31 days before arrival: 50% back (booking fee excluded).
- If NPWS closes the park because of extreme weather or fire, you get a full refund, booking fee included.
You can transfer a booking to new dates within the same site type, as long as the whole booking moves together.
When it sells out
Expect summer weekends, the Christmas to Australia Day period, Easter and NSW school holidays to book out well ahead. Our checks of NSW coastal campgrounds this season show the Christmas to Australia Day stretch already full across the sites we sampled. Because Bonnie Vale is so close to Sydney, even ordinary sunny weekends can fill once the forecast looks good.
Midweek nights outside school holidays are your best bet for booking normally.
How to get a cancellation
Sydney campers cancel all the time: a kid gets sick, the weather turns, work gets in the way. Each cancellation drops a site straight back into the system for whoever spots it first.
Timing helps. The refund falls from 75% to 50% inside 31 days, so many people sort out their plans just before that point. For a late December or January stay, that means a lot of sites tend to reappear somewhere between 20 November and 26 December. There's another wave in the final days before arrival, especially when the forecast looks wet.
Rather than refreshing the booking page all day, watch Bonnie Vale on Aussie Camp Alerts. Set your nights and site type and we'll email you when something opens. The free plan gives you one live watch with alerts delayed around 15 minutes; the Summer pass adds instant alerts, Telegram and web push if you're juggling a few options.
When the alert arrives, book straight away. Bonnie Vale sites don't sit around for long.
Getting there
By car from Audley, cross Audley Weir and follow Sir Bertram Stevens Drive for around 10km, turn left onto Bundeena Drive towards Bundeena, then left onto Sea Breeze Lane and follow the signs. The campground address is 2 Sea Breeze Lane, Bonnie Vale. Roads are sealed and suitable for 2WD in all weather. NPWS suggests carpooling, as visitor numbers in this area often exceed parking.
Without a car, take the ferry from Cronulla to Bundeena wharf, then walk about 15 minutes along a track to the Bonnie Vale picnic area. Mobile reception is limited, so NPWS recommends downloading the Emergency Plus app before you go.
Royal National Park is open 7am to 8.30pm, but can close in poor weather or high fire danger.
Nearby alternatives
If Bonnie Vale is full, these are worth a watch: