Diamond Head walk-in tent area in Crowdy Bay NP: a short carry to beachside tent sites. How to book, when it fills and how to get a cancellation alert.
About
Diamond Head campground sits right behind the beach in the northern section of Crowdy Bay National Park, near Laurieton on the NSW Mid North Coast. Alongside the main campground there's a separate walk-in camp area for tents only, and it's the pick for anyone who'd rather fall asleep to the surf than to someone else's generator.
The walking here is excellent. The 4.8km Diamond Head loop walk heads out via Indian Head, and the shorter Mermaid Lookout track is an easy add-on. Birdwatching, fishing, surfing and swimming are all on the doorstep, and Laurieton, about 10km away, is where you stock up on food and supplies.
Crowdy Bay National Park is always open, but it can close in poor weather or high fire danger, so check the alerts on the NPWS page before you leave.
The sites
The walk-in tent area is part of Diamond Head campground, which NPWS lists as having 75 campsites in total across tent, camper trailer, caravan and beside-vehicle camping. NPWS doesn't publish a separate count for the walk-in sites.
What NPWS does say about the walk-in area:
- Sites are suitable for tents only.
- All gear must be carried from your vehicle to the camp area, about 150m.
- There's a designated parking area for walk-in bookings.
There are no powered sites anywhere at Diamond Head. Facilities across the campground, per NPWS:
- Toilets, showers, an outdoor shower and an amenities block
- Gas barbecues, picnic shelters and picnic tables next to the beach
- Rubbish bins
Bring your own drinking and cooking water. Fires are only allowed in off-the-ground braziers, which you can hire from the on-site office. Check-in is from 2pm and check-out is by 10am, and you need to check in at the on-site office when you arrive. Online you can book up to 20 people or 5 sites; bigger groups use the NPWS group booking enquiry form. A per-vehicle park entry fee is paid when you book.
How booking works
The walk-in area is booked on the NSW National Parks website, or by phone through the National Parks Contact Centre on 1300 072 757 (7am to 7pm daily). Availability is shown by site type, so make sure you're searching the walk-in tent sites rather than the main campground. There's no ballot.
A non-refundable booking fee applies. NPWS camping cancellation terms:
- Cancel 31 days or more before arrival: 75% refund, excluding the booking fee.
- Cancel less than 31 days out: 50% refund, excluding the booking fee.
- If NPWS closes the park for extreme weather, fire or a similar event, you get a full refund including the booking fee.
Bookings can be moved to new dates within the same site type, but only as a whole booking.
When it sells out
Summer school holidays and the Christmas to Australia Day period are the hardest nights to land on the Mid North Coast, followed by Easter, the other NSW school holidays and long weekends. Our recent checks across NSW coastal campgrounds found the Christmas to Australia Day stretch already booked out at the sites we sampled.
The walk-in area has a quirk that helps: plenty of campers want to park beside their tent, so the 150m carry puts some people off. That doesn't mean it's easy in peak season, but it's often worth checking the walk-in sites when the main campground looks full.
How to get a cancellation
Sites come back whenever someone cancels, and the 31-day refund cut-off is the big trigger. People who've changed plans tend to cancel just before the refund drops from 75% to 50%, so for late December and January stays watch closely from around 20 November to 26 December. There's another flurry in the last few days before arrival, particularly when a coastal low or wet forecast rolls in.
You can sit on the booking page hitting refresh, or you can watch Diamond Head walk-in on Aussie Camp Alerts and get an email when a tent site opens for your nights. The free plan gives you one live watch, with alerts about 15 minutes delayed. The Summer pass adds instant alerts and Telegram or web push if you're watching several coastal campgrounds.
Getting there
Diamond Head is in the northern section of Crowdy Bay National Park. Once you enter the park, follow Diamond Head Road to the campground (763 Diamond Head Road, Diamond Head). The roads are unsealed but fine for 2WD, though NPWS warns they can deteriorate quickly in rain and periods of high visitation.
Park in the designated walk-in area car park and carry your gear the roughly 150m to the camp area. There's 4WD access to the beach from Diamond Head, but you'll need to organise a permit first.
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