Oberon Bay hike-in campsite on the Prom's west coast: booking the permit, water warnings, sell-out dates and how to get alerted to a cancellation fast.
About
Oberon Bay is the west-coast camp on the Southern Circuit, and one you can walk to straight out of Tidal River without catching the shuttle up to Telegraph Saddle. The camping area sits among tea-tree just behind the beach, facing the open water of a wind-swept bay. It's a different feel from the sheltered east-coast coves: more exposed, more surf, and big sunsets.
The easy access makes it a popular choice for a first overnight hike, a single night out from Tidal River, or the last camp on a longer walk that finishes along the coast back to Tidal River.
The sites
Parks Victoria doesn't publish a site count. Like the rest of the southern hike-in camps, Oberon Bay is booked per person per night against a capped permit quota.
Facilities on the official pages:
- Toilets
- Limited tank water, which Parks Victoria describes as unreliable and not guaranteed
That water warning matters. Parks Victoria's advice is to carry in enough water for your whole stay, and to treat any tank water before using it.
Hiking notes
- Carry your water. Unlike the creek-fed camps on the east coast, Oberon Bay relies on a tank. Plan as if it's empty.
- Creek crossing: coming from Tidal River, there's a creek to cross on the way. Parks Victoria recommends doing it at low tide.
- Surf: rough surf is listed as a hazard here.
- Rules: no fires, no fishing, no dogs, no bikes, no generators. Fuel stoves are OK except on Total Fire Ban days.
- Cinnamon Fungus: stay on the formed tracks.
How booking works
Book an overnight hiking permit online through Parks Victoria or on 13 19 63 before you walk in. Keep it with you the whole time.
- One permit place per person, per night
- Up to two consecutive nights at Oberon Bay
- Maximum group of 12
- No changing your route once you've started
- Leave an itinerary with an emergency contact
Parks Victoria releases bookings four times a year, around six to nine months ahead, at 10am AEST over three days. Tidal River is first, roofed accommodation second, and other campgrounds and multi-day hikes third. The most recent release was 28 to 30 September 2026.
When it sells out
Oberon Bay's short walk-in from Tidal River makes it an easy add-on for families and groups already camped at the Prom, so it feels the same summer squeeze as Tidal River itself. Parks Victoria's peak dates are the summer school holidays, with Christmas, Boxing Day, New Year's Day and Australia Day, and in autumn Labour Day, Easter, Anzac Day and the King's Birthday weekend. Book those on release day if you can.
How to get a cancellation
Cancelled permits are released back online straight away. Refunds under Parks Victoria's policy:
- 100% if you cancel at least 30 days before the first night
- 50% if you cancel 8 to 29 days before
- Nothing inside 8 days
So the best times to look are in the days leading up to the 30-day and 8-day marks. Camping bookings can also be shifted to other dates for free right up to check-in, so last-week reshuffles happen too.
To skip the constant refreshing, watch Oberon Bay on Aussie Camp Alerts and get an email when a sold-out night opens. Free accounts get one live watch with alerts held back 15 minutes. If you're also chasing Tidal River or other camps, the Summer pass (A$29 once, 12 months) gives up to 10 watches and instant alerts by email, Telegram or web push.
Getting there
There are two official ways in:
- From Tidal River: a coastal walk past rock outcrops, heathland and tea-tree scrub. Parks Victoria gives the Oberon Bay to Tidal River leg as 7.6 km and about two and a half hours, as part of its Lightstation to Oberon Bay track notes. Remember the creek crossing.
- From Telegraph Saddle: the track descends through eucalypt forest to Telegraph Junction, then crosses sandy tea-tree country to Oberon Bay. The full Telegraph Saddle to Tidal River via Oberon Bay walk is 17.1 km and about five and a half hours one way, Grade 4, so Oberon Bay makes a natural overnight break on it.
Walking up from the south, the Lightstation to Oberon Bay track is 22.6 km and about five hours, via Telegraph Junction.
Nearby alternatives