If three’s a crowd then I dunno what you call most of the campsites within cooee of Brissie… Something that rhymes with sit-tight..?

It’s all good though, you’ve got to pay your dues to live in paradise. You just need to be prepared to drive that little bit further than the next fella if you value a bit of solitude.

Luckily, the whole central QLD coast is awash with a glutton’s feast of picture perfect coastal campsites. A handful of which come replete with a roll call of legit ripper offroad tracks and beach runs to frolic through.

Byfield National Park’s for sure no secret in offroading circles, but it’s far enough up the coast that the best campsites are often borderline desolate outside of school holidays and long weekends.

Yep, this hunk of hilly, rainforest-cloaked coastline is a genuine treasure. There are dune climbs, beach runs, creek crossings and enough serenity to give Bonnydoon a fair run for its money.

STUFF TO DO

4WDING: The park’s tracks range from gentle to rutted and rocky. There’s some no-joke sand driving action to be had, including the decently challenging ascent of Big Sandy.

Visitors note that all traffic on to Five Rocks Beach must now turn right after the beach access point (we’re re-naming it Derek Zoolander Cove).

FISHING from the beaches is a good idea year round, with summer and winter whiting, dart and trevally all on the menu. Tropical species including queenfish and GTs regularly stitch up ambitious anglers around the deeper headlands and reefy spots.

IMPORTANT INFO

LOCATION: 690 odd clicks north of Brisbane and 70km up the coast from Rockhampton, access to Byfield is via the A1.

CAMPING is available within the park at Five Rocks camping area, Nine Mile Beach camping area and Water Park Point camping area. Five Rocks is the only spot with facilities. Go right ahead and make use of the toilets, showers and picnic tables.

FUEL is available at Rockhampton and Yeppoon.

MORE INFO is available at www.npsr.qld.gov.au