Whether grey nomads like it or not, the rollout of a new online booking system for camping in WA national parks continues apace.
The state’s Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA) says campgrounds in the Francois Peron and Kennedy Range national parks have become the latest to transition to online booking and payment.
It says travellers can now book for stays from April 1, 2026, using the Park Stay WA booking system for: Big Lagoon, Bottle Bay, Gregories, Herald Blight and South Gregories campgrounds (all located in Francois Peron National Park). And also for Temple Gorge Campground (located in Kennedy Range National Park).
More WA national park campgrounds are available to book online from April 1. PIC: Cizza
The DBCA says the move follows the successful transition to online bookings for more than 20 WA campgrounds in the last two years.
Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions Gascoyne District Parks and Visitor Services Coordinator, Angela Johns, said online bookings gives campers peace of mind.
“Holidaymakers can travel to these remote sites with confidence knowing they have a campsite waiting for them when they arrive, and they may cancel or change their bookings up to one day before arriving if plans change,” Ms Johns said. “Because these parks are remote, having accurate booking information helps our rangers and campground hosts prepare for the number of visitors expected and provide the best possible experience.”
She said the new system also allowed the DBCA to manage facilities and allocate resources appropriately during busy periods.
Bookings and payment can be made up to 180 days in advance via the Park Stay WA booking system. There are now 101 campgrounds and 2590 individual campsites across WA’s national parks and reserves available to be booked via Park Stay WA.
As most grey nomads will attest, the rollout of online booking systems in national park campsites across the country hasn’t been perfect with a rise ‘ghost camping’ being one of the major unintended consequences.
Earlier this month, WA’s DBCA acknowledged as much when it announced a limited trial of a new approach to bookings on the Park Stay WA website, with bookings opening in monthly blocks, six months in advance
DBCA Assistant Director Visitor Services, Rod Annear, said the changes aimed to give campers a fairer chance of securing a booking in popular campgrounds during peak periods.
“The new system will close loopholes that some people were using to exploit the system and deny others the chance to secure bookings during popular periods such as school holidays,” Mr Annear said.
The trial covers bookings for all campgrounds in: Cape Range National Park; Nyinggulara National Park; and Nyinggulu Coastal Reserves.
The trial will initially run for three months and will be reviewed for potential expansion to other popular locations across Western Australia.
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Hear we go AGAIN!!! The bean counters win again. It might be “convenient ” for full time workers who just want to book a holiday BUT extremely INCONVENIANT for the full time traveller or grey nomad who is travelling around with no fixed itinerary! We don’t know where we will want to be next week let alone in 6 months time!
The real reason why they do this is to save money. Save on rangers having to go around and collect money and interact with actual travellers. Makes there budget look good and the politicians give them a pat on the back. Not to mention the “ghost” bookings that will and does occur. We have experienced this ourselves, all camps full on-line but half empty when you get there. Keep the old system, first in gets the spot, ranger comes around and collects money and interacts with you. If their any sort of decent person you might get a bit of info about the area from them .
Hi nick THE GOOD OLD DAYS.Too simple Great reply
your preaching to the choir Nick these bean counters wouldn’t know what day it is but what happens If you turn up and there is no internet
They don’t care!
I fully agree! If I camp, It seems that National Parks don’t want campers but trying to find excuses to open parks for multinational companies to provide “glamour camping” for a few.
I am a Camp Host and have no problem with first in best dressed and I will come round in the arvo and give any info you need about fishing and anything else that is happening in the local area then I will take your camping fee and provide a receipt. This is interacting with the campers and you know I’m there if you need any help with anything.
Well done National Parks. You have successfully ensured I and thousands of others will never stay in a National Park, thus ensuring you continually move towards your aim of preventing anyone from accessing what used to be a national asset.
A truly disgusting way of controlling land you do not even own, but to which you are supposed to be custodians of by allowing access to the paying public. This is what happens people if you give the Greenies control over anything.
Recently used the online booking for Starvation Bay 10 days near Esperance. Only the odd Bay was empty at any time. Ranger passed daily. Quite a few were 1 or 2 night stays. Everyone said it was easy.
Haven’t camped in a National Park for over 12 years because of the online booking system as you never know if the site is accessible for your set up without seeing it
It feels like this is a never-ending story as campers we all reply to surveys we all give genuine experienced input into the National Parks but not once do they listen. We have been caught out twice since the online booking system has started once in South Australia we arrived at a remote location and our large sight was already in use by several campers this was late Friday and they were in no condition to leave we had to drive a kilometer or more to we got phone reception and explain the situation to the parks Personnel and said was just go and pick a site that you can fit on. Great if we get one that has been booked. NSW in the Kosciuszko NP we booked and was told that it was fully booked we decided to drive in to look as this camp has very few visitors and as expected it was empty. We stayed 4 nights not one person came to camp. Now for WA parks we stayed at Lucky Bay for 7 nights when the online booking service said only 1 or 2 nights available. I spoke to a Ranger about the fault with the program and she agreed. And found our nights. I believe they still have not fixed the problem. A simple nights available by month is all that is needed. But this will fall on deaf ears again.
No doubt online booking is great for park administration. Saves paying a worker: magic for the bottom line and stuff the customer. All this new fangled wizardry but zilch done to control ghost campers. That’s clearly too difficult despite being a continuing problem.
No words needed for a broken system
I don’t travel with a computer or internet connection, and never will. So, I guess I will continue to stay wherever I want