Victorians have it good. From Melbourne, you can be in mountain country, rainforest, riverside flats, ocean cliffs or genuine desert in less than a day's drive. Some of the best campsites in the country are an hour from the city. Even the most remote spots are weekend-doable.

Winter weather closes some High Country locations from June to November, but with this much variety you can camp somewhere in Victoria all year round. Here are ten places worth packing the car for.

Planning a Vic trip? Our Campsite Explorer has hundreds of VIC campsites filterable by region, facility and activity.

Photo by Zoe Askew on Unsplash

The Lerderderg cuts a 300-metre-deep gorge through the Blackwood Ranges, an hour west of Melbourne — closer than your drive to the airport. O'Briens Crossing is the standout campsite: 2WD-accessible via the Greendale–Kyneton Road, good facilities for tent camping, and walking access into the gorge proper.

Why bother: springtime wildflower display, koalas in the gum canopy, decent fishing away from the busy bits. Perfect introduction to bush camping if the kids haven't done it before.

The Great Ocean Road is the famous bit, but the Otway hinterland is the prize. The bush behind the cliffs is dense temperate rainforest with waterfalls, walking tracks and forestry roads that take you well away from the tour buses.

Camping options: a bunch of national park sites scattered through the bush, plus commercial holiday parks along the coastal strip. 2WD access to most attractions including the waterfalls (Triplet Falls, Hopetoun, Beauchamp) and the Otway Fly treetop walk.

Best for: a 3-4 day loop combining clifftop walks, rainforest hikes and a few sunset beach swims.

Right in the south-west corner of Victoria, where the Glenelg River meets the sea. Most people drive past on the way to South Australia and miss it entirely — which is exactly why it's worth a stop.

What to do:

• Canoe the lower Glenelg River — platypus and water birds, calm water, multi-day options
• Visit the Princess Margaret Rose Caves on the river
• Fish off the jetties (everyone does)

Camping: Nelson Reserve in town is the easy option. For more solitude, several bush sites along the river — some accessible only by boat.

Photo: Hugo Kruip / Unsplash

West of Stawell. The Grampians have been drawing visitors for tens of thousands of years — Aboriginal occupation, springtime wildflowers, lakes, waterfalls, and a walking-track network that takes you to genuinely jaw-dropping viewpoints (the Pinnacle, Reed Lookout, the Balconies).

Halls Gap is the township base — caravan parks, restaurants, fuel. For real bush camping go to the national park sites: Borough Huts, Smith Mill, Stapylton.

Plan around: spring (Sept-Nov) is wildflower peak. Summer is hot and dry; check fire restrictions before heading in. Most main attractions are 2WD; the more remote bush is 4WD-only.

Up in the Sunset Country in Victoria's far north-west, the Pink Lakes near Underbool are exactly what they sound like — salt lakes that glow shocking pink in summer when the salt-loving algae blooms. It's a five-hour drive from Melbourne, properly remote, and rewarding.

Camping: Lakes Crosbie and Becking, both basic facilities. Bring all your own water — there's none on site, and the bore water doesn't drink. Watch for feral bees in summer.

Access: 2WD to the campsites; 4WD beyond into the Sunset Country if you want to explore further. Good outback experience without the Centre's commitment.

Barmah National Park sits north-east of Echuca and protects the largest river red gum forest in the world. The Murray meanders through it. The camping is along the riverbank — fishing, swimming, kayaking, water skiing in summer, all-around classic Murray River camping.

Worth knowing: all vehicles are restricted to dry weather periods — wet conditions close the tracks fast. Most river campsites are self-sufficient (BYO everything). National park camps have basic facilities. The annual cattle muster in April is a unique Aussie event worth timing a trip around.

A massive man-made lake with multiple arms reaching into adjoining valleys. Eildon is what you visit if you want to camp with a boat — fishing, water skiing, kayaking, the lot. Plenty of waterfront sites, plus bush camps tucked away in the surrounding state forest.

Camping: book ahead, especially summer school holidays. Facilities range from full caravan parks to basic bush camps. 2WD access to all the main camps; 4WD opens up plenty more in the surrounding bush.

Photo: Zoe Askew / Unsplash

Victoria's High Country is mainland Australia's biggest, highest alpine playground. Bush camps on the high plains, snow gums, brumby country, and 4WD tracks that have been famous for decades — the Wonnangatta, Howitt Plains, Bogong High Plains.

Plan around: snow closes most tracks June to November. Outside winter, it's all on. Activities: 4WD touring, fly fishing, horse riding, bushwalking, hut-bagging. Ski touring in winter for the prepared.

2WD access via the main arterials (Great Alpine Road, Bogong High Plains Road) plus caravan parks in towns like Mt Beauty, Bright, Omeo. Riverside bush camps along the Howqua and Mitta Mitta get crowded in summer — go midweek.

The Snowy in eastern Victoria — yes, the one from The Man From Snowy River. McKillops Bridge is the easy 2WD camp on the river; everything else gets harder to access from there. The Deddick Trail is a serious 4WD route for experienced drivers only — winter conditions can lock you in for days.

Worth seeing: Little River Gorge (the views are absurd), the limestone caves around Buchan township, and the river itself, which is genuinely wild country for canoeing and fishing if you're prepared.

Far East Gippsland, just an hour off the Princes Highway. Croajingolong is one of Victoria's most under-rated parks — secluded inlets, enormous sand dunes, coastal wetlands, rocky promontories, the lot. You can set up at Thurra River and have the place largely to yourself outside of school holidays.

What to do: bird watching (wedge-tailed eagles, sea eagles), canoeing the inlets, surf and rock fishing, beach and bush walking. Smaller camps tucked along the coast give you proper isolation.

2WD to the main camps, 4WD opens up Point Hicks Lighthouse, Wingan Inlet and the more remote spots.

The ten above are the iconic spots. Here are a few more VIC campsites from our Campsite Explorer database — different regions, different vibes. Tap a card for facilities, location and booking details.

Browse all VIC campsites in the Explorer →

Victoria is dense with great camping — alpine, coastal, inland river country, the high country + Otways. Browse our live Campsite Explorer for current Victorian camping options.

Browse all VIC campsites →

Victoria packs more variety into a small footprint than just about anywhere else in the country — coast, alpine, desert, rainforest, river country. You can do a long weekend at Wilsons Prom and a long weekend in the Mallee within the same month and feel like you've been on different continents.

Pick a region, plan around the season, and have a Plan B for weather. The High Country in summer and the coast in winter rarely disappoint.