Tag Archives: Adder Rock campsite

Campsite review: Adder Rock, North Stradbroke Island

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North Stradbroke Island – Straddie – is a fabulous island getaway just an hour from Brisbane. Living right on its doorstep, we’ve caught the ferry over many times, but this was the first time we’d taken our campervan. Enticed by the beautiful surf beaches on the eastern side, we tend to bypass the quieter resorts of Dunwich (where the ferry docks) and Amity Point and head straight for Point Lookout. There’s free camping along Main Beach if you have a 4WD permit and a couple of camping grounds, including Adder Rock, where we stayed.

Point Lookout

This review is just our impression of the resort. For full details about facilities and prices, check out the website: http://www.stradbrokeholidays.com.au/camping.

Booking

Reservations are essential at all campsites on Straddie, and they can book out months in advance in peak periods. The booking process was a bit frustrating. As is often the case at Australian campsites there’s no online booking facility so you have to ring up the tourism office, but the opening hours were quite restrictive – don’t leave it ‘til the last minute. When our schedules finally aligned, our first choice site at Cylinder Beach was unsurprisingly full (it only has a small number of powered sites) so we ended up at Adder Rock.

Location

Located just behind Home Beach on the way into Point Lookout, Adder Rock must be one of the best places to stay on Stradbroke Island. It’s practically on the beach, and just a few metres away from a sheltered and patrolled swimming area and sweeping stretch of white sand. You can walk to the bowls club, a couple of souvenir shops and a petrol station selling a few groceries. I saw one review describing this as a  ‘commercial precinct’, which is probably overstating it a little, but if you’re in need of a loaf of bread or a shell necklace, they’re within reach. At a push, you could walk to the Stradbroke Hotel pub at Cylinder Beach, but it would be around a 30 minute walk along the road. You can drive into Point Lookout for a few more cafes in about five minutes.

Home Beach

Most roads on the island are accessible by car, and it’s definitely worth dragging yourself away from the beach to explore the freshwater lakes and walking trails inland. You only need a 4WD permit to drive on the beach (available at the link above), and to reach the foreshore campsites.

Adder Rock site

The site doesn’t have a view but the pitches were shady and most of them were nicely spaced – we had loads of room around us and there was a fairly relaxed vibe. The washblocks were light, airy and well maintained, there was a small play park and a couple of bbqs. The main attraction though is the beach, and the site was quiet most of the day until people started trooping back with body boards and fishing gear late in the afternoon.

Clientele

More Gen Y than baby boomer, Adder Rock seemed to attract groups of younger people camping together as well as families with children. Ours was one of only two campervans, most people were staying under canvas. Having said that, it was quiet and peaceful when we were there, and having met the manager of the park, I don’t think she would stand for too much unruliness!

Verdict

If you like the beach, and if you’re heading over to Straddie you probably do, you can’t beat the location. Book well in advance and have a great time!

The minimalist guide to camping – set up your site in five simple steps

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1. Arrive at campsite and park under shady tree.
2. Unfold camping chairs.
3. Open bottle of wine.
4. Decide on red or green Pringles. Mmmm.
5. Sit back and watch the proper campers next door wrestle with tangled ropes and inadequate foot pumps in the midday sun. If you’ve got any left, maybe offer them a Pringle.

And so began our first trip in the campervan. It’s probably not a purist’s view of a camping weekend but (in our limited experience) a brilliant alternative.

We took the ferry to North Stradbroke Island – the second largest sand island in the world and a beautiful spot. It’s very accessible from Cleveland so we’ve been lots of times, but this was the first time we didn’t have to rush for the last ferry home.

Point Lookout, North Stradbroke Island

We stayed at the Adder Rock campsite, right next to the beach near Point Lookout. Surprisingly, ours was one of the only campervans amidst an entire village of tents – and these were not your average two-manners, but mini canvas empires with dining rooms and adjoining corridors – all very swish. And a few metres from our pitch was Home Beach which is just lovely: a small bay which is perfect for swimming and then a sweeping stretch of white sand.

Home Beach, Point Lookout

Once we’d sussed out our surroundings and entertained ourselves with our new toys (an ergonomic broom for the wooden floor being the highlight) we were quite content to just kick back and enjoy the afternoon sunshine.

Yes our awning would have been very effective.. if we’d parked the other way round. Tsk – amateurs.

Our very subtle Christmas decorations (particularly subtle when compared with our neighbours’ fairy light extravaganza and lifesize inflatable reindeer).

We were very taken with our little van. It turned out we had heaps of storage, and lots of nooks and crannies so that everything had its place. The seats were comfortable (hurrah!) and the bathroom was fabulous. Unfortunately the gas wasn’t connected due to our plumber going awol the day before, so there were no cups of tea this trip – a bottle of bubbles stepped in at the last moment to toast our maiden voyage. And it was so hot I don’t think anybody (i.e. Paul) even noticed I served the same trio of salads for each meal. As soon as the stove’s working though I’ll have to consult my campervan cookbook and try to conjure up some cuisine worthy of competing with the other delicious aromas drifting around the site at 6pm.

We’d planned the weekend as a kind of test run to see how everything worked and whether another trip to Bunnings was required (it usually is) … but all I wrote down was ‘more bin-bags’ so it turns out we were quite organised.

View from the car ferry on the way home.

We were only away one night but it felt like a proper break – apparently that’s the start of the camping bug. Since we returned we’ve surrounded ourselves with maps and brochures to decide on the next destination. All recommendations welcome!