Save on accommodation and pour more pennies into wine with a Hunter Valley caravan park stay.
Dreaming of blazing sunsets spent gazing over the vines? A Hunter Valley caravan park, camping ground or glamping experience offers the most affordable accommodation in town. With many providing super convenient locales, a string of activities, surprisingly luxe amenities and private sanctuaries immersed in natural wonders, you’ll more than appreciate the dollars saved when your wine-hopping itinerary swings into gear.
Hunter Valley caravan parks
1. Ingenia Holidays Hunter Valley
Distance from Pokolbin and wineries: A 10 to 15-minute drive.
Caravanners and budget-conscious families will be familiar with Ingenia’s wide-reaching stable of Aussie caravan parks and its Hunter Valley outpost is filled with everything you’d expect from the reliable chain. The Ingenia Holidays Hunter Valley caravan park, one of the best options in the region, offers powered camping sites in addition to simple but sufficiently stacked one, two and three-bedroom cabins.
Ingenia Holidays Hunter Valley has powered astroturf sites for campervans. (Image: Showcache)
A restaurant, large swimming pool, giant jumping cushion and playground for kids, camp kitchen and cafe are also found onsite. Pets are welcome if you’re caravanning, camper vanning or tenting, but they’re mostly banned from cabin life all bar the entry-level one-bedroom stays.
Enjoy a morning dip in the pool. (Image: Showcache)
Address: 137 Mount View Road, Cessnock
2. Wine Country Tourist Park
Distance from Pokolbin and wineries: A 10-minute drive.
The best Hunter Valley caravan park in terms of proximity to wine time, Wine Country Tourist Park welcomes tents, caravans, motorhomes and campers to its tidy grounds. It also houses a range of cabins.
Settle into one of the modern cabins at Wine Country Tourist Park.
All sites are powered, including tent sites, and all cabins feature private bathrooms and kitchen facilities. Amenities include a swimming pool, camp kitchen, barbecue facilities, laundry and bike hire, and pets are welcome at the discretion of staff.
Address: Wine Country Drive and O’Connors Road, Nulkaba
3. Country Acres Caravan Park
Distance from Pokolbin and wineries: A 30-minute drive.
A large unpowered grassy area provides a very basic spot to rest your head a little way out of central wine country. Climb the accommodation ladder at Country Acres Caravan Park and you’ll also find powered concrete slabs for motorhomes and caravans plus one and two-bedroom cabins with or without private bathrooms. This Hunter Valley caravan park is a far cry from the finest option around, but handy amenities include a swimming pool, laundry, dump point, barbecues and a camp kitchen.
Address: 58 Maison Dieu Road, McDougalls Hill, Singleton
4. Singleton Caracourt Caravan Park
Distance from Pokolbin and wineries: A 25-minute drive.
Clean lawns and a variety of camping sites ensure this Hunter Valley caravan park attracts a regular stream of visitors. The Singleton Caracourt Caravan Park features unpowered and powered sites with some including an ensuite bathroom, plus one and two-bedroom cabins fitted with cooking facilities, TVs and air conditioning. Extras are basic and include one outdoor barbecue, a dump site and a communal outdoor lounge but guest laundry facilities and wi-fi incur additional costs. A good option if the bigger caravan parks are booked up.
Address: 20 Newton Street, Dunolly
5. Wangi Point Holiday Park
Distance from Pokolbin and wineries: Just under one hour’s drive.
A Hunter Valley caravan park with many of the bells and whistles you’re hunting for, Wangi Point Holiday Park is a really slick operation. The only hitch is you’re about a 57-minute drive from the wineries. If you can cope with the extra travel, you’ll be rewarded with a range of villas, cabins, and sizeable powered and unpowered campsites for caravans, trailers, campers and tents.
Set up camp at Wangi Point Holiday Park.
You’re situated right on the shores of Lake Macquarie, so water views are visible from several angles and amenities include a camp kitchen, a kids’ playground, multiple barbecues, a dump point, a nearby boat ramp and free wi-fi.
Take in pristine lake views.
Address: 2a Watkins Road, Wangi Wangi
Glamping in the Hunter Valley
6. Cranky Rock Wollombi
Distance from Pokolbin and wineries: A 35-minute drive.
You might’ve bookmarked Cranky Rock Wollombi for its gorgeous cottage accommodation but the charming working farm is also home to family-sized glamping tents and a campground. Sleeping up to four people per tent, the unpowered Hunter Valley glamping site provides two queen beds in each tent as well as linen, toilet paper, hand towels, a septic toilet and gas for shared barbecue facilities.
You’ll also share a kitchen, showers and a fridge with fellow guests. There’s a creek on the property and walking tracks to explore.
Address: 2214 Wollombi Road, Sweetmans Creek
7. Broke Estate
Distance from Pokolbin and wineries: A 16-minute drive from Pokolbin proper but you’re smack bang in the wine country matrix given Broke Estate is a winery itself.
A canvas bell tent and accompanying amenities pod are the newest attractions at Broke Estate, one of the region’s most celebrated wineries. Launched in 2022, this lavish Hunter Valley glamping combines the simplicity of a tent stay with sumptuous creature comforts at your doorstep.
Relax outside your glamping tent at sundown.
The tent itself features a queen bed, record player and cushy seats while the pod, built on wheels, is where you’ll find your private fully equipped kitchen, bathroom, breakfast bar and daybed. There’s also a gorgeous timber deck with more chairs, an outdoor fireplace, a large umbrella and mountain vistas.
The pod at Broke Estate is equipped with modern amenities.
Address: 1260 Broke Road, Broke
8. On Bell Glamping
Distance from Pokolbin and wineries: A 5 to 10-minute drive.
Two eco-friendly tents can be found at On Bell Glamping, a romantic Hunter Valley glamping experience set on a working 100-acre organic farm.
Immerse yourself in nature during a stay at On Bell Glamping.
Choose from the Speckled Warbler or the Grey-Crowned Babbler tents, named after the endangered birds that reside onsite, both fitted with a king bed, a separate bathroom packed with toiletries, a kitchenette, insect screens and a private deck with a barbecue. You can also order a breakfast package, cheese platters and meat packs sourced direct from the farm itself.
Find the glamping site hidden in the middle of a forest.
Address: 352 Bell Road, Lower Belford
9. Donnybrook Eco Retreat
Distance from Pokolbin and wineries: A 25 to 30-minute drive.
Situated on the banks of the Hunter River, Billabong at Donnybrook Eco Retreat is a remote glamping tent on a 100-acre farm.
Billabong at Donnybrook Eco Retreat is situated on the banks of the Hunter River.
Billabong is fitted with a double bed, ensuite bathroom, fridge, basic utensils and cooking facilities including an electric hotplate, private verandah, outdoor fireplace, electric blankets and heaters in winter and power.
And you’re more than welcome to introduce yourself to the nearby alpacas, pigs, goats, chooks and Casper the pony if you’re up for socialising.
Address: 702 Luskintyre Road, Luskintyre
10. Jilliby Creek Glamping Tent and Redwood Glamping Tent
Distance from Pokolbin and wineries: Just over one hour’s drive.
Two spacious glamping options, the Jilliby Creek Glamping Tent and the Redwood Glamping Tent, offer serenity on a remote property in the Dooralong Valley. But you need to be comfortable sharing a bathroom and kitchen with your neighbours.
Feel the serene vibe at Jilliby Creek Glamping Tent.
In each tent, however, you’ll spy a queen bed, day bed, wood-fired stove, fan, wi-fi and a deck with a hammock and firepit. Towels, linen and toiletries are also provided in both options.
Be greeted by resident kangaroos at Redwood Glamping Tent.
Address: 1577 Dooralong Road, Lemon Tree
11. The Beltree
Distance from Pokolbin and wineries: A 5 to 10-minute drive.
Arguably the most high-end Hunter Valley glamping experience to discover, The Beltree is located right in the thick of wine country and features five state-of-the-art tents. Awarded the Best Wine Country Glamping Experience 2024 in the APAC Insider’s Australian Enterprise Awards, you know you’re in for a treat.
Stay in one of the five state-of-the-art tents at The Beltree.
A dream getaway for couples, each tent features its own outdoor hot tub, ensuite bathrooms with bathtubs, private balcony, air conditioning, queen bed, walk-in robe, kitchenette and fire pit.
Soak under the stars of an evening.
The 100-acre property itself is home to award-winning Semillon-producing vines, olive groves, cattle and horses so there’s plenty to gaze at if you can break away from your beloved.
Indulge in S’mores around the campfire at night.
Address: 266 Hermitage Road, Belford
Camping options in the Hunter Valley
12. McNamara Park
Distance from Pokolbin and wineries: A 13-minute drive.
Free camping for up to three days is a bargain you’ll struggle to refuse if you’re dead keen on a DIY tent holiday. McNamara Park in Broke features a flat grassy area and some facilities including flushing toilets, picnic tables and rubbish bins. A playground and barbecue are within walking distance, making the spot very kid-friendly, and there are plenty of shady spots if your Hunter Valley adventure beckons in the sunnier months.
Address: 1273 Milbrodale Road, Broke
13. Wattle Valley Farm
Distance from Pokolbin and wineries: A 35-minute drive.
Don’t mind sharing your digs with the odd echidna, roo or wombat? Wattle Valley Farm is a 100-acre property surrounded by beautiful Wollombi Brook. The Hunter Valley camping spot takes tents and trailers but no caravans due to limited access roads.
Stay amongst the trees at Wattle Valley Farm.
You’ll find shared toilets and showers onsite, plus there are three self-contained cabins elsewhere on the property with modern furnishings and air conditioning.
Address: 2579 Paynes Crossing Road, Paynes Crossing
14. Gap Creek Campground
Distance from Pokolbin and wineries: Just under one hour in the car.
A soothing waterfall and serene walking tracks are on tap at Gap Creek Campground, about a 57-minute drive from Pokolbin in the Hunter Valley. Tents, camping beside your vehicle and camper trailers are welcome at this free camping site, however a $6 booking fee will secure your spot.
Go off-grid at Gap Creek Campground.
Facilities include toilets, a car park, picnic tables and barbecues, but it should be noted there’s no phone reception in the area so you’re really going off-grid.
Address: North-eastern section of Watagans National Park, entry via Bangalow Road turnoff just past Bangalow camping area.
15. Cessnock Showground
Distance from Pokolbin and wineries: A 15-minute drive.
Did you know you could set up camp at the home of the annual Cessnock Show? If its central location floats your boat (because it should be noted, the grounds are nothing much to look at), the Cessnock Showground offers powered and unpowered sites for caravans and motorhomes. There’s toilets, barbecues and showers to be found and pets are allowed in case that seals the deal.
Address: 111 Mount View Road, Cessnock
16. Bulga Recreation Ground
Distance from Pokolbin and wineries: A 25-minute drive.
Well-maintained grounds and mountain scenery, plus good proximity to Hunter Valley’s hottest attractions, make Bulga Recreation Ground a decent and free option for caravans, tents and trailers. But you’ll only find toilets onsite here, no showers, so it’s a spot for the truly brave at heart. Barbecue areas are on offer, so that’s a plus, and they allow pets.
Address: 19 The Inlet Road, Bulga
17. Bangalow Campground
Distance from Pokolbin and wineries: A 55-minute drive.
Three individual campsites can be found within Bangalow Campground, which invites tents and camping beside your vehicle. The peaceful bushland features a car park, toilets, picnic tables and barbecues and it’s situated close to Monkey Face lookout which offers stunning views of the region. It’s free to camp but a Watagans National Park booking fee of $6 applies.
Address: North-eastern section of Watagans National Park, entry via Bangalow Road.
For more insider tips and must-do experiences, read our Hunter Valley travel guide.
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