Brou Lake campground

Brou Lake campground sits between a calm freshwater lake and the surf of Brou Beach in Eurobodalla National Park, nestled in a forest of spotted gums on the NSW Sapphire Coast. Camping here is free — just a $6 booking fee — and the unmarked sites are the kind of place you can paddle a kayak across glassy water in the morning, then walk ten minutes through the bush to bodysurf the afternoon away.

Getting there#

Address: Brou Lake Road, Bodalla, NSW 2545.

Drive options:

• From Bodalla (~12 km, 15 minutes) — Princes Highway turn onto Brou Lake Road. Final access is unsealed but suitable for 2WD in dry conditions.
• From Narooma (~20 km, 25 minutes south) — north on the Princes Highway, then Brou Lake Road.
• From Sydney (~4.5 hours, ~380 km) — Princes Highway south through Moruya and Bodalla.
• From Canberra (~3 hours, ~230 km) — Kings Highway through Braidwood and Batemans Bay, then south on the Princes Highway.

Camping is not permitted along Brou Lake Road or in the bollarded picnic areas. Mobile reception is patchy — download offline maps and check Parks NSW for alerts before you set off.

Sites and facilities#

Unmarked, unpowered sites in a spotted-gum forest. Sites suit tents, small caravans, camper trailers, and small campervans, though caravan/trailer spots are limited and allocated first-come-first-served.

Bookings cover up to 8 people or 2 sites.

On site:

• Toilets
• Picnic tables
• Unmarked unpowered sites

Bring with you:

• All drinking and cooking water — no tap water on site
• Gas stove — campfires are not permitted
• Insect repellent — mosquitos are heavy around the lake at dusk
• Headtorch — sites are unmarked and unlit
• Sand pegs if you're pitching close to the dunes

This is a remote campground with no shop, no fuel, no rubbish bins, and no reception in places. Carry out everything you carry in.

Nearest town and supplies#

• Bodalla (~12 km, 15 minutes north) — small heritage village famous for cheese and pies. General store, bakery, fuel, and the iconic Bodalla Dairy Shed for cheese platters.
• Narooma (~20 km, 25 minutes south) — full supply town with IGA, fuel, fishing tackle, cafes, and the boardwalk over the inlet. The right place for a real shop.
• Moruya (~35 km, 40 minutes north) — regional centre with major supermarkets (Coles, Woolworths), hardware, hospital.

The pragmatic plan: shop in Narooma or Moruya before turning onto Brou Lake Road. The general store at Bodalla covers last-minute essentials but not a week's worth of food.

What to do at Brou Lake#

• Brou Lake paddling — glassy water perfect for kayaking and canoeing. Best in the early morning before the sea breeze.
• Brou Beach surfing — beach break that picks up swell from any southerly direction. Often empty even at peak times.
• Lake and beach fishing — bream and flathead in the lake; salmon and tailor off the beach. NSW recreational fishing licence required.
• Beach walks — Jemisons Beach joins Brou Beach in a long sandy stretch. Great for sunrise and sunset strolls; dolphins frequent offshore.
• Wildlife spotting — long-nosed potoroos are commonly seen in camp at dusk. Swamp wallabies, kangaroos, and a strong forest birdlife.
• Day trips — Montague Island tours from Narooma (penguins and seals, September–December peak); the historic Bodalla cheese factory; Tilba Tilba's heritage shops 25 minutes south.

Best time to visit#

• Autumn (March–May) is the sweet spot — water still warm enough to swim through April, light crowds after Easter, stable weather.
• Winter (June–August) is genuinely quiet and the driest stretch of the year. Southern right whales come close to shore. Overnight lows of 8–9°C, so bring a proper sleeping bag.
• Spring (September–November) is excellent for whale watching (humpbacks heading north) and lake paddling. October and November rain picks up.
• Summer (December–February) is peak season — warmest swims, longest evenings, hardest to book. School-holiday weeks are full from the moment the booking window opens.

The Eurobodalla coast averages 24°C summer / 8–16°C winter. November and March are the wettest months; September is the driest.

Camping fees#

Camping is free at Brou Lake. A $6 NPWS booking fee applies per reservation. No park vehicle entry fee for Eurobodalla National Park.

Confirm current pricing on the official NPWS Brou Lake page when you book.

Can't get a booking?#

Brou Lake's school-holiday weeks, Easter, and long weekends sell out the day the 180-day booking window opens. Cancellations come up regularly — especially when South Coast forecasts shift in the week before.

Set up a free CampWatch alert and we'll text you the moment a Brou Lake site opens up. No app, no account — just your phone number.