Camping at Alstonville Country Cottages.

Whenever I head north on road trips I always seem to get to the Bryon Area and am ready for a well deserved rest. The drive is long as a solo traveller, so by the time I have made the 7 hour journey I am more then ready to find somewhere to camp and have some dinner. The problem is that everywhere in the area is either expensive, booked out or you have to battle traffic in the streets just to find your camping spot. But I think I have the solution. I have found a relatively small property overlooking the forrest to the coastline of Ballina, that not only has some sweet cottages but they also allows you to camp there! The name of this amazing place

Alstonville Country Cottages!

Following the freeway North, for way too many hours, I was so happy to see the turn off to Alstonville, a small town close to both Ballina and Byron Bay. Approaching the Alstonville Country Cottages I knew I was going to be happy here, it was only to be one night, but I could already feel the vibe of peace that I sought after my long day. I contacted the owners of the property when I arrived. It is so chilled that there isn’t always someone in the office, so there is a phone to speak to them on, but they were expecting me, so they directed me to the camping space.

I was eager to set up, but I had already spotted the swimming pool, and after my long and sweaty day my priorities swiftly changed and it wasn’t long till I was submerged into the cool cool water. I enjoyed some peace, alone in the pool, paddling and swimming while I enjoyed the ambience.

Finally emerging from my swim, I decided to explore the rest of the site. Starting from the pool area I discovered a great spot to enjoy a meal undercover, as well as being close to a small camp kitchen and Bbqs. Here I also found some information about the property as well as discovering they had a short walk nearby that took you through the forrest down to a creek.

Of course, I decided to walk the track, the highlight being the most amazing Australian Fig tree. The moderately easy track weaves down to a creek, through revitalised bush, but the mozies where attacking and stupidly I hadn’t brought any repelant with me, so I quick stepped it back up to camp to meet some of the less bitey type of criters they have on site.

Alstonville Country Cottages have Chooks, Goats and Donkeys to check out and they are so friendly! Not a second after I appeared at the fence a menagerie of farm animals came running up to great me, mind you I think they thought I was going to feed them, because they looked rather disappointed when I didn’t throw out any scraps!

At the end of the day I watched as the sun set over the forrest, listening to the birds settle down for the night and was so glad I had found a sweet little spot for my first night of my Solo road trip!

What: Alstonville Country Cottages

Where: 7 Alstonville Cemetery Rd Alstonville, NSW 2477, Australia

How Much: My stay was $30 for one night unpowered campsite. This is a double rate not a single ( even though I was there Solo)

Need to know: The site is dog (and horse) friendly!, To book camping your best bet is to email them on their website or contact them via Instagram, note that as a camper you have access to toilets but NOT showers (the pool is a lovely alternative!), I noticed there was a nice campfire area for in Winter, the Cottages are not far from the highway/ Ballina/ Byron/ and a petrol station!, the camping area is quiet small but there was only two other campers there when I was and we had room to spread out!