3 campgrounds in South Australia’s national parks where you can treat yourself to a hot shower

With camp­grounds in more than 40 of South Australia’s nation­al parks and reserves that pro­vide the oppor­tu­ni­ty to relax and enjoy some of the state’s most icon­ic and beau­ti­ful places, it makes sense that camp­ing is a favourite pas­time for many South Australians.

But for some, the idea of being out and about all day and not being able to wash off before hop­ping into bed is, under­stand­ably, not the most appeal­ing thought. And nei­ther is the thought of an icy cold shower.

If hav­ing a cold show­er or no show­er at all isn’t your idea of fun, don’t fret – we’ve com­piled this list of nation­al parks with camp­grounds where you can take a nice, hot shower:

1. Deep Creek Nation­al Park

Less than 100 km from Ade­laide, Deep Creek Nation­al Park is the per­fect park for a week­end getaway.

The park fea­tures a spec­tac­u­lar coast­line, com­plete with rugged cliffs and sweep­ing views of the South­ern Ocean and Kan­ga­roo Island, and with plen­ty of activ­i­ties on offer in the park, from bush­walk­ing to fish­ing and four-wheel dri­ving, there’s some­thing for everyone.

There are five camp­grounds dot­ted around the park, but if it’s a hot show­er you’re after, then Stringy­bark Camp­ground is where it’s at.

The camp­ground is made up of 16 sites, which are suit­able for tents, car­a­vans, camper­vans and camper trail­ers, and is set amid a tall stringy­bark for­est, giv­ing it plen­ty of pro­tec­tion from the wind.

Not only does the camp­ground have hot show­ers, where you can get refreshed after a big day of adven­ture, but there are also fire pits for roast­ing marsh­mal­lows (out­side of fire ban sea­son), as well as pic­nic tables and toilets.

You can explore this camp­ground before you go with Google Street View, and when you’re ready to make your dream trip a real­i­ty, you can book your camp­site online.

2. Witji­ra Nation­al Park

Sit­u­at­ed almost 900 km north-west of Port Augus­ta, on the west­ern edge of the Simp­son Desert, is Witji­ra Nation­al Park.

The park is home to more than 120 mound springs, includ­ing the Nation­al Her­itage-list­ed Dal­housie Springs, used by Abo­rig­i­nal peo­ple for thou­sands of years as a source of food, shel­ter and medicine.

Dal­housie Springs’ Main Pool is open for swim­ming, and with a year-round tem­per­a­ture of about 37 degrees, it’s the per­fect spot to unwind.

If the warm waters of Dal­housie Spring aren’t enough for you, you can also get refreshed in the hot show­ers at Purni Bore Camp­ground before you set up camp for the night.

The camp­ground is suit­able for tents, and doesn’t need to be booked in advance – as long as you have a Desert Park Pass.

If you’re not des­per­ate for a warm show­er, and you’re just after a spot to rinse off, then the Dal­housie Springs Camp­ground is just the spot for you.

The camp­ground offers cold show­ers and toi­let facil­i­ties and has 20 camp­sites suit­able for tents and camper trailers.

Top tip: access to this park and the trails with­in it is sub­ject to weath­er and road con­di­tions in the area. Check the lat­est Desert Parks Bul­letin before vis­it­ing for the most up-to-date infor­ma­tion on access­ing the park.

3. Ikara-Flinders Ranges Nation­al Park

Ikara-Flinders Ranges Nation­al Park is locat­ed rough­ly 450 km north of Ade­laide, in the cen­tral Flinders Ranges, and is full to the brim with rugged moun­tain land­scapes, peace­ful tree-lined gorges and wildlife.

There’s a lot to do in in the park, so you might want to stay for a few days to do as much as you can and make the most of your visit.

If you want your stay to be in total com­fort, then the Wilpe­na Pound Camp­ground, oper­at­ed by the Wilpe­na Pound Resort, is the per­fect camp­ground for you.

The camp­ground is nes­tled among native pines in the heart of the park and is made up of 48 pow­ered sites (includ­ing 4 bus bays) and 400 unpow­ered sites.

The camp­ground is equipped with hot show­ers, as well as pic­nic tables and shel­ters, toi­lets, a fuel sta­tion, a vis­i­tor infor­ma­tion cen­tre, pub­lic phone, ATM, laun­dry facil­i­ties and a gen­er­al store – talk about glamping!

If you want to stay in one of SA’s nation­al parks, but the promise of a hot show­er still doesn’t make camp­ing sound like a fun option, then check out what oth­er accom­mo­da­tion options are avail­able in parks by using the Find a Park tool on the Nation­al Parks and Wildlife Ser­vice website.

Want to make your stay in one of SA’s nation­al parks even com­fi­er? Check out our guide to pack­ing for your next camp­ing trip.

Main image: Deep Creek Nation­al Park