If your like me and find that camping and ‘the fear of the unknown’ go hand in hand then I’d love to tell you all about the beautiful campsite we just stayed in for 3 days so that you know exactly what you’re in for!
Geehi Campground is located in the Geehi region of the Kosciuszko National Park, New South Wales. The Kosciuszko National Park is a part of the Snowy Mountains and is around a 5-6 hour drive from Sydney.
To enter the national park you must pay the park fees which is $17 per car, per day. We paid $51 for our 3 day pass which must be displayed on your cars windscreen. Once you have paid for your park pass then staying at the campgrounds is free.
The Geehi Campground is set on the edge of the Swampy Plain River and has the most amazing scenery all around. There are spots for all types of campers including tents, trailers, caravans, campervans and even a bus if you have one! The sites are grassy and have a fire pit with hotplate and billy chain ready to go. There are toilets on site which are ‘modern organic waste’ toilets, a.k.a. pit toilets. Yep they do smell but not in the way you would think, it’s more of an organic smell! We took a simple camping shower bag and filled it from the river water in the morning and it was hot by the evening. BYO drinking water and plenty of it as there is no drinking water available unless you boil the river water. Speaking of the river water, yes it is clean and clear mountain water so safe to swim in. It’s a little fresh but beautiful on a hot summer afternoon. The water does rush with small rapids so please keep a hold on your kids! There are safe spots on the side for the little ones to play though. We found the campground to be safe for the kids to roam around and ride bikes within eye shot of our spot. Make sure you have a chat about the local wildlife with you kids and explain that you don’t go exploring through long grass with thongs/sandals on, etc. We didn’t see any snakes at the campsite (which doesn’t mean they aren’t around) but there were loads of ants which hurt a lot when we got bitten. Pack lots of repellent for the March Flies and Mosquitoes. My favourite product is Vanilla Mozi which worked an absolute treat to not only repel the flies but to sooth the ant bites (not sponsored, just love this natural product). You will also need to pack plenty of rubbish bags as there are no bins and all rubbish is to be taken away with you.
Just to clarify in case you haven’t worked that out yet, there is no power. This is bush camping so if you want power, bring your own! We ran a camping fridge off a battery while we were there which I highly recommend. Ice in an esky wouldn’t have lasted long and the nearest town is 30kms away. Plenty of people had solar panels as a power source which is a great idea! One set of campers ran a generator but it’s noise was rather unpleasant for the rest of us so maybe consider that before you bring one along. There is also no phone service at Geehi. Our phones run on both Telstra and Vodaphone and both were out of range just after Thredbo.
Running along the side of the campground is an old grassy air strip which is where loads of kangaroos gather in the mornings and evenings. This was a great spot for the kids to see the roos and ride their little motorbike up and down.
The view of the mountain ranges is absolutely amazing, especially in the evening when the sunset hits the peaks!
From this campsite are a bunch of four-wheel drive tracks including a river crossing opening up loads of amazing places to explore. We did a 4WD track that took us over the Murray River and into the Victorian Alps from the Tom Groggins campground which is not too far down the road from Geehi. If your up for the challenge and have the right car then I recommend it.
We had a great time and the kids found plenty of things to keep them occupied while we were there. I recommend bringing their bikes if you can fit them, cricket set, balls, inflatables for the water, water shoes (it’s rather rocky), life vest, kayak, glow sticks, sparklers, marshmallows and ingredients to make damper sticks.
Our little part of the campground
The fire pit at our site
Cooking damper sticks over the fire
Our view of the Swampy Plain River
Riding the rapids with inflatable donuts!
We had a great time getting back to nature and enjoying this beautiful part of the world. I hope you get the chance to explore the Snowy Mountains during the summer sometime too.
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