Easter 2016 at Bigriggen Campground, Rathdowney

Bigriggen is situated between Boonah and Rathdowney.  It’s approximately 90 minutes’ drive from Brisbane in pristine Scenic Rim country and by geez is it scenic.  Surrounded by national parks and mountains.  All of which are an easy afternoon drive.  Super close to Maroon Dam and a little further away is Moogerah Dam if you are into boating of any kind.

What a beautiful campground this is.  First impression is how very grassy, shady and oh my goodness, so many fabulous flat camp spots to choose from.  The campground is immaculate and appears very well run.  Although it felt like there were thousands of children and pushbikes it was notably peaceful.  It is a big park and because of this many people are moving around in vehicles all day long.  The children were all super road savvy, which was great to see.  The swimming hole was by far the most popular spot to be and needless to say, not as quiet as the rest of the campground.  Some parents had kindly rigged a slide for the kids and they were having a ball.  It was still just warm enough for swimming and everyone was taking advantage.

There are flushing toilets and heaps of additional porta loos.  Also coin showers (20 cents coins) but with 1,300 folks camping over Easter, the showers were very busy and the line-up put me right off.  If heading to Bigriggen over any holiday periods I would recommend taking your own if you can.  Not only are they busy, they can be a long walk, depending on where you have camped.

The grounds are home to a Dump Ezy dump point, heaps of rubbish bins, kitchen and/or hall and bunkhouse for rent if you ever want to do a group get-together.  The kiosk stocks basics like firewood, ice, gas and ice-creams.   It is not far to drive into Boonah if you have forgotten anything.  The hardware in Boonah is open on weekends and one of the best rural hardware’s I have ever come across and has a fabulous array of camping supplies.

New owners have decided to give DOGS a fair go and this will continue as long as no one wrecks the privilege.  Remember keep them on leash, pick up after them and no incessant barking and we can all continue to take our best mates camping with us.

Camping Fees

(There are No powered sites)

Adults (17 years +) $10.50 per adult per night.

Children (3 - 16 years) $7.00 per child per night.

My only complaints about my visit was the pricing for Easter.  It was $65 for a minimum 4 night stay per adult.  This was not on their website.  As a solo camper who could only stay the 2 nights, this made it $32.50 per night for me, which I believe is exceptionally expensive for bush camping.  The price did not appear to deter anyone else as they most certainly were not lacking campers.

I wish the new owners all the best.  It is a truly lovely campground and I enjoyed my visit very much.

NB: There is no Optus coverage at all and Telstra is also a sadly lacking, depending on your phone and where you are standing.

http://www.bigriggen.com.au/