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High Country Mountains, Lakes and Towns

Free camping Bright and around Bright

There is currently no dedicated free camping in Bright that is close to the town centre however there are two options for free camping near Bright.

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Free camping Bright and around Bright
Nothing beats a beer in the creek at the end of a hot day

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Free Camping Bright

There is currently no dedicated free camping in Bright that is close to the town centre however there are two options for free camping near Bright. The closest is at the Freeburgh Bridge on the Ovens River about 7.7km drive/bike ride from Bright and the next closest, is Smoko, around a 15 minute drive from Bright . Both are on the wiki camps app.

Freeburgh Bridge on the Ovens River - Entry at Bridge near intersection of Old Harrietville Rd & Great Alpine Road

Free camping bright on the ovens river
Free camping Bright - This dog friendly campsite is in the 'Broken Bridge' camping area and looks over the Ovens river towards the Snowy Creek Picnic Area

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Quick Fact Box — Camping at Freeburgh Bridge on the Ovens River
Facilities No facilities — no toilets, so you need to pack out your waste as you are camping near a river. You can time it to use facilities in town at the sports oval or Mystic bike carpark during the day for number 2.
Dog Friendly Yes — there is no official info but it's not national park and is marked dog friendly in Wiki Camps. In fact on the map it's not even technically part of the streamside reserve.
River Swimming Yes, accessible spots nearby — but only swim with others, when the river is running slow, and if you are a confident swimmer. Otherwise head to the designated swimming area in Bright.
Phone Reception Most of the time — but it is next level slow in Bright at the moment.

Getting There

Called Freeburgh Bridge (or Butch Camp - Broken Bridge/Ovens River Germantown on Wikicamps), this campsite is a dog-friendly campsite between German Town & Freeburgh

Access: Currently there are large ruts into the main part of the campsite that fill with water with rain. Lower clearance vehicles may struggle to get to those river campsites when wet but can access the first few campsites closer to the bridge/old Harrietville road when they have been mowed.

Legs of person in campchair with river in background
It doesn't get much better than river front camping

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Good to know

There are tall trees and powerlines through this campsite. Be aware of where you set up camp to avoid them.

Some reviews talk about long grass however it probably comes down to luck and the time of year as it does get periodically mowed to define the campsites -as its often freshly done when I arrive, but the surrounding grass can get long.

Things to do

There have completed a brand new bike path that runs from Bright to Harrietville, which means you can ride the 7.5km to Bright mostly along the river. If you can ride further, head all the way to Harrietville for coffee or lunch and ride back again (or get someone to shuttle you to Harrietville for the gradual ride back down in elevation).

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Smoko Campground

The smoko campground is a lovely little rabbit warren of campsites, some riverside and some back a little in the bush. It is becoming quite popular as unlike the Ovens River campsite it has a toilet block just a short walk away. You may struggle to get a campsite in here on busy weekend if you arrive to close to the weekend.

Quick Fact Box — Smoko Campground
Facilities Drop toilet — bring your own toilet paper to avoid getting caught out.
Dog Friendly Yes — there is no official info but it's not national park and is marked dog friendly in Wiki Camps.
River Swimming Yes, accessible spots nearby — but only swim with others, when the river is running slow, and if you are a confident swimmer. Otherwise head to the designated swimming area in Bright.

Things to do nearby the smoko campground

They have now completed the bitumen bike track that runs the entire way between Bright and Harrietville. From Smoko campground it is around an 8km ride one way to Harrietville or a good return option to go and enjoy lunch, dinner, coffee or a beer in Harrietvillle.

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