Buchan Caves Reserve Campground — Hotel in Buchan

The good, the bad, the ugly…

We recently stayed at a powered campsite.

The good: Flat campsite. Great shower/hot water facilities, cleaned daily. Lots of kangaroos. The reserve is well manicured/maintained. It’s not what you would expect for something in such a small town. Telstra 4G access (including internet). Don’t bother with Starlink! We took out Starlink and couldn’t set it up due to the trees. Drinking water from most taps. Swimming pool serviced from actual spring/creek water! Friendly park rangers. Walking to town is a must! You’ll be rewarded by the most delicious (sweet and juicy) ornamental plums just outside of the reserve.

The bad: For males, only 2 toilets. This is shared with the main camp grounds and also day visitors to the caves. Gets cleaned daily, but is annoyingly dirty at the end of the day. I don’t know why visitors think they can piss everywhere in public toilets and leave it like that. Try find a site in the clear; stay out of the tree canopies! We were next to a big tree with a caterpillar outbreak (invading all areas of our tent), had really vocal possums at night…but the biggest wildcard….OMG!!! The 5 massive huntsman spiders wanting to call our tent home. The kitchen area is a long walk, only has fixed tables and benches, kitchen sink with hot water. Keep that in mind when you need to carry lots of dirty dishes to wash. Quiet time is 10pm - 8am…even casual conversation echoes throughout the camp and may attract a complaint. The Kookaburras are exempt from this and start yelling their calls well before dawn; like clockwork! The insects outnumber humans…you’ll literally get eaten alive by mozzies at night, if you decide to sit outside for a chat. And the damn flies come in droves when you start cooking.

Would we go again? Yes, but we would steer clear of tree canopies and bring more insect repellents and rejig our camp setup. Those 5 big huntsman’s sent goosebumps all over my body…

One last thing - Despite what Google says, NO pets...

Great place for families with small kids, stopovers, or first-time campers. Definitely not the place if you're after a true camping adventure in the wild, open, and untouched nature. It feels more like a well-established park with all the facilities – plus trails and the cave tours! The campground is well maintained, with clean toilets, hot showers, a basic kitchen (with tables and power points), and a laundry and a small playground for kids. Most sites are powered, and the roads have street lights. There are sheds, electric/gas BBQs scattered throughout the park. Most campsites are nested under trees. Sites 10 to 32 are pretty cramped, kind of typical urban caravan park. In contrast, sites 1 to 4 and 54 to 62 are little more spacious and sit right next to the creek – much nicer! There are a few designated fireplaces where campfires are allowed. It's home for the kangaroos and possums, you will see them everywhere around/in the campsite. Plenty of old walking tracks with varying difficulty. The caves are a decent commercial activity, though a bit overpriced for what you get. We did the Fairy Cave tour – it lasted 35 minutes return, quite rushed. The guide’s script felt like a pleasant fairy tale, though they were perhaps a bit too honest in sharing that the Victorian govt was jealous of NSW making money from their caves! Overall, giving it 4 stars – the surrounding nature is stunning and open, but most campsites are oddly packed into...

Buchan Caves Reserve was a real treat to visit and exceeded our expectations with the abundance of wildlife and the beautifully maintained gardens featuring large, stunning rhododendrons in full bloom. We visited in November and were lucky enough to spot a large brown snake, so keep your eyes peeled and stay alert while exploring the grounds. Despite the snake sighting, we thoroughly enjoyed our time at the reserve. The park facilities were well-kept and clean, adding to the pleasant experience. The gift shop impressed us with its wide selection of souvenirs, gifts and food items to remember our visit or take home to loved ones. The park rangers were friendly, and knowledgeable and provided helpful information. They advised us that given our advanced ages, attempting the cave tour may be too physically challenging with the numerous steps involved. We really appreciated their thoughtful guidance for our safety and capabilities. All in all, it's evident the reserve is being well cared for with noticeable improvements to the already...