Mambray Creek Campground — Hotel in Wilmington

My wife and I plus family and friends have been coming to the Mambray Creek campsite (take note of the nomenclature) within the Mt Remarkable National Park for close on 25 years. We know a bit about the place and its history over the years. We were back this year (2024) for our annual family glamp over the October pre-Long Weekend. We’ve missed a couple of years, one due to bad weather and last year (2023) because of the re-furbishment of the campsite to hopefully something better.

After four generally pleasant days - from a weather point of view - we concluded that we didn’t really know whether we liked Mambray Creek anymore and that this annual migration to the bush at Mambray may have been our last one. Generally speaking nothing has changed to the locale. It’s still the same old bush site with ample, wide camping places, roos and emus, water on tap, but no power and - after 20 years - we still had no easily detectable mobile signal from Telstra (other carriers may reach in over the dip and provide a working service). It’s still a magical kind of spot and our grandchildren who have grown up with Mambray since their early days love coming back.

But for us oldies there has been a sea change. Mambray has donned new RM Williams bush gear which it has not yet worn in, it has turned the tap off for some pleasurable activities that we enjoyed all these years and has become decidedly camper UN-friendly. Public service office-design mentality has created some sterile facilities that may no longer appeal to old hands.

Let’s take the sites. They have been re-surfaced with road ballast and a couple of new sites have been created to cater for extra caravans and motor homes. Putting in tent pegs at Mambray was always a challenge in dry weather. Now you need a masonry drill to create a hole and then a hex-peg to drill into the hole in order to peg down your canvas home. In short Mambray is no longer a place for campers (remember the nomenclature), it is for motorhomers and caravanners only. Period: (unless you bring a drill, a thick masonry bit and some hexpegs).

The toilet facilities: they never were totally top notch. Four sit-down loos (and a small urinal for men) and a minuscule washroom facility with two cold water taps and two showers which admittedly always had hot water.

Women’s facilities were similar – minus the urinal! The now new corrugated steel and cement structures contain more showers, two less sit-down loos (for the main campsite), but now a disabled toilet with a shower, and baby change cubicle. Camp rangers do not seem to be overly pleased at the ease (or lack thereof) of cleaning these new cement and metal facilities and the fact that they are now all unisex doesn’t please everyone.

In mitigation there is a communal BBQ and sit down area sitting on a large and hot in summer cement floor (out of order on our visit). We saw no-one using it AND it has been built adjacent to the ‘communal pit’ where our families used to congregate over the years adjacent to site 38 at the western end of the main park. This currently revegetating ‘pit’ is now out of bounds to loungers and thus essentially breaks up the cohesion and communal comfort that we had had in the past. Our ‘magic’ has been broken and the Mambray of old no longer exists for us.

The flies are still as prolific as before and – guess what, I am over flies in my ointment. I don’t need them anymore and Mambray+flies is actually not fun any more. I think 2024 may have been our swan song.

In all fairness to the rangers at Mambray who do their best to regulate a bureaucratically-created new caravan/mobile home site, we are older and less willing to put up with discomfort. The grandchildren, now teenagers and over-twenties can vote in future with their feet or backsides. New Mambray may still hold that magic for them – less so for us veterans of 25 years.

Verdict? Mambray … yea, but the magic has gone. Thanks for 25 good years, but we probably...

Just a few hours’ drive north of Adelaide, Mambray Creek Campground is an absolute gem and well worth the trip. Tucked into the foothills of the Flinders Ranges within Mount Remarkable National Park, this spot has something for everyone—from seasoned hikers to weekend campers.

There are plenty of trails to explore, but my top pick is the Hidden Valley Loop—a beautiful, varied hike that winds through the creek bed and then climbs up along the ridge. You’ll get the full experience here: gum-lined creek beds, dramatic rocky outcrops, and sweeping views of Spencer Gulf.

Pro tip: Make sure to do this loop in a clockwise direction—trust me. That way you’ll hit the exposed ridge earlier in the day and avoid getting scorched by the afternoon sun. It can be brutal otherwise.

Keep an eye out at the start of the walk—it’s easy to miss the turn-off from the main campground. You’ll want to take a left-hand track just a short distance in, which leads you up the hill. From there, the views open up and it’s pure magic.

The campground itself has just had a $2.5 million upgrade, so the facilities are clean, modern, and well laid out. Think flushing toilets, picnic areas, new shelters, and improved access. It’s no wonder Mambray Creek is one of the most popular campgrounds in South Australia—it really strikes that perfect balance of rugged nature and comfort.

Whether you’re chasing solitude, bringing the family, or just out for a day hike, this place delivers....

The surroundings were absolutely beautiful. Quiet and peaceful, plentiful wildlife including lots of birds, kangaroos and wallabies. Well maintained roads and pathways. A number of great hiking trails starting from the campsite, including one to Alligator Gorge. Don't go in expecting a caravan park - the facilities are fairly minimal and you have to be quite self-sufficient. There are toilets and hot showers, recently updated, clean and looked after, but they were a bit of a hike from our site. The camp kitchens were very basic (picnic table, sink, and BBQ plate only) and the automatic lights at the one near us didn't work. The hot water was a bit sporadic, too - hot showers but cold dish-washing. We would have had a very dark and difficult time cooking any of the meals we brought (e.g. pasta) but luckily our friends' caravan had a gas stove. No bins - you have to take your rubbish with you. Sites are all unpowered, but there are taps with drinkable water. The sites were level and very spacious, with enough room for two caravans plus tents, and quite secluded - not all crammed...