Camping safely: fire bans, heat, bushfire season, water and wildlife

Most camping trips in Australia go without a hitch, and the ones that don’t usually fail in predictable ways: a fire lit on the wrong day, a hot day with too little water, a camp in a dry creek bed, a long walk with no plan to call for help. None of this needs to spoil the fun. It just needs a few minutes of checking before you leave and again each morning.

The daily check

Make this a habit for every day of the trip, not just the day you leave:

1. Fire danger rating for the fire weather district you are in, and whether a Total Fire Ban has been declared.
2. Bureau of Meteorology forecast and warnings for the area, including heatwave, severe weather and flood warnings.
3. Park alerts from the land manager for closures, track damage and planned burns.
4. Where you will get coverage if you need to check again or call for help.

The state emergency apps (Hazards Near Me in NSW, VicEmergency, and the equivalents elsewhere) combine fire ratings and incidents in one place. Download them before you go, and set a watch zone for where you will be camping.

Fire danger ratings

All states now use the Australian Fire Danger Rating System, which has four levels:

Ratings are issued for fire weather districts, which are often much larger than a single park. The rating can change from one day to the next, so check it every morning. On Catastrophic days, parks in the affected district commonly close. Parks Victoria’s advice for Mount Alexander, for example, is not to enter the park and, if you are already there, to leave the night before or as early as possible in the morning.

Total Fire Bans

A Total Fire Ban is declared by the state fire service on days of high fire risk. It is a legal ban, not advice, and penalties are heavy. On a Total Fire Ban day:

• No open fires, including campfires, fire pits and wood or charcoal barbecues.
• Gas and electric cooking is allowed only under conditions that vary by state and land manager. In NSW national parks, NPWS bans all campfires and solid or liquid fuel cooking on Total Fire Ban days; NPWS-installed gas barbecues may be used if attended, kept clear of combustibles and with water on hand.
• Rules apply to the whole district, regardless of how green or damp your campsite looks.

Plan at least one day’s meals that need no flame at all, in case you are told not to use a stove.

Campfires on other days

Even outside bans, each site has its own rules. Some campgrounds are fuel stove only all year, as Cloudy Corner on South Bruny is under its park management plan. Where fires are allowed:

• Use the fireplace or ring provided.
• Clear the ground around it. Parks Victoria’s standard is 3 metres clear of anything flammable.
• Keep at least 10 litres of water ready to use.
• Have an adult in attendance at all times, awake and within sight.
• Bring firewood or use only dead fallen wood where collection is allowed. Fallen timber is habitat for many small animals.
• Put it out with water, not soil. Stir and soak until the ashes are cold to the touch. Buried coals can stay hot for hours and burn feet the next morning.

Bushfire season

Fire seasons vary across the country. Southern Australia’s main season runs from late spring into autumn, while northern Australia’s peaks in the dry season, roughly winter and spring. Statutory fire danger periods are declared by local area each year, and during them permits may be needed for fires outside campgrounds.

If you are camping in fire season:

• Know two ways out of the area. Many parks have only one road in.
• Park facing the exit, and keep fuel in the tank.
• Leave early if the forecast turns bad. Driving through smoke on a forest road is far more dangerous than leaving the day before.
• If you are caught by a fire, move to the largest cleared area you can find, such as a carpark, beach, ploughed paddock or the water’s edge, and protect yourself from radiant heat.

Heat

The Bureau of Meteorology issues heatwave warnings when severe or extreme heatwave conditions are forecast for a district. A heatwave in its definition is at least three days in a row of unusually high maximum and minimum temperatures for that location, which matters because hot nights stop the body recovering. Warnings can be issued up to four days ahead, and the service generally runs from October to the end of March.

Heat is the quiet hazard of Australian camping, especially for young children, older people and anyone exercising. To manage it:

• Avoid inland and western sites in a heatwave. Move the trip or choose the coast or the mountains.
• Set up in shade, but not under large eucalypts (see below).
• Do activities early and late. Rest through the middle of the day.
• Drink before you are thirsty. Plan on more than you think: on a hot day, an active adult can need several litres for drinking alone.
• Know the signs of heat exhaustion: heavy sweating, cramps, headache, nausea, dizziness. Move the person to shade, cool them with water and give fluids. Confusion, collapse or hot dry skin are signs of heat stroke, which is a medical emergency. Call 000.

Water: drinking and flooding

Drinking water. Assume campground water is not safe to drink unless the land manager says it is treated. Tank, bore and creek water should be boiled for at least a minute or treated with tablets or a filter. Bring a minimum of 5 litres per person per day for car camping, and more in heat or where there is no water at all.

Flash floods. Storms upstream can bring a creek up fast, even under blue sky. Never camp in a dry creek bed or on a low flat beside a river. On sites near water, note your way to higher ground before dark. Never drive through floodwater: it is the leading cause of flood deaths in Australia, and a car can float in surprisingly shallow water.

Swimming. Rivers and waterholes hide snags, cold layers and currents. Check depth before jumping, swim with someone, and in the north, obey crocodile warning signs without exception. Only swim at patrolled beaches between the flags where possible.

Wildlife

Snakes. Most bites happen when people try to catch, kill or move a snake. Leave them alone and they will usually move on. Wear closed shoes and long trousers in long grass, and use a torch at night. For any suspected bite, call 000, keep the person still and calm, and apply a pressure immobilisation bandage over the bite and then the whole limb. Do not wash the bite site or apply a tourniquet. Carry two broad elastic bandages in your kit.

Spiders, ticks and insects. Shake out shoes and clothing left outside. Check for ticks after walks in coastal scrub, especially on the east coast. Carry an antihistamine and, for anyone with a known allergy, their adrenaline autoinjector and action plan.

Larger animals. Kangaroos, wombats and emus can be dangerous when cornered or fed, and some areas have dingoes, which should never be fed or approached. Store food in sealed containers in the car. Feeding wildlife harms them and teaches them to raid camps. Respecting wildlife is one of the seven Leave No Trace principles.

Crocodiles. In northern Australia, saltwater crocodiles live in rivers, estuaries, billabongs and coastal waters, sometimes far inland. Camp well back from the water’s edge, do not clean fish at the water, and never assume a water body is safe because there is no sign.

Trees and falling limbs

Eucalypts drop large limbs without warning, often on hot still days or after rain. River red gums are notorious. Before you pitch a tent or park a car, look up. Avoid dead limbs, cracked branches and trees with a lean. In strong winds, move away from trees altogether.

If something goes wrong

• Call 000 from any phone. If you have no signal on your network, try anyway: emergency calls can roam on other carriers where available. 112 also works from mobiles.
• Know your location. Note the campground name and coordinates before you need them. In many apps you can read coordinates offline.
• Carry a personal locator beacon for remote trips. Register it with the Australian Maritime Safety Authority.
• Leave a trip plan with someone at home: where you are going, when you will be back, and when they should raise the alarm.

These checks take five minutes a day. Our campsite directory links each site to its land manager, where you will find current alerts and fire rules.

Sources

Checked 31 October 2026. Fees and rules change, so confirm with the land manager before you go.

1. NSW Rural Fire Service, Fire danger ratings and Total Fire Bans
2. NSW Rural Fire Service, Total Fire Ban rules
3. NSW National Parks, Fire safety and fire bans
4. Parks Victoria, Leanganook Camping Area (campfire and Catastrophic day rules)
5. Bureau of Meteorology, Heatwave services
6. Bureau of Meteorology, What is a heatwave?
7. Queensland Parks, Camping bookings and fees (always check alerts and fire bans)
8. Parks and Wildlife Service Tasmania, South Bruny camping (fuel stove only rules)
9. healthdirect, Snake bites
10. Leave No Trace Australia, 7 principles