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Byfield National Park

It’s AWESOME!

Why did I not know about Byfield National Park until now? This place is seriously underrated and I would love to come back and camp here for a week.

Byfield National Park is around one hours drive from North Rockhampton, or 30 minutes drive north of Yeppoon.  You will absolutely need a 4WD through the National Park section.  

If you are only visiting the State Forest section, although some of the roads are unsealed, it’s still manageable in a standard vehicle.

Why is Byfield National Park Awesome?

Well… you can drive on the beach, slide down sand dunes and do some proper sandy track 4WDing.

When you are sick of sand in your bathers, head on over to the state forest for a dip in an extremely picturesque creek.

There is no charge for driving the tracks here either.  This means that unless you decide to camp, a day trip cost nothing but fuel and a pre-packed lunch.

Upper Stony Creek in Byfield National Park State Forest

Highlights of Byfield National Park

4WD Action

Driving the Stockyard Point Track through to the beach is a lot of fun.  As someone who suffers from motion sickness fairly easily, I felt a bit ill by the time we reached the beach.

Jason had a huge smile on his face and both kids screamed ‘weeeeeeeeeeee’ and ‘boing’ excitedly over every bounce.

A high clearance 4WD and some experience is recommended for this one.  Expect one lane sandy tracks with limited visibility and limited pull over bays.

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Letting down the tyres in preparation for some 4WD fun!

Beach Driving

The beach driving here feels similar to Rainbow Beach/Inskip Point but it’s slightly less picturesque.  

We visited in winter school holidays (still warm enough for shorts and shirts during the day) and saw only one other vehicle on the beach.

Don’t forget to keep an eye on the tide!

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Driving on the beach at Byfield National Park. This photograph was taken someone near the “Orange Bowl”.

The Sand Blows

This is where it gets really fun!

There are two well known sand blows, The Orange Bowl and The Queen Mary. Tide times meant that we only visited The Orange Bowl.  It’s easy to drive past the walk in entrance so keep your eyes peeled for the small sign announcing it’s existence as you drive along the beach.

Make sure you take something to slide down on and also plenty of water.  It’s thirsty work walking up the dunes, especially when carrying a kid with tired legs.  The view looking back over towards the ocean is worth the huffing and puffing, as is the slide back down.

byfield national park
“Go Faster Daddy!!” she yells

Upper Stony Creek

This creek is picture perfect and you can camp right near it!  There is a large well maintained grassy area for day visitors as well as a few good walking tracks ranging from 900 metres to four kilometres.  

Take a dip or just find a secluded rock and do some turtle spotting.

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Throwing stones into Upper Stony Creek – this never grows old! Camping is available here.

The Camping

There are six very different camping areas spread over Byfield National Park and State Forest.  Check out the Queensland Government Department of National Parks Camping in Byfield page for more details and how to book.

You will need to get in early during school holidays and be self sufficient.

The Walking/Hiking Tracks

The short walk around upper stony creek and into the orange bowl can be managed by young kids with a bit of help. You might need to carry them on your shoulders or in a carrier for longer walks.  

Older kids will have no problems here at all with the majority of the longer walks being suitable for beginners with a moderate to good level of fitness.

byfield national park
The short 250m walking track into the base of the Orange Bowl. These bollards have ‘memory plaques’ on them.

The Byfield General Store

This seems like an odd highlight.  However, this small store has a HUGE personality which includes a cafe capable of serving up the best homestyle burgers in Queensland.  

There is a lovely undercover eating area on the verandah as well as picnic tables out on the grass.  It’s the perfect place to stop for lunch when switching between the national park and the state forest.

Visiting Byfield National Park and State Forest With Kids

Byfield National Park and State Forest is a fantastic place to visit with kids.  It’s particularly awesome if you are craving a camping and outdoors type holiday or day trip.

If visiting the beach, there are sand dunes to slide down, sand to play in and of course, there’s the ocean. If visiting the state forest side, the creek has walking tracks and is perfect for skimming stones into.

Basically, it’s a whole lot of nature!

At the ages of two years and four years, both my kids had a really great time visiting Byfield National Park. According to them, the highlights were sliding down the sand dunes and throwing rocks in the creek.

Miss Two would have happily stood here and threw rocks into the water all day!

Resources for booking your family getaway to Central Queensland

Tickets

  • Transfers to Great Keppel Island can be booked >>HERE<<
  • Get your Capricorn Cave Tour Tickets >>HERE<<
  • Jump on board your Keppel Island Sailing Cruise >>HERE<<
  • Book your Keppel Island Snorkel Tour >>HERE<<

Accommodation

Getting to Central Queensland

Car Hire

Compare car prices across major brands >>here<<

Flights

Search for the best deal using I Want That Flight or Trip.com

Public Transport

Public transport to Rockhampton is limited to Trains and Buses from major capital cities. Research and book your options >>HERE<<

Want to discover more awesome places?

For more information on visiting Central Queensland, check out our Central Queensland page for family travel.

For inspiration on more destinations, head on back to the home page!

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