In the small Outback Queensland town of Augathella is a generous Donation Camping area along the Warrego River. Augathella is situated 84km north of Charleville and 327km south of Barcaldine.
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Augathella Warrego River Camping QLD
Augathella Warrego River Camping is not quite free, but close enough. All that is asked is for a donation to be placed into the Honesty Box for each night’s camping, which goes towards the upkeep of the park and facilities.
Head on over to the pub for a meal and support the local economy. They do a great dinner with plenty of locals to have a chat with. Don’t forget to meet ‘Shitfa’ and ‘Marley’ the local pub dogs.
Two Augathella Warrego River Campgrounds
There are two Warrego River Campgrounds. The main camping area and picnic ground is right across from the Ellengowan Hotel on the main street of town. This one has showers and toilets.
The second campground is over the Biddenham Road bridge. This campground does not have facilities, so suitable for self-contained vehicles only.
- Augathella Warrego River Picnic/ Camping Area (south side of the river – with facilities)
- Warrego River North Side (no facilities – self-contained vehicles only)
Augathella Warrego River Camping LOCATIONS
Use the map below to find both of the camps as well as the BIG Meat Ant.
MAP KEY:
🟡 YELLOW Pin Drop = Augathella Warrego River Campgrounds x 2
🔴 RED Pin Drop = BIG Meat Ant
Augathella Warrego River Camping FEATURES
💲 Donation
⛺️ Camper Trailers, Caravans, RVs, Big Rigs
⏰ 7 day limit
🐶 Dogs allowed
🚻 Flushing toilets
🚿 Showers
💧 Drinking water
🥪 Rubbish bins
🍞 Picnic table
♨️ BBQ
⚡️ Generators allowed
🚶🏻 Walking track
🚴 Skate/ bike park
📺 TV reception
📶 Telstra reception
🚗 2WD access
The ‘BIG Meat Ant’
Strangely enough, the Meat Ant is the mascot for the local Augathella football team. Not because the town is crawling with Meat Ants, but because the team was particularly aggressive (like Meat Ants) on the field in the 1960’s and the term stuck.
In a bid to save the small town from falling off the map, the ‘BIG Meat Ant’ was installed back in 2011 to help attract tourists. The centrepiece at ‘Meat Ant Park’ in the main street of town cost a total of $250,000!
If you’re collecting Big Things as you travel, then be sure to stop at the BIG Meat Ant and grab a selfie!
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Looks like a nice place to spend the night. A few trees for highly-searched for shade! I remember we were able to always find some trees and shade where we pitched our tents. That Meat Ant is pretty cool, glad I won’t come across a live one that size, even in Australia!
Yes, shade is always so welcome in the Outback! Although we also need the sun for the solar system. It can be a bit of a balancing act sometimes. Nope, luckily no ants that big.. even in Australia.
I hope the big ant wasn’t an indicator of what’s come or deters campers to the area! Is it still the team’s mascot? It sure makes this destination a memorable one. I would love to stop in on Marley’s with my dog.
Haha it shouldn’t scare too many people off. I think it actually is still the mascot.
This looks like a comfortable campground to park for a few days or more depending on if I had my own shower installed in my camper. I’m still amazed at just how much it cost to install the Meat Ant Park on the main street…$250,000! Wow!
I know, it blows my mind how much some of these big sculptures cost!
The Augathella Warrego River Camping centre looks like it is well outfitted. I can see why people would want to visit the Big Meat Ant. Even if they had no interest in football.
It’s not a bad camp for those passing through town. With toilets, walking track, park, drinking water and a pub right across the road – it’s perfect.
As always, I am very envious of your camping setup, it would make things so much more comfortable. This camp follows the Australian tradition of “big things”… I didn’t know there was a “big” meat ant, only in Queensland! Happy travels!
Haha yep! The set up has been a super comfortable way to travel, that’s for sure.
Camping in a town in the middle of nowhere AND hotel dogs – sounds amazing!