Bedford Weir Camping is just 20 minutes directly north of Blackwater in Central Queensland. It offers fantastic free camping, fishing, swimming, water activities and a recreational day use area with a boat ramp and a playground.
Bedford Weir sits along the McKenzie River and is well stocked with Barramundi, Saratoga and Red Claw, making it a popular fishing spot.
The toilets down the bottom are generally locked and reserved for the local sporting club. Camping patrons are free to use the top toilet block, which even has free hot showers!
Donations are welcome, which helps to keep up with the maintenance and running of this great public facility. When you first arrive, go and check in with the caretaker in the house up near the top toilet block.
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Bedford Weir Camping
There are two camping areas at Bedford Weir.
The Upper Area is where the main toilet block is, which is pretty flat and offers plenty of allocated sites for campers. The Lower Area is a large, grassy area where campers can set up wherever they like.
Camp Features
💲 Donation
⏰ 7-day limit
⛺️ Tents, Camper Trailers, Caravans, RVs, Big Rigs
🐶 Dogs allowed
🚿 Showers
🚽 Toilets
🗑 Bins
♨️ BBQs
🏊 Swimming
Kayaking
Boating
🎣 Fishing
🛝 Covered Playground
Fire Pits
⚡ Generators Allowed
2WD Access
❌ No power or water
Our Experience at Bedford Weir Camping Ground
Our experience at Bedford Weir Camping Ground was quite average.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with the camp, I mean it’s free for up to a week with showers, toilets, peacocks and a river on hand. But we just weren’t feeling the vibes.
There were loads of prickles around, although it looks like they’d been poisoned and the comments on WikiCamps mentioned that a burn-off was on the cards, which would make a big difference. A month later and I’m still finding the buggers in the odd towel!
As we were only intending on visiting the Blackwater Coal Mining Museum, our resources were not fully stocked up for Free Camping. Our original plan was to keep on going to Emerald and top up the water tanks there.
However, when a comment popped up on our Facebook page saying, “you’ve got to check out Bedford Weir, it’s just out of town,” we decided to take a detour and ended up staying there for two nights.
It really goes to show that your experience of a place can easily be tainted or enhanced by your mood, amount of supplies, the weather, the people you meet and so on.
Many others have been to Bedford Weir before us and absolutely raved about it! So, don’t take our word for it- check it out for yourselves. Note to self, don’t rock up at a camp with less than a tank of water, just in case you do decide to stay!
Bedford Weir Camping Location
ADDRESS: Bedford Weir Road, Blackwater QLD 4717.
Blackwater International Coal Centre
We’d been watching and hearing the coal trains going by since we were in Duaringa, so when we saw the sign for the International Coal Centre in Blackwater, we knew we had to check it out.
Entering the Coal Centre
First stop out the front was to get the obligatory photo of the kids standing in a massive machinery bucket. Then we headed through the front doors.
Before we even entered the Museum, we found a mini mining display which was brilliantly done. It was a really great, visual way for the kids (and us) to have a birds eye look at what an open mine looks like.
The display really put into perspective the sheer size of the massive machinery that is used, in relation to the size of a human.
Inside the Museum
Once we entered the Museum we found a comprehensive historical timeline, that spanned the entire length of the Museum, going right back to a time even before dinosaurs walked the Earth.
There were also lots of mineral test samples behind glass under our feet, to show us how they figure out what and where the different layers are underground.
Dom was eager to move on further where we found lots of interactive displays and exhibits, showcasing information, machinery, mini replicated displays, plus ‘Past, Present & Future’ learning experiences.
We were really disappointed that the two simulators weren’t working (although the kids did still try).
We are really glad we stopped in here as the kids learnt a tonne of stuff. This is our favourite kind of learning – you know, the hands on, visual stuff that really sticks in your brain!
Cost & Facilities
The International Coal Centre has a nice Cafe onsite, plus a Japanese Garden, which are both accessible without having to pay the entry fee.
For those who are interested in experiencing a real life coal mine, book yourself a Guided Mine Tour. See the massive open cut pits, oversized machinery and learn all about how the mine works. Tours run every Tuesday from 9.30 am, leaving from the Coal Centre and head out to the nearby mine for 3 hours.
Another activity to enjoy at the Blackwater International Coal Centre is a movie in the Jellinbah Cinema. With air-conditioning and 100 seats, visitors and locals can enjoy special screenings of blockbuster movies during school holidays and special even sessions. View Blackwater Coal Centre movie times for current sessions.
| BLACKWATER INTERNATIONAL COAL CENTRE | |
|---|---|
| Museum | • $5 per person • 9 am – 5 pm (Monday to Friday) |
| Mine Tours | • Adult – $45 • Concession – $40 • Child – $35 |
| Cinema | • Adult – $15 • Student/ Concession – $12 • Child (2 – 5 yrs) – $10 |
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