Chinchilla was one of those towns that we had passed through many times on our trips to the west but we had never stopped in, until now…

It almost sounds cliché to say that Chinchilla is one of those sleepy little country towns with wide country streets, charming homes and even more charming people but that is exactly what Chinchilla is. It’s a place where a morning walk includes a pat of a very willing local horse, a wave from locals who are soaking up the late winter sun from their front balcony or waiting for the two cars to pass by that constitute peak hour traffic in Chinchilla.

Charley’s Creek Campgrounds (formerly Clover Hill Ranch) wasn’t really on our radar—until a staff member suggested we check it out. Tucked away on 35 acres of peaceful bushland yet just a short stroll from Chinchilla’s town centre, this family-owned gem offers all the essentials: powered and unpowered sites, a well-equipped camp kitchen, and spotless modern amenities. We really loved the collection of artwork that is prominently on display around the campgrounds. But what truly sets it apart is something you don’t often find at a campground—an impressive onsite brewery that also serves as the check-in office.

The brewery at Charley’s Creek is more than just a novelty. Known as Charley’s Creek Brewing Co., it produces a lineup of small-batch beers brewed with care, often showcasing local ingredients. Guests can pull up a stool at the rustic bar or enjoy a cold pint around the communal campfire under the shade of gum trees.

If you happen to be visiting on a Saturday, you can partake in the slow cooked Wagyu brisket. Unfortunately, we didn’t arrive until Sunday morning so I can’t speak as to how good it is, but I can confirm the Bonfire Lager is cold and the owner Steve makes you feel very welcome from behind the bar.

Our stay:
A tip when you arrive: Go for a drive or walk around the entire site before you set up as Charley’s creek loops through the property providing many options for creek side camping with both powered and unpowered sites. We set up camp almost dead centre of the paddock which gave us plenty of room to kick the footy, play Finska and generally have plenty of space. There are plenty of campfire pits provided around the property so no need to bring your own.

The amenities are, as we have come to expect post the covid era, excellent! Modern showers and toilets, canoes for hire and on select days, the owners put on a communal happy hour at the camp kitchen. A great way for to bring the camping community together.

We chose to take the Hilltop Strzelecki 17’6 single axle caravan on this little trip. Its a single axle family van with 2 bunks (can be optioned up for 3). We chose to stay on an unpowered site mainly because it allows us to park anywhere which is what we love when its just the family together for some re-charge time. Our set up has 2 x 200W solar panels, 2 x 150A Lithum batteries and a 2600W inverter. This allowed us to charge laptops, phones, ipad, drone and ran the Starlink mini. With the fine weather we had, we never dropped below 88% battery life during our trip. We also decided to add in a diesel heater before we left to make sure those 3° mornings just a little more comfortable. Check out more on this caravan here:

A little side note and a business worth of a mention is Keating Bros Mitre 10. They have a little retail outlet in the main street in addition to a larger site on the way into town. I needed to purchase a couple of little items for our trip and in the absence of a dedicated camping store, we chanced our arm that a small country will hardware store would be stocked for camping. I was right but WOW what a selection that had. If you are needing any camping related items, go to the back of the store, look for a set of stairs to the left and head upstairs to camping utopia.

The costs:
Costs a calculated on a per person basis for the stay.
Unpowered site: $52 per night for 2 adults and 2 children ($32 per night for a couple)
Powered site: $42 per night for a couple
Firewood: $18 per bag (this is the going rate around town)
Bonfire Lager: $10
Canoe hire: $30 for a couple of hours
Brisket Meal: $35 per adult, $20 per child

Charley’s Creek Campground is dog friendly.

Would we stay again? Yes, at only 3.5 hours from Brisbane it feels far enough away to relax. Even without using the Starlink mini, we had pretty good internet connectivity here so when necessary we could log in to work for the essential updates.