Four Pilbara Free Camps That Don't Fit The Picture
- Adventure Lifestyle
- May 16
- 4 min read
Updated: May 19
This leg of our half lap of Australia took us east out of Nullagine on Skull Springs Road, with nothing but dirt and ranges between us and the country we were heading into. The road itself was actually in pretty good nick. Wide, not crazy corrugated, but with plenty of washouts to keep us honest.
We were the first ones down some of these tracks for the season, by the look of it.
Skull Springs
The first camp set the tone for the whole week. We rolled in mid-afternoon, found a spot with shade, decent solar access, and no overhanging branches to worry about, and got the awnings up. Paul was halfway into the water before the rooftop tent was even popped. Bloody warm day for it.
The camp itself sits on the edge of a small waterway lined with paper barks, but the real prize was a 400 metre walk upstream. We hiked up to the deep pool late in the afternoon and found ourselves looking at something we couldn't quite believe. Crystal clear water, deep enough to properly swim in, with curious little fish coming up to investigate us. It looked like Matera in Italy, just with about a thousand fewer people.
We stayed two nights at Skull Springs and didn't see another vehicle the entire time. The kind of place you could easily lose a week to if you let yourself.
Eel Pool
Eel Pool is often confused with Running Waters, but they're not the same spot. Eel Pool sits roughly six kilometres southwest of Running Waters and getting in there is half the battle. The track isn't on any of the mapping apps. We were navigating purely off satellite imagery, zooming in close enough to see the track, moving the map, zooming in again. Cow track might be a more accurate description than vehicle track. Spinifex closing in on the doors, washouts to pick around, and the occasional moment of wondering if we'd taken the wrong turn entirely.
But we got there, and it was worth every minute of the drive in. Completely different feel to Skull Springs. More open, more rocky, with plenty of fish (and probably some eels too) in the still water beside the camp. We didn't film much here. After the effort of getting in, sometimes you just need to sit with a place and let it be what it is.
It was Anzac Day while we were at Eel Pool, which meant a lot of quiet reflection for both of us in our own ways. Karleah's spent most of her adult life in uniform, and these are the days where you feel the weight of that history a bit more than usual.
Running Waters
The drive into Running Waters was tighter and rockier than the road in to Eel Pool. We had the Hilux in low range for parts of it, picking through some genuinely spicy sections. But the moment the camp opens up, you forget all about the track.
Running Waters might be one of the best free camps in the country. Rope swings hanging from the trees, spring-fed water that's properly warm (like a bath, not a creek), and an atmosphere of complete peace. It was a long weekend when we arrived. We honestly expected to be sharing the place with other campers. Not another soul around.
We spent two nights at Running Waters, swimming, relaxing, and cooking on the fire. Karleah made damper one night, which came out perfectly. The Starlink struggled a bit under all the trees, which made getting the previous week's episode uploaded an exercise in patience, but that's a small price to pay for a camp like this.
Leaving Running Waters was harder than leaving anywhere else on this leg. The kind of camp you spend the next year talking about.
Carawine Gorge
Carawine Gorge was the final stop before Marble Bar, and it had been six years since we'd last been there. Last time we'd visited together, we'd only brought one car because we couldn't afford fuel for two. Different chapter entirely. Coming back with both rigs properly built out felt like a real moment.
The drive in has changed too. What used to be a single track is now more of a road, with proper signage on the turnoff. The place is getting more popular, but it's still spectacular. The gorge wall is the kind of feature that stops you in your tracks every time you look at it.
Towering layered red rock, with a river running along the base that's perfect for swimming.
We stayed two nights and spent the second day walking up the river. Plenty of opportunities to climb over rock formations, watch birds of prey circling overhead, and just sit in the quiet.
We spotted what we'd swear was a swarm of dragonflies down by one of the side creeks. The Pilbara has been full of them this trip, which has got us wondering whether that's a sign of the dry season coming in or whether they're just always there in numbers.
For dinner that night, Karleah threw together a creamy tomato pasta in the camp oven, using up the last of the fresh produce before the next supply town. Capsicum, mushrooms, bacon, sundried tomatoes, a sad-looking lemon. Coconut milk first, then cream. It worked.
Why These Pilbara Free Camps Are Worth The Effort
Four camps, four bits of country we won't forget. The Pilbara's full of these places if you're willing to look for them, and we're not done yet. Marble Bar was two hours up the road, and we'll have plenty more to share from there in the next episode.
If you want to follow this exact route, we've put together a GPX file pack covering all four camps and the drive routes between them. You can grab it from the link below.
Watch the full episode below to see these four Pilbara free camps in action.
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