What is a Hipcamp?

I recently had someone ask me what a Hipcamp was after posting about the last one we stayed at in our stories and it made me think I should fill in those yet to experience the fun of finding your next stay.

The Hipcamp company was originally founded in California, USA in 2013 by Alyssa Ravasio (yay for female founders!) who had a desire to help people get outside, connect with nature, and find the right spots for them. They have since expanded to Canada, Australia, the UK and France.

To put it simply, Hipcamp is alike 'Airbnb for camping'. Owners of acreage properties who believe their land to be suitable for peaceful camping or caravanning can list their land on the Hipcamp website for travellers to book, paying a percentage of the nightly hire to Hipcamp for using their platform.

The most idyllic options are very large properties with natural spaces, quiet, private with a bonus if there's waterside spots or magnificent views.
The website and app are very easy to use, you simply enter your desired location and dates and then browse the list of available options.

When searching you can easily view what each property has to offer such as number of people allowed per site, campfires, dog friendly, if it's 2wd or 4wd access and toilet availability.

Hipcamps have become increasingly popular in Australia in the last 12 months as more and more people are touring our beautiful country and looking for quiet, off grid locations to relax and make the most of what nature has to offer. Along with the decreased availability and increased prices in caravan parks, campers are looking for alternatives.

Personally, we love Hipcamps. We've stayed at a handful of them now and they've all been different but great. We've experienced working farms, Mary River camping, a peaceful Snowy Mountains stay and creekside tranquility in rural NSW.

We’re lucky enough to have a caravan that is fully self-sufficient provided we have access to water to fill our tanks, which most Hipcamps will provide. You don't need to have a well equipped caravan though, it's just as common to bring a tent and some cooking implements and you have the same experience.