Bodalla State Forest Guide
Just off the Princes Highway, Bodalla Park Road, near Narooma — Rest Area, free first-come camping, a dog under control.
Unofficial operator’s manual
Independent, unofficial, not Forestry Corporation, not NPWS · Content reviewed 26 Sep 2026
Can you camp, can the dog come, and can the van stay the night? Sort that out before you leave the highway. Forestry Corporation has the live word on roads and closures. Check the official Bodalla page and the closures map. Check the notices before you call it open.
- Bodalla Forest Rest Area
- Free first-come
- Vans welcome overnight
- Lake Mummuga · just over 2 km
- Dogs under control
Plan, camp, maps, town bed
Not a national park
This is a State forest
Bodalla State Forest is a Forestry Corporation working forest on the NSW South Coast, just off the Princes Highway on Bodalla Park Road, near Narooma. Gulaga and Eurobodalla are national parks, with a different manager. You can’t book a site here. Come for Bodalla Forest Rest Area: spotted gums, a picnic, toilets, and an overnight break for caravans and campervans. Camping is free and first-come. Lake Mummuga Walking Track starts at the rest area and is just over 2 km return. Box Cutting Rainforest Walk is grey myrtle off Box Cutting Road. Dogs can come if you keep them under control. Leave them out of the national parks. This site is an unofficial operator’s manual in the State Forest Guide Australia network. Check Forestry Corporation before you drive.
What kind of forest day?
Picnic and stay at the Rest Area
Spotted gums · toilets · vans overnight
Free stop just off the Princes Highway, near Narooma. You cannot book it.
Camp tonight
Free · first-come · the rest area
Caravans and campervans can stay the night. Bodalla Flat isn’t a camp.
Lake Mummuga Walking Track
Just over 2 km return
Starts and ends at the rest area. A bench waits at the lake. NSW also writes Mummaga.
Not Mogo, not Bermagui, not Gulaga
This page is the rest area
Mogo Trails and the Bermagui picnic are other forests. Gulaga is a national park.
Best for
A free first-come stop off the Princes Highway, a caravan overnight under spotted gums, a dog under control, and the lake walk.
Skip if
You need a reserved powered site, or you wanted Mogo Trails, the Bermagui picnic, or Gulaga. If the rest area is full, use a town.
The camp
Bodalla Forest Rest Area
One place: picnic under tall spotted gums, toilets, and an overnight break for caravans and campervans. Free. First-come. Lake Mummuga Walking Track starts here.
- NSW listing: Princes Highway, Bodalla NSW 2545. Camping list: Bodalla Park Road.
- Pin on that camping list: −36.151320°, 150.095116°.
- Public toilet and picnic tables on the NSW listing. Bring drinking water.
- Lake walk: just over 2 km return, to a bench at the lake.
- On a Friday, have a town bed in mind. Bodalla Flat isn’t a camp.
How long
Times below are ours. Forestry Corporation doesn’t publish walk hours.
Half day
Picnic at the rest area and the Lake Mummuga loop if the signs are up. Just over 2 km return. Back to the highway before dark if you are uneasy on forest roads.
Full day
The rest area, then Box Cutting Rainforest Walk off Box Cutting Road. Grey myrtle. Forestry Corporation hasn’t given a length.
Overnight
First-come at the rest area, in the van. If you need a sure bed, book a town before you leave the highway.
Named walks
Lake Mummuga and Box Cutting
Lake Mummuga
Named trackForestry Corporation: a loop of just over 2 km return. It begins and ends at Bodalla Forest Rest Area and reaches the shore of Lake Mummuga, where a bench seat waits.
- Starts
- Bodalla Forest Rest Area
- Official line
- Just over 2 km return. Starts at the Rest Area.
View guide →
Box Cutting
Named trackGrey myrtle rainforest, mosses and lichens, bird’s nest ferns, and birds. The signposted trail leads off Box Cutting Road. Forestry Corporation hasn’t given a length.
- Starts
- Box Cutting Road
- Official line
- Grey myrtle. No length on the Forestry Corporation page.
View guide →
Bodalla State Forest Guide
Bodalla State Forest Guide downloads
Printable planner and itineraries with the site name on them. Packing, Friday Plan B, half day, full day and overnight. Official Forestry Corp / RFS links on every file.
- Planner — packing, last towns, dogs, fires, Friday Plan B
- Itineraries — half day at the rest area, Lake Mummuga, overnight first-come
- Spotted-gum mark + www.bodallastateforest.com.au on every sheet
Free direct download — no email required. Maps · Itineraries · Privacy.
Part of the State Forest Guide Australia network
This unofficial Bodalla State Forest guide is in that network. Not government. Not a national-park directory.
Browse state forests → stateforestguide.com.au
Sister state forests
FAQ
Is camping free? Can I reserve the rest area?
NSW Government lists free entry, and Forestry Corporation says the stay is free. You cannot reserve a spot, on this page or with Forestry Corporation.
Can I bring a caravan?
Yes. Forestry Corporation says caravans and campervans can stay the night. Bring your own power, and empty the toilet cassette in town.
Can I bring a dog?
Yes, under your control, in the State forest. Pick up after them and watch for 1080 signs. Dogs are not the plan in Gulaga or Eurobodalla national parks.
Is this Mogo Trails or the Bermagui picnic?
No. This page is Bodalla Forest Rest Area. Mogo Trails is another forest. The Bermagui picnic is on Black Lagoon. Gulaga is a national park.
Is this site official?
No. Independent unofficial operator’s manual in the State Forest Guide Australia network. Not Forestry Corporation. Not NPWS.
Names and rules come from Forestry Corporation’s Bodalla page (Rest Area, Lake Mummuga Walking Track, Box Cutting Rainforest Walk, Wagonga Scenic Drive), their free-camping list (Bodalla Park Road and the pin), and the NSW Government listing for the Rest Area (Princes Highway, Bodalla, picnic tables, toilets, free). Closures are on the Forestry Corporation notices map. For fires, check the RFS rating for this part of the South Coast and Forestry Corporation’s solid-fuel notices. We read those pages on 26 Sep 2026. Check again the morning you leave.
Not independently walked. Conditions, roads and fire rules change. Verify with Forestry Corporation of NSW.