Australia is certainly a lot more famous for its stunning beaches than its lakes. I love the ocean, but sometimes, the beach can get windy and if the sea is very choppy, it’s not always the ideal place to go for a camping weekend. The lakes with the clear, calm waters are also more reliable for water-based activities. With all this, and now that autumn in Australia has just begun with temperatures dropping, the more sheltered lake camping at Lake Brockman provides a splendid alternative to a beach weekender.
Lake Brockman versus Lake Navarino
There are quite a few lakes available for camping and boating in close proximity to Perth. Our go-to lake for camping used to be Lake Navarino, around an hour and a half from Perth (I wrote about it in this blog post). Lake Brockman is maybe another ten minutes further away from Perth, and facilities as well as camping options used to be relatively similar for both: Both are dog-friendly; there are dedicated campgrounds, but it also used to be possible to camp directly on the shores of the lakes (“lakeside camping”). Lakeside camping at Lake Navarino used to be beautiful because camp spots were in and amongst the trees, however it is currently no longer permitted, since campers didn’t stick to COVID social distancing requirements. Lakeside camping at Lake Brockman gets very busy and in comparison to Lake Navarino, the camping spots aren’t in and amongst the trees. This means that lakeside campers in Brockman may end up living in each other’s pockets during busy weekends.
Conversely, we found the campground at Lake Brockman nicer than at Lake Navarino mainly because it’s closer to the lake. Campsites within the campground are sufficiently apart from each other and there’s a large kitchen shed as well as clean bush loos. In both locations, those that don’t have a tent can also rent a cabin. Both lakes are dams (Lake Navarino is also known as Waroona Dam and Lake Brockman as Logue Brook Dam).
Staying at Lake Brockman
We had booked a couple of unpowered sites at the Logue Brock campground to get away from the crowds at 15 AUD (8 GBP / 9.5 EUR) per person with our little group of six and two dogs. Note that lakeside camping isn’t bookable; campers basically need to rock up, pay at reception and find themselves a spot – another reason why it’s sometimes simpler to just book ahead. On the campground, every campsite is large enough for two tents and two cars, and each one has a little bench which is handy. We made one booking so we could be sure to get two adjacent sites. Upon arrival, we checked in at the reception and got assigned a site number.
The ground is relatively tough so it’s necessary to bring suitable pegs. We set up the tents swiftly and moved down towards the lakeside to take the boat out. Only certain areas around the lake are available for camping, hence we drove towards the north shore of the lake, which isn’t a camping area, and set up for the day. There is a dedicated area to drop the boat in. It doesn’t have a ramp but the ground is tough enough for a 4WD to drive into the water and drop the boat in this way.
Boating at Lake Brockman
The Logue Brook Dam was constructed in 1963 to provide water for irrigation. However, the lake with crystal clear water is also very popular for water-based activities like kayaking & boating, stand up paddling, water skiing, swimming and fishing. Land-based activities in the surrounding state forest include bushwalking and mountain biking.
We didn’t have a tow tube or a knee board at this stage also because our little boat only has a small engine, and we weren’t sure if we’d be able to tow people with it at all. Hence, we gave it a go with a makeshift body board which we attached to the back of the boat with a rope. It was great fun towing people around through the clear waters and many other visitors were doing the same. Needless to say, we since acquired a little kneeboard and can’t wait to try it out soon at another beautiful waterhole in Western Australia. Stay tuned!
