see also:

• photography and camping main index page

• Australia Day 2026 public holiday falls on Monday 26th January 2026 and essentially is the last weekend of school holidays and a very popular weekend for camping although tends to be hot
• this year however, there are many issues which may require change of plans

• likely to be hot on Sat 24th Jan with a milder cool change from a dry cold front Sat night or Sun and then it is likely to heat up again Mon 26th before another cold front on Tuesday 27th
• Sat 24th Jan: west Vic may get strong wind gusts; probably high 30's to low 40's in northern parts Vic, cooler change will impact southern Victoria Saturday night into Sunday morning
• Sun 25th Jan: milder conditions over southern Victoria including Melbourne with a weak high sending a milder southerly breeze 50-100kms inland; NW Vic likely to have temps into the 40's; Potential for storms in some parts;
• Mon 26th Jan: away from the coast temperatures likely to rise to high 30's to low 40's; Melbourne likely to be low 30's;
• Tues 27th Jan: away from the coast temperatures and including Melbourne, likely to rise to high 30's to low 40's with strengthening north winds which may produce catastrophic fire conditions in northern areas; areas north of the line from Stawell-Shepparton-Albury likely to hit the 40's; coast likely to be low-mid 20's; cool change will cross west Vic. and coastal temps likely to drop to 16-18degC.
• Wed 28th Jan: cooler southerly winds push up so cooler air into southern Victoria with temps 16-18degC around coast but still mid-high 30's far northern Victoria

• essentially all of the beaches and bushwalks including waterfalls between Kennett River and Lorne have been closed by Parks Vic while they undertake safety assessments and remediation works
• this means many displaced campers which will place additional pressure on the commercial camp grounds south of Kennett River including Apollo Bay
• the Parks Vic camp ground in Cape Otway, Blanket Bay is fully booked
• it seems Jamieson Creek camp ground Wye River has been re-opened
• Lake Elizabeth will be closed from Mon 27th Jan for renovations
• much of the Aire River West camp ground is under high water due to natural closure of the river mouth which may also adversely effect water quality in the river from lack of drainage.
• If you want a beach camp site, your only options in that region past Lorne are probably:
  • Johanna beach camp ground
  • Aire River East
  • Wye River camp ground has re-opened

• this could become problematic depending upon the weather conditions
• I would now avoid the following grounds given the fire has escaped control lines on 24th Jan:
  • Beauchamp Falls camp ground
  • Stevensons Falls camp ground Otways
  • Dandos camp ground Otways
  • ALL of these sites run a risk of smoke issues if there is a NW wind as well as potential spread of the Carlisle River bushfire given that hot weather is forecast, in addition, the weather forecast over the period may mean more bushfires

• this has essentially closed easy access to the Mansfield areas including Howqua Hills / Sheepyard Flats camping area, Delatite Arm campgrounds Lake Eildon and Jamieson region camp grounds as the road from Yea to Mansfield remains closed
• the Fraser Block camp grounds at Lake Eildon are closed - see https://www.parks.vic.gov.au/-/media/project/pv/main/parks/coc-uploads/map_lake-eildon-closed-areas_jan2026_19012026052948362.pdf?rev=6954c85b8aaa411eba0fba2381924eda
• options include:
  • Cathedral Ranges
  • campgrounds in Rubicon valley
  • southern and eastern parts of Lake Eildon and you could take the long southern way to Delatite Arm campgrounds Lake Eildon and Jamieson region camp grounds
  • Edi Cutting camp ground, King River

• this has closed much of the alpine areas
• The Alpine National Park is CLOSED north of Briagolong, east of Arbuckle Junction including Mount Howitt to Wabonga and south of Abbeyard, west of the Great Alpine Road and to the west of Dargo
• see https://www.parks.vic.gov.au/coc-listing#Alpine-National-Park
• options include Wellington River Campsites on Tamboritha Road, Wellington River Trailhead to Lake Tali Karng

• this has burnt through much of Mount Alexander and thus Leanganook camp ground Mount Alexander is closed as well as much of this region

• much of this region in far NE Victoria and near the Murray River is closed

• this is essentially fully booked well in advance - you may be lucky to negotiate a sale via Facebook groups or find a late cancellation

• not my favorite area as beaches are not really safe for swimming and at present there are lots of mozzies with Ross River Virus
• it will be very busy over the weekend - I would avoid it

• eg. Coopers Creek, Kurth Kiln, Noojee, Blue Waters, etc

• camping in or near the Grampians
  • Smiths Mill and the other main Grampians camp sites are booked out over weekend but plenty of sites from 26th onwards https://bookings.parks.vic.gov.au/smiths-mill-campground#/accom/86232
  • Plantation - free camp, may be overcrowded on weekend but should be fine on the 26th - as a back up you could go to nearby Lake Lonsdale or Green Hill Lakes Camping Reserve, Ararat
  • remote Buandik still had a couple of sites available over the weekend
  • Rocklands reservoir camping should be Ok given its distance
• Murray River camping - this is first in first served and will be extremely hot averaging 43-45deg maximums each day so you will need sun shade protection, mozzie protection, etc - and lots of patience as campers are likely to drink to excess in such hot conditions, and much of the camp areas do not have toilets
• Johanna beach camp ground - if you want to escape the heat but you may be exposed to cold SW cold front wind changes especially on Tues 27th Jan
• Jamieson Creek camp ground Wye River - there may still be a site free
• Ayson's Reserve Camping Ground - should have enough room even on the weekend and the river is great for a swim to cool down plus it has flush toilets although these can get compromised when very busy
• Mt Franklin reserve campground, near Daylesford - avoid on the weekend as it will be overcrowded but may be OK after the long weekend
• Edi Cutting camp ground, King River - avoid on the weekend as it will be overcrowded but may be OK after the long weekend
• Green Hill Lakes Camping Reserve, Ararat - there is always space here - although there may be toxic algae in the lake and it can get very dusty if strong winds develop - just don't swim in it