The NRMA Lake Somerset Holiday Park is the perfect place if you’re looking for a Lake Somerset dam camping ground. At the Lake Somerset Caravan Park, you can spend your days as busy or relaxing as you like, whether you want to sit back and enjoy the water views, zoom around on your jet ski or throw in a line. The NRMA Lake Somerset camping ground also plenty of options when it comes to where to stay including powered and powered sites, as well as some gorgeous waterfront cabins.
If you’re wanting a camping Somerset dam type getaway and considering staying at the Lake Somerset NRMA Holiday Park, then reading this guide is a great place to start. These Lake Somerset Holiday Park reviews will provide you with all the information you need, so you can decide if this is the ideal spot for your next camping trip.
While reading the below review, I recommend opening up this park map so you can see exactly where everything is.
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Location of NRMA Lake Somerset Holiday Park
Located around 90 minutes west of both Brisbane the Sunshine Coast, the NRMA Lake Somerset Holiday Park is situated on the shores of the beautiful Lake Somerset. The Lake Somerset is actually a dam and one of the region’s oldest and largest water storages.
There is a small village on the outskirts of Lake Somerset, but you won’t find any shops or anything here. The nearest shops and supermarket is in the town of Kilcoy, which is just a 10-minute drive away.
Accommodation Options at NRMA Lake Somerset Dam Camping Ground
Across the 45 hectare Lake Somerset campground, there are plenty of options in terms of where to stay. The holiday park offers a range of camping and caravan sites as well as villas, a log cabin and even glamping tents.
Below is a brief overview of the various accommodation options available.
Cabins and Villas
If you’re not after a Lake Somerset caravan and camping spot and prefer something self contained, then you have the option of choosing between 2 or 3 bedroom lake view villas or the log cabin.
Lakeview Villas
The Lakeview villas are well positioned in the Lake Somerset camping grounds with great water views of the lake. The 2 bedroom villas sleep up to 4 people with a queen bed and two single bed. The 3 bedroom villas sleep up to 8 people with a queen, king and two bunk beds.
All Lakeview villas are self contained featuring a kitchen with fridge, dishwasher, stovetop and oven, as well as a lounge room, dining room and a great veranda with outdoor seating. The villas are also air conditioned and feature a washing machine and dryer.
Starting at just $183 per night – these villas offer families and groups comfortable and modern accommodation in a prime position.
Log Cabin
For larger groups, another great option at the Somerset dam caravan park is the log cabin. Starting from just $176 per night, this dorm style accommodation option offers families a unique place to stay.
The log cabin is a larger open plan style which sleeps up to 8 people. There are 3 sets of bunk beds as well as a queen bed. The log cabin also includes a fully equipped kitchen including an oven, stovetop and microwave. The cabin also has a lounge with TV, dining room and bathroom.
The log cabin isn’t air conditioned, but there are ceiling fans. Also while outside there is no verandah, there is a BBQ with a spectacular view!
Safari Tents
If you’re after campsites in Somerset but don’t have your own camping gear, then book yourself into one of the on site safari tents. Starting from just $84 per night, these are a great option for couples or families.
The safari tents are open plan and are located on the water’s edge so have great views across Lake Somerset. Each tent comes with a queen bed and single bunk bed so can sleep up to 4. The tents also include a small fridge, tea and coffee making facilities and dining area.
There is no bathroom in the safari tents, but guests can use the shared bathroom amenities as well as the camp kitchen to prepare meals.
Camp & Caravan Sites – Powered and Unpowered
Now for the campers and caravaners – you guys have the choice of both powered or unpowered sites.
Before we look at the different site options, one thing to note is that fires are permitted while camping in Somerset, provided they are contained in a drum, brazier or something similar.
Powered Waterview Sites
If you want the best of both worlds – water views and power – then you’ll want to book yourself into a powered water view site. These sites start from $51 a night for 4 adults or a family of 6 and allow up to 2 cars.
There are just 12 water view powered sites – so you have to be quick!
Powered Van Sites
If you miss out on a water view site, there are also powered van sites in the centre of the park – although these don’t really have any views at all. However, they are super central to all the other amenities on site.
There are 24 powered van sites and they are very spacious allowing up to 2 park cars on each site. These sites start at $51 per night for 4 adults or a family of 6.
Powered Tent Sites
Also in the centre of the park are another lot of powered sites suitable for caravan, motorhome, campervan or tents. These sites start at $44 per night for 4 adults or a family of 6 and allow up to 2 cars per site.
Unpowered Sites
The main type of site here are the unpowered sites. These sites are not designated, which means you can choose the area which is perfect for you. This has its pros and cons. When it is super busy, you might not be left with a lot of choices, but other times you’ll be able to pick the perfect spot.
Unpowered sites start at $37 a night for 4 adults or a family of 6 and allow up to 2 cars.
Activities and Facilities at NRMA Lake Somerset Camping Ground
With the expansive Lake Somerset, there is certainly no shortage of things to at the NRMA Holiday Park, particularly for the watersport enthusiasts. Here’s a brief overview of all the activities and facilities on offer.
Lake Somerset
The Lake itself is, of course, the main attraction here and where most of the park’s activities happen. While it can be super busy in the water, the good news is that because the park is situated on a peninsular, there is plenty of spots where you can enjoy the lake.
Here is a quick guide to things to do in the lake:
- Boat Ramp: there are two boat ramps on site so bring your boat or you can hire on site from $150 for a half day.
- Swimming: there are two main grassy areas where people can swim from – the bottom of the lake is a bit mushy and the water is not clear – so not ideal swimming conditions but this might not bother others.
- Kayaking: The lake is the perfect spot for kayaking – bring your own or you can hire on site from $35 for a half day
- Fishing – be sure to get your permit in advance.
- Waterskiing
- Wakeboarding
- Tubing
Kayak and boat hire is from Somerset Fishing Tackle which operates from a small shed near the day use area – it’s not open every day though, so be sure to check in advance.
Mini Golf
There is an 18 hole mini golf course on site which is a nice touch for the kids or families looking for something to do together. Each person is entitled to a free round each day of their stay. You’re encouraged to book well in advance though as it books out relatively fast, particularly over the weekend and during school holidays.
Playground and Oval
There is a good playground at the holiday park which is undercover so great for the kids even during the hottest part of the day. The playground is on the oval which is a great spot for some ball games
School Holiday Activities
If you happen to be lucky enough to snag a site during the school holidays (it gets super busy so do book early!), then the kids are in luck as the park offers a range of activities for the little ones. Activities include a range of arts and crafts as well as movies under the stars.
Amenities at NRMA Lake Somerset Camping Ground
Below is a brief overview of the different amenities available on site at the NRMA campground.
Camp Kitchen
For such a big campground, one of the surprises here is that there is just the one camp kitchen on site. The camp kitchen includes a fridge, plenty of BBQs to use, microwave, a couple of toasters, hot water and two sinks for washing up. There are also around 6 picnic benches here.
Despite having everything you need, I wouldn’t want to be relying on the camp kitchen during your stay as with just the one on site, you may well find a huge line up to use it.
Toilets and Showers
While there may well only be the one camp kitchen, there are plenty of toilet and shower blocks around the place. You’ll never need to walk far to use the toilet here – although I did note that it said some blocks were not open during weekdays – although they were while we were – but perhaps that’s because it was school holidays when we visited.
We mostly just used the one toilet block during our stay – but found them to be relatively clean, always had toilet paper in them and the showers had great pressure and were nice and hot. Probably the only downside was there were only two showers and in the evenings and first thing in the morning, there was always a huge line up for the showers.
Laundry Facilities
Each of the toilet and shower block had a small laundry room inside with just the one washing machine and dryer. We didn’t use the laundry facilities during our stay and whenever I walked past one, they were always available.
Picnic and BBQ Facilities
Dotted all around the place are some lovely picnic areas and BBQs for guests to use. I didn’t actually see anyone using these, but if you ever wanted to change it up and eat away from your site – or perhaps if you were staying in one of the villas, cooking your meal at one of the BBQ sites might be a nice change.
Kiosk
Within the reception area, there is also a good sized kiosk which sells all your essential grocery items as well as ice. It’s pretty basic, so I certainly wouldn’t rely on this to buy enough to make a meal or anything, but if you’re after a bottle of soft drink or some ice blocks etc then it will come in handy.
NRMA Lake Somerset Caravan Park – Our Verdict
We recently spent 4 nights camping on an unpowered tent site, right by the water’s edge. The views across the lake were gorgeous! We came on a Saturday in the middle of school holidays and the place was absolutely jammed packed – so we were lucky to get such a beautiful spot. However come Sunday people were leaving and the park came much quieter. Over the Saturday and most of the Sunday the place was absolutely crowded – particularly around the water – this is one popular place for water sports – so do keep that in mind if you’re after somewhere peaceful.
There are plenty of amenity blocks around the property so you never have to walk too far for a toilet. I also found the staff in reception incredibly friendly – too often these days I find holiday park staff so rude – but it was the complete opposite here.
On the downside – there is just the one camp kitchen and its relatively small. For such a huge holiday park I found this a bit of a surprise – mind you, I guess most people, like us, a self-sufficient these days.
Overall we found the NRMA Lake Somerset Holiday Park fantastic and will no doubt come again some time in the future. My thoughts for next time though is to book earlier for a designated waterfront powered site or not come on a weekend as it a bit of a hit and miss where you can camp otherwise.
Click here to book a cabin or click here for a campsite.
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Hopefully you found this guide on staying at NRMA Lake Somerset helpful. If you enjoy lakeside camping check out our review on camping at Lake Moogerah here or Lake Manchester here. Alternatively, click here for our full guide on campsites near Brisbane.