The NRMA Lake Somerset Holiday Park is the perfect place if you’re looking for a camping ground at Lake Somerset Dam. 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 has plenty of options when it comes to where to stay, including powered and unpowered sites, as well as some gorgeous waterfront cabins.
While reading the review below, 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
The NRMA Lake Somerset Holiday Park is located on the shores of the beautiful Lake Somerset, about 90 minutes west of both Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast. 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 are 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.
NRMA Lake Somerset Dam – 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 beds. 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 a fridge, dishwasher, stovetop, and oven, as well as a lounge room, dining room, and a lovely 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 at just $177 per night, this dorm-style housing option offers families a unique place to stay.
The log cabin is a larger open-plan style that 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 a TV, a dining room, and a bathroom.
The log cabin isn’t air-conditioned, but there are ceiling fans. Also, while outside there is no veranda, there is a BBQ with a spectacular view!
NRMA Lake Somerset Dam – 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 at just $85 per night, this is a great option for couples or families.
The safari tents are open plan and are located on the water’s edge, so they have great views across Lake Somerset. Each tent comes with a queen bed and a single bunk bed, so it can sleep up to 4. The tents also include a small fridge, tea- and coffee-making facilities, and a 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.
NRMA Lake Somerset Dam Camp & Caravan Sites
Now for the campers and caravaners — you guys have the choice of both powered and 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 at $48 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 cars to park on. These sites start at $45 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 caravans, motorhomes, campers, or tents. These sites start at $40 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 is the unpowered sites. These sites are not designated, which means you can choose the area that is perfect for you. This feature has its pros and cons. When it’s extremely busy, you might not have many options, but at other times, you’ll be able to choose the ideal spot.
Unpowered sites start at $34 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 do 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. The park is on a peninsula, so there are many places to enjoy the lake, even when the water is busy.
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 one on site from $150 for a half day.
- Swimming: There are two main grassy areas where people can swim. The lake’s bottom is a bit mushy, and the water is not clear, making for less than ideal swimming conditions, but this may 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. You can enjoy a complimentary round every day of your 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 it’s 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, a microwave, a couple of toasters, hot water, and two sinks for washing up. There are also approximately six 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 to use it.
Toilets and Showers
There may be only one camp kitchen, but there are many toilet and shower blocks. 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 for the showers.
Laundry Facilities
Each of the toilet and shower blocks 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 that 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 jam-packed—so we were lucky to get such a beautiful spot. However, come Sunday, people were leaving, and the park became 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 rude— but it was the complete opposite here.
On the downside, there is just the one camp kitchen, and it’s relatively small. For such a huge holiday park, I found this a bit of a surprise — mind you, I guess most people, like us, are 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, are 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 to staying at NRMA Lake Somerset helpful. If you enjoy lakeside camping, refer to our review on camping at Lake Moogerah here or Lake Manchester here. Alternatively, click here for our full guide on campsites near Brisbane.
