Bramston Beach in North Queensland is just a short drive from Cairns and a favourite weekend getaway for locals who love to camp on the beach.
Only one hours drive south of Cairns, Bramston Beach is a quiet little town with just one general store and not much else but beach.
But that’s what makes it so appealing.
It’s a chance to get away from the crowds, switch off from technology and go fishing off the beach, spend hours making sandcastles and collecting shells or just sit around the campfire with family and friends.
accommodation options
As Bramston Beach is such a small town with a population of under 200 people, it’s the kind of place people visit to get away and relax.
There is a motel, a few holiday rental properties and a campground. There used to be two beachfront campgrounds but one recently closed down.
As you drive into the town and reach the beach, you come to the Bramston Beach Campground, which is run by the council.
This is where we usually stay as there are plenty of trees to offer shade and a kid’s playground.
There are powered and unpowered sites, an amenities block, a laundry and barbecue facilities throughout the park.
And there are plenty of grassy areas for picnics, games of boche and endless cartwheels.
things to do
There isn’t much in the town of Bramston Beach except for the general store which sells bait, ice, milk, newspapers, drinks, ice-creams and hot food.
Most activities centre around the beach.
You can go fishing, swim in the stinger net enclosures (stinger suits are still recommended), hunt for baby crabs, make sandcastles, collect shells, play beach cricket, fly kites or just enjoy the beach.
If you want to explore the surrounding area, it is only a short drive to Babinda Boulders and Josephine Falls, both of which offer lookouts and freshwater swimming holes.
sunrise & sunset
No holiday is complete without catching either a sunrise or a sunset and here you get to enjoy both.
It is definitely worth rising early to catch one of the beautiful Bramston Beach sunrises.
It is just so peaceful at this time of the morning and there is nothing more magical that sitting down on a picnic rug watching the sun come up on a brand new day.
And in the evenings, the skies change colour as the sun sets and you feel like you are in a painting as rich reds and oranges give way to pinks and blues, before darkness brings out the stars.
It is hard to express just how incredible the sunsets are at Bramston Beach – its something you need to discover for yourself, but I can guarantee they will stay with you forever.
travel nq fast facts:
- Bookings are recommended as the campsite books out in advance for school holidays and long weekends (Call 07 4067 4121)
- The campground is pet-friendly as long as dogs are kept on a leash
- Be careful as crocodiles have been sighted at a lagoon at the other end of the beach
- Be aware stingers are present in the water during stinger season
- Once a month a market is held at the Bramston Beach Campground selling locally-made, handmade items
