Mt Franklin Reserve Campground

Mt Franklin Reserve - Victoria

Mt Franklin Reserve is a lovely campground inside an extinct volcano crater. It is located approximately 120 kilometres from Melbourne and 12 kilometres from Daylesford.

Mt Franklin Reserve is a popular spot for camping, bushwalking and relaxing.

Mt Franklin Reserve ~ Camping & Amenities

Access to the campground is along a sealed road up and around the edge of the volcano crater.

The campground features a central lawn area, ideal for tents, surrounded by cleared areas with picnic tables and fire pits that are suitable for motorhomes, caravans, camper trailers, and tents.

The campground operates on a first-come, first-served system with no bookings available.

The rim of the volcano is covered with conifer forest, and inside the crater are lovely ornamental trees, including Silver Birch, White Poplar, Sycamore, and Californian Redwoods. 

We chose a nice flat site with a fire pit near the entrance to the campground. There were not too many trees here, so we had good solar. The camping area has lots of trees, so if you want shade, you will have plenty of choice of campsites. We stayed here in late October, and there were only a few campers during the week, but it was very busy over the weekend.

Parks Victoria maintains the Mt Franklin Reserve Campground, and it is FREE to camp here.

Amenities

Four long drop toilets and a small rainwater tank are located close to the entrance of the campground.

There is a day-use area with a large shelter and plenty of parking. Near the day-use area is the start of the Summit Loop Walk. This is a 1.7-kilometre walking track around the rim of the volcano. The walk follows the craters' steep ridgeline and you will be rewarded with glimpses of the surrounding landscape before descending back to the camping area through the large conifers.

More Information

Dogs are allowed, please keep them on a leash and clean up after them.

• Fires are allowed in fire pits as long as there is no fire ban.

• We had good Telstra phone and internet when we stayed.

• There are four long drop toilets.

• No rubbish bins available, so please take rubbish with you.

This campground is very popular on weekends and holidays, so you will need to get in early to get a good spot.

Click here for our favourite Top 10 FREE Campgrounds in Victoria.

Daylesford

Mt Franklin Reserve is only 12 kilometres from the lovely town of Daylesford, which has cafes, restaurants, supermarkets, hotels and lots of lovely shops to browse in.

Before heading to the campground, we popped in to Blake Family Grocers in Daylesford, which is open daily from 8.00 am to 7.00 pm and has a great selection of fresh local produce.

We bought some fresh eggs, bacon, bread and tomato chutney to make delicious gourmet bacon and egg rolls.