Victorian councils

11 of these 20 councils have been read from the council's own local law, and each of those pages quotes it. The rest say unknown, and unknown does not mean permitted.

These are the 20 largest by population, which is the order they are being read in. Victoria's rest areas are not published on this site, so none of these pages lists a place inside the council area — each lists the closest places that are published, and how far away they are.

In Victoria you can camp anywhere in a state forest, provided you set up at least 20 metres from waterways and stay no longer than 28 consecutive nights.

State forests are not national parks or state parks. Those are managed by Parks Victoria under different rules, and forest reserves are different again — in a forest reserve you may camp only in the official campgrounds the land manager provides, not in informal spots.

Where this comes from

• “You can camp anywhere in a state forest if you set up at least 20 metres from waterways and stay no longer than 28 consecutive nights.” — Camping — Visiting State forests, Victorian Government, Conservation Regulator. Retrieved 30 Aug 2026.
• “State forests are different to national parks and state parks, which are managed by Parks Victoria and have different rules.” “In forest reserves (general): You can camp in the official campgrounds provided by the land manager but not in informal locations where there are no facilities.” — Visiting State forests, Victorian Government, Conservation Regulator. Retrieved 30 Aug 2026.