Rural Land
Your Land. Your Campsite. Your Opportunity.
A beginner's guide to hosting campers through Hipcamp — written for landowners who have never hosted anyone. Listing on Hipcamp is not development consent; the legal checks come first.
01
Check whether you can legally host campers
- Find your zoning in the NSW Planning Portal Spatial Viewer or your council's LEP maps — agritourism pathways generally apply to RU1, RU2 and RU4 zones.
- Confirm your property is a commercial farm (rated farmland or a primary production business) — farm stay accommodation must be ancillary to it.
- Check which pathway applies: the limited casual-camping exemption, exempt or complying development under the Codes SEPP, or a DA.
- Confirm permitted guest numbers, stay durations and the development standards for your pathway.
- Check setbacks from boundaries, neighbouring dwellings, waterways and neighbouring agricultural activities.
- Identify bushfire, flooding and environmental constraints on the sites you're considering.
- Ask council about Section 68 requirements for caravans, tents and other moveable dwellings, and on-site sewage.
- Remember: a Hipcamp listing is a marketing channel, not an approval.
02
Prepare your property
- Safe road access and clearly marked parking.
- All-weather access suitable for emergency vehicles.
- Safe, suitable camping areas away from hazards.
- Toilet and waste management arrangements.
- Drinking water availability — or clear disclosure that guests must bring their own.
- Fire management plan and emergency evacuation route.
- Flood and severe weather risk procedures.
- Privacy buffers for neighbouring properties.
- Fencing and livestock exclusion from camping areas.
- Weed and pest management around sites.
- Protection of native vegetation and habitat.
- Signage marking permitted and restricted areas.
- Appropriate public liability insurance.
- Any necessary development or other approvals in hand.
03
Register and create your listing
- Visit hipcamp.com/en-AU/host and start the host registration.
- Prepare your property description and genuine, well-lit photographs.
- Define your campsite types (tent, campervan, caravan) and maximum guest and vehicle numbers.
- Be accurate about amenities and toilet arrangements — Hipcamp has host standards and a toilet policy you must meet.
- Write clear access directions, check-in and check-out arrangements.
- Set your pets and campfire policies, house rules and guest expectations.
- Nominate environmental protection requirements for guests.
- Set pricing and availability — you can adjust both any time.
04
Understand your financial responsibilities
- Gross booking revenue is not income: platform commissions come off the top of every booking.
- Hosting income is generally assessable for tax — keep records from day one and talk to your accountant.
- Budget for insurance, maintenance, sanitation supplies and your own time.
- Warning: earning non-agricultural income from land can affect primary production land tax exemptions — check with Revenue NSW before you start.
05
Manage your guests responsibly
- Communicate before arrival: directions, rules, what to bring.
- Prepare sites before each booking and inspect after departure.
- Notify guests of fire bans, weather warnings or emergencies promptly.
- Have an incident process: who to call, where the assembly point is.
- Send every guest a pre-arrival information pack — use our Guest Information Pack Generator to build yours in minutes.
Ready to list?
Host registration happens on Hipcamp — and remember, a listing is not development consent. Do the Step 1 checks first.
Estimate my hosting income
Legislative content last reviewed July 2026.