Located within the peaceful forest landscapes of Darradup, Brockman Camp is the first fully equipped equine-friendly campsite along the Warren Blackwood Stock Route. Surrounded by native bushland and managed on DBCA land, the campsite provides riders and horses with a comfortable overnight stop while travelling through the Southern Forests & Valleys region.
Brockman Camp offers riders the opportunity to experience the natural beauty and tranquillity of the South West while following the historic stock droving routes once used by the pioneering farming families of the region. The campsite is designed to support both long-distance trail riders and those exploring shorter sections of the Warren Blackwood Stock Route.
Facilities
Brockman Camp includes:
- Sleeping shelter
- 4 horse yards
- Toilet facilities
- Picnic table
- Fire pit
- Rainwater tank (non-potable water)
- Designated camping and rest areas
- Trail signage and route information
Trail users are asked to respect the campsite facilities, clean up after themselves and their horses, and help preserve the natural environment for future visitors.
Trail Distances
- Distance from Kookaburra Stopover: approximately 35km
- Distance to Dunnett Camp (Nannup): approximately 34km
Brockman Camp provides an ideal overnight stop for riders beginning their Warren Blackwood Stock Route adventure or completing shorter rides through the Nannup region.
Phone Signal & Safety
Limited Telstra mobile phone coverage is available at Brockman Camp (approximately one bar of reception); however, riders should not rely solely on mobile reception while travelling the trail.
Before travelling, riders are encouraged to:
- Carry maps and navigation tools
- Inform someone of their travel plans and expected arrival times
- Carry emergency and first aid equipment
- Carry sufficient food and water supplies
- Carry a Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) where possible
- Ensure horses are adequately prepared for long-distance trail conditions
Water, Fire & Emergency Information
A rainwater tank is available at the campsite; however, water is non-potable and should be treated before drinking. Riders are encouraged to carry additional water supplies for both themselves and their horses, particularly during warmer months.
Campfires are only permitted in designated fire pits where provided and must comply with all current fire restrictions and Total Fire Ban requirements. Riders should check local fire conditions before travelling and never leave fires unattended.
In an emergency:
- Dial 000 if mobile coverage is available
- Activate your PLB if required
- Follow emergency services instructions and evacuation advice where applicable
Trail conditions may change due to weather, maintenance works, bushfire risk, or environmental conditions. Riders should always check current trail alerts and closures before commencing their journey.
Bookings
Brockman Camp is an open-access campsite and bookings are not required. Trail users are encouraged to notify someone of their travel itinerary before commencing their journey along the Warren Blackwood Stock Route.
Warren Blackwood Stock Route was developed in discussion with local families who used the stock route to move cattle around the region, these are excerpts from their stories, their full stories are available at state libraries:
’….. we had a shanty hut at the coast which was quite comfortable not really comfortable. It was just an open…tin roof and where we slept had a few weatherboards, slab-boards up against the wall with about a half-inch gap between them’
Anthony Egerton-Warburton
Going to the coast was an annual trip for the droving families and many of them built huts along the route and on their land whether it was freehold or leasehold.
Some huts were simple lean-to’s with bush poles and sheets of tin designed to shelter the drovers and their provisions from the rain. Others were more permanent with walls, chaff bag beds and a little galley for cooking. Some families built cattle yards and sunk wells in an effort to make life on the coast more comfortable.
The Mottram family built a hut down near the Gardner River.
‘Well that was slab-walls and it had a tin roof on it. And our beds, they were slab beds too! So they weren’t very soft. But, you know, looking now, you’d say peoples wouldn’t sleep on those. But we didn’t think anything about it. We just… a few rushes on the top and there you’d sleep there like a log.’
Cliff Mottram.
The huts along the droving routes were simpler and usually made from tin and these were used by anyone who needed them.
‘There were two or three other tin huts on the road by the yards which we camped in if it was very wet. Often it was better out of them. They sometimes had fleas in them. Those sort of things, Snakes’.
Anthony Egerton-Warburton
