The best camping BBQs in Australia

A camping BBQ has to fit in the car, light in wind, cook for the number of people you brought and be legal where you are going. That last point rules out charcoal for a lot of the Australian summer. Here are the camping BBQs we would buy, with the picks’ prices checked at BCF and Bunnings on 9 November 2026 and the other rows on 4 October 2026 (Amazon prices change daily, so check them there), and the rules worth knowing.

Questions to ask before buying a camping BBQ in Australia

• Can you use it in a national park during a fire ban? On a NSW Total Fire Ban, solid and liquid fuel cookers are prohibited, and visitor-owned gas and electric cookers are generally prohibited unless the park office gives permission. Solid fuel is also banned during a park fire ban (NSW National Parks). Check the park’s page before you pack.
• Can it go inside the tent or caravan? No. Portable gas appliances should never be used inside tents, caravans or campervans, even with the doors or windows open, because of carbon monoxide (WA Government).
• How will you carry the cylinder? Keep it upright and secured, with no more than 9 kg in a car. NSW prefers the boot; WA says never an enclosed boot, so use the vehicle floor with the windows down (NSW Government, WorkSafe WA). Plug the valve while travelling (SA Government).
• Is it certified for Australian gas? Every gas appliance sold here must be tested and certified (Gas Technical Regulators Committee). Look for the compliance plate and gas compliance mark; overseas marks such as CSA or CE aren’t enough (Energy Safe Victoria). You can look up the number on the national certificate database.
• Does it take an LCC27 cylinder? LCC27 valves replaced the old POL type from 1 April 2021. A new LCC27 BBQ needs an LCC27 cylinder, and adaptors that join it to an old POL cylinder override the safety valve; WA’s regulator has banned them (WA Building and Energy).
• How old is the gas cylinder? Cylinders must be safety tested or replaced every 10 years (SA Government). Look for the test stamp, and swap or re-test one that’s past its date (NSW Government).

All 10 camping BBQs we compared

BBQ	Fuel	Hood	Price	Where
Wanderer portable suitcase BBQ grill	Charcoal	No	$99.99	BCF
Darche BBQ Grill 440	Charcoal	No	$99.99	BCF
Jumbuck Delta 2 burner hotplate, LCC27	LPG	No	$128	Bunnings
Weber Go-Anywhere	Charcoal	Yes, locks	$149.99	BCF, Amazon
Everdure Cube	Charcoal	No	Check price	Amazon Australia
Jumbuck 2 burner portable gas	LPG	Yes	$249	Bunnings
Dometic Safari Chef 30 LP Deluxe	LPG	Yes, multi-plate	Out of stock, 9 Nov 2026	BCF
Weber Baby Q1000N	LPG	Yes	$389	BCF
nomadiQ BBQ	LPG	Folding two-sided	$499	BCF
Weber Traveler Compact	LPG	Yes, on its own cart	$599	BCF

Gas: Baby Q, Traveler or something cheaper

The Weber Baby Q1000N is the camping BBQ most Australians end up with and it deserves it: the hood turns it into an oven for a chicken or a tray of vegetables, the cast aluminium body does not rust in a wet boot, and it feeds four. BCF had it at $389 on 9 November 2026, with the fitted cover at $49.99 and a duffle bag at $84.99. The Traveler Compact at $599 is the Baby Q idea on a folding cart for people with a ute tray or a caravan annex. The Dometic Safari Chef 30, out of stock at BCF when we checked on 9 November 2026, is the compact multi-plate cooker that caravanners like because it packs small and does several jobs. We also compared the Jumbuck Delta hotplate ($128) and Jumbuck 2 burner portable ($249), both sold only at Bunnings; they are no longer picks. The portable BBQ guide compares these in more depth.

Charcoal: when the season allows

The Weber Go-Anywhere at $149.99 is the camping charcoal BBQ because the lid locks shut for transport and the legs fold over it. The Wanderer suitcase grill at $99.99 is the cheap one, and the Everdure Cube is the one that looks good on a picnic table. All three are small, all three need you to deal with hot ash before you leave, and none of them can be used during a total fire ban.

Fire bans and park rules

Solid-fuel BBQs, which means charcoal, briquettes and wood, are banned during total fire bans in every state and territory, and many national parks and some councils ban them for the whole fire season or require you to use the park’s fixed BBQs. Gas BBQs are treated differently state by state: permitted during bans under conditions in some, not in others. The rules change with the season and the day, so check the fire authority’s website for the district you are camping in and the park’s own rules before you pack. If you only want to carry one BBQ, gas is the one that is legal more often.

Gas fittings and fuel

New LPG cylinders use the LCC27 valve, which replaced the old POL type from 2021. An older POL BBQ works with a new LCC27 cylinder, but a new LCC27 BBQ won’t fit an old POL cylinder, and you shouldn’t use an adaptor to make it (WA Building and Energy). Small BBQs like the Baby Q run off a disposable canister or a 9 kg cylinder through a hose with the right adaptor; BCF and Bunnings sell both. Butane stoves use 220 g butane cartridges, which are a different fuel and do not interchange. Weigh a 9 kg cylinder before you leave: full is about 17 to 18 kg, empty about 8 to 9.

Covers and bags

A camping BBQ spends more time in transit than a backyard one, and the fitted bag or cover is what stops the hood getting scratched and the burner filling with dust. BCF sells the Baby Q cover ($49.99) and duffle bag ($84.99), the Traveler Compact cover ($49.99) and the nomadiQ cover ($34.99). For a Jumbuck or a suitcase grill, the Jumbuck portable cover at $28 does the job at home. See the Weber Q cover guide and BBQ cover sizes.

The one trap

Packing the charcoal BBQ in December because it tastes better. It does, and in a total fire ban it is a fine and a cold dinner. Check the fire danger rating for the district the morning you leave, and if there is any chance of a ban, take gas. Better still, take gas and save the charcoal for autumn.

The competition

The five in the table that aren’t picks, and why:

• Dometic Safari Chef 30 LP Deluxe (BCF): a hooded multi-plate camp cooker, but out of stock at BCF, the only shop we found it at, when we checked on 9 November 2026.
• nomadiQ BBQ ($499 at BCF): a clever folding two-sided gas grill, but for $100 more the Traveler adds a hood and its own cart.
• Darche BBQ Grill 440 ($99.99 at BCF): a charcoal grill at the Wanderer’s price; either does the cheap-charcoal job, and one pick is enough.
• Jumbuck Delta 2 burner hotplate ($128) and Jumbuck 2 burner portable gas ($249): cheap LCC27 portables, but sold only at Bunnings, which we no longer link.