There's nothing quite like camping to put yourself in touch with mother nature.

A thin wall between you and the great outdoors, tea from the billy, a creek by your side, scary stories around the campfire - the camper experiences a side of life that those who sleep on mattresses can only dream about.

Camping doesn't necessarily mean marooning yourself somewhere back of Bourke either. Within a one-hour drive of the Sydney Harbour Bridge there are national parks and forest reserves that will unleash the animal that lurks within.

No tent? No problem. Look in the Yellow Pages and you'll find plenty of outdoor specialists ready, willing and able to set you up with everything you need for a night under canvas.

A bushland oasis on the Nepean River just south of Penrith, Bent's Basin Reserve is great for summer camping, especially if you've some water toys on the roof racks. Equipped with hot showers, barbecues and even a kiosk that opens on weekends, Bent's Basin is camping with a soft edge. But its proximity to Sydney and ease of access means that the camping area gets plenty of caravan traffic. If it's a wilderness experience you're after, you'll need to travel further.

The second oldest national park in the world, the Royal National Park has rainforest, creeks, wildflower meadows, sea-sculpted sandstone headlands, wild and majestic stretches of coastal heath and marvellous walking trails.

Of the park's three camping areas, Bonnie Vale is the most accessible and comfortable, with car parking, hot showers and wood-fired barbecues. It is located near Bundeena on Port Hacking, close to a large sand spit that offers good swimming.

Bush camping is permitted at Uloola Falls (5 km south of Audley) and on the coast at North Era, but these sites are intended for serious footsloggers on the park's two main long-distance walking trails. At both sites, campers are permitted to remain for one night only.

If wild and rugged rate high on your camping wish list, Marramarra National Park is the place for you. Sprawling along the southern banks of the Hawkesbury River, Marramarra is a spectacular chunk of Australia in the raw, with undulating bush-clad hills deeply fissured with creeks. Designated camping grounds are located at Gentlemans Halt and at Marramarra Creek, which is accessible by water as well as on foot. Marramarra is the only national park in the Sydney area with unrestricted bush camping. All you need is the appropriate permit, available from any National Parks and Wildlife Service office.

Overlooking the Hawkesbury River on Sydney's northern outskirts, Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park frames the shores of Pittwater and Broken Bay with sandstone cliffs, eucalypt forests and rainforest. The park also has an extravagant bird life, and a rich legacy of rock art left by the Garigal people, for whom the park is named.

Camping is permitted only at The Basin, which has toilets, cold showers, gas barbecues and even a shelter shed. Relatively difficult access deters car-boot campers. The camp site can be reached only on foot, via a two-kilometre walk along The Basin Track, or by ferry from Palm Beach Wharf.

Bordered by the Hawkesbury River on one side and Cattai Creek on another, Cattai National Park is a good choice for family camping trips during the summer holidays - provided you don't mind crowds.

The property was originally farmed by Thomas Arndell, assistant surgeon aboard one of the ships of the First Fleet. Built by convicts in 1821, the beautiful Cattai Homestead is an important part of our colonial heritage.

But on summer weekends in particular, Cattai gets large numbers of day visitors and since it's relatively small, the crowds are hard to escape. Adjoining the Royal National Park on Sydney's southern border, Heathcote National Park is a bushwalker's delight - and the NPWS intends to keep it that way. No roads penetrate the park, facilities are practically non-existent apart from a few basic picnic sites, and camping is limited to sites at Kingfisher Pool, Mirang Pool and Lake Eckersley - which compensate for their lack of facilities with fine swimming. Heathcote is at its best in spring, when the wildflowers erupt.

NSW National Parks can be closed at times of bushfire and bushfire danger. It is advisable to check with NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service before you set off. Either phone 1300 361 967 (within NSW) or (02) 9253 4600 or visit www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au.