I guess we will take the flack for this too


http://www.news.com.au/travel/news/carpark-campers-take-prime-sights-at-clovelly/story-e6frfq80-1225980867301

Pete your right should be a crack down on that sort of thing there are places to free camp but these sort of places are not one , when you see this sort of thing you can see why local council ban free camping

That is gross, gives us decent folk a bad name.

Haha! pete. Finished reading this then went off to finish off yesterdays Herald Sun only to find a similair story about St Kilda Carpark/Beach in Melbourne. A row of campervans in the photo along the marked carpark and a young french couple who pitched a tent on the sand. They said were annoyed at the noise from the tractor in the morning who was doing the cleaning and also if they didn't free camp on their trip around Aus they wouldn't be able to afford their trip as didn't have enough money to pay for accommodation. How did they get through customs. On those TV programs they seem to check out if the tourists have enough money to keep themselves while in the country.

While backpackers in vans do camp anywhere they can, they also bring much needed tourist dollars to a lot of places. We have them on the island where I live, and as long as they only stay a short while, people seem to ignore them. Its when they overstay their welcome there is problems. One put a cloths line up in a memorial park, and when told it wasnt nice, said his brakes had failed. As soon as the police turned up, the brakes seemed to miraculously fix them selves.Strange, eh. A bit of give and take from both sides , would smooth things out. You just can,t move in and take over.

I still can't understand how the french couple thought they would get right around Aus with not enough money for accommodation. Wouldn't they take that into consideration when saving their money for the big trip overseas. Where had they heard they could free camp in a tent where ever they liked.

I think that some travel agents in Europe give that impression to young people coming out here as "backpackers" (that they can free camp everywhere)... then when they get here with very little money and 3 months before they can use their return ticket they sometimes end up doing things that arent strictly legal. I've met some great young people travelling cheaply in this country, but I've met one group who were stealing, with the excuse that its hard here, having to pay for everything! I think the Minority gives everybody else a bad name... same goes for older Travellers too.

Hey Guys N Gals, A big factor is the profiteering that some establishments seem to be practicing making it increasingly unaffordable for backpackers and low income travellers to stay in organised accomodation. Maybe its time the councils though about re-instating the good old fashioned council owned & operated caravan parks, make things affordable again...not only for the back packers but the more financially restricted of us. Big4 have led the way with the exhorbitant pricing and rebranding of their caravan parks into resorts, and TopParks & the others are following slowly, it won't be long untill caravan parks as we know them will no longer exist or simply be affordable. Also the concils right the way across Australia really need to look at this practice of locking up public conveniences overnight, I know my bladder/bowel isn't on a time clock system, its not as if we don't need to go after a certain time of day, and I have lost count of the number of times I've been caught short. They are no longer public conveniences but more often than not inconveniences.. Hoo Roo Happy Days Grumps

There's been a development in this story,

details at http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/01/06/3107415.htm

Happywanderer wrote:

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I still can't understand how the french couple thought they would get right around Aus with not enough money for accommodation. Wouldn't they take that into consideration when saving their money for the big trip overseas.
Where had they heard they could free camp in a tent where ever they liked.

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Ever heard of WWOOFING, its how to get your accomodation & a meal for a few hours of work a day on an organic farm

Cheers
Jon

 

Yes I have heard of WOOFFING. I am sure they weren't wooffing on St Kilda Beach.

I bet those Frenchies would soon get moved on if they set up camp on the Champs-Elysees!

-- Edited by jimricho on Friday 7th of January 2011 07:49:11 AM

Jim, Its where you do some work on a farm or such like for food and maybe accommodation in return. There is a whole website set up for it like or similiar to the housesitting websites. Could be an animal farm or fruit orchid or cropping, all depends who has connected up to it.