hi to all we are new to this site and this topic has probable been discussed before we plan to head off feb 2018 for our first trip around ozz we have just bought our first van nextgen 15 ft off road we pick it up in mid april this year so were pretty exited.one of the things that keeps popping up in my head is were do you go in peak seasons ?do you prebook in a van park is there any quite free camp sites, does anyone know of any national parks that don't get to full ect.we plan do go anti clock wise from Brisbane around feb 2018 head up the coast and wing it if we can for as long as we can min 12 mths maybe longer and work a bit along the way im a carpenter and can fix most things and kezz can work for bunnings around Australia so we should be able to go indefinitely if all goes well cheers griffo.
-- Edited by griffo and kezz on Tuesday 21st of February 2017 05:01:34 PM
-- Edited by griffo and kezz on Tuesday 21st of February 2017 05:03:09 PM
the rocket said
05:37 PM Feb 21, 2017
Hello griffo and kez, a very warm welcome. We mainly stay in showgrounds or free camp. There is a book called camps 9 from the publisher 07 54491475. Sunshine coast qld i think. This newest one has just been released and i was told u can buy camps 8 for $20 off them. Also an app wiki camps about $7. Some recreation grounds also. Good luck. Safe travels.
griffo and kezz said
06:17 PM Feb 21, 2017
thanks rocket we intend to buy camps nine and the wiki camps app ive read they are priceless imfo for travelers how long can you stay in most showgrounds around ozz and do you book first ?also wats the general rule for safety in free camps ex;what to look out for if your not sure of the area may sound dumb but i have my wife to think of as well as my own safety and holidays seems to bring out the wankers if you know what i mean .
-- Edited by griffo and kezz on Tuesday 21st of February 2017 06:18:28 PM
Desert Dweller said
07:00 PM Feb 21, 2017
During Christmas/January & even more at Easter it's almost impossible to find a bit of peace & quiet while camping in any style, paid or free. It's peak time for kids & their working class parents to enjoy some camping which is fair enough.
We stay at home during these periods avoiding drunks, boguns, loudmouths, hoons, ankle bitters, jet skis, trail bikes etc.etc. Helps the blood pressure stay normal.
Santa said
07:39 PM Feb 21, 2017
Desert Dweller wrote:
During Christmas/January & even more at Easter it's almost impossible to find a bit of peace & quiet while camping in any style, paid or free. It's peak time for kids & their working class parents to enjoy some camping which is fair enough.
We stay at home during these periods avoiding drunks, boguns, loudmouths, hoons, ankle bitters, jet skis, trail bikes etc.etc. Helps the blood pressure stay normal.
Have to agree with DD on this one, would also add school holiday periods, they vary from state to state.
We also avoid traveling on long week ends, or days either side.
Recoup said
08:51 PM Feb 21, 2017
Desert Dweller wrote:
During Christmas/January & even more at Easter it's almost impossible to find a bit of peace & quiet while camping in any style, paid or free. It's peak time for kids & their working class parents to enjoy some camping which is fair enough.
We stay at home during these periods avoiding drunks, boguns, loudmouths, hoons, ankle bitters, jet skis, trail bikes etc.etc. Helps the blood pressure stay normal.
Are the kids and their parents that bad ?
banjo said
11:20 PM Feb 21, 2017
Recoup wrote:
Desert Dweller wrote:
During Christmas/January & even more at Easter it's almost impossible to find a bit of peace & quiet while camping in any style, paid or free. It's peak time for kids & their working class parents to enjoy some camping which is fair enough.
We stay at home during these periods avoiding drunks, boguns, loudmouths, hoons, ankle bitters, jet skis, trail bikes etc.etc. Helps the blood pressure stay normal.
Are the kids and their parents that bad ?
Nah not that bad, bloody worse sometimes !
After 5 years full time on the road believe me we've seen the worst first hand, we've given up full time travel now, but in peak periods we used to head inland to small country towns, away from the maddening crowds - almost ! even then it back fires and you get the odd morons roll up.
Meredith said
01:45 AM Feb 22, 2017
Heading inland is usually a good idea. For example we were travelling around the southern half of WA during the last October school holidays and spent the 2 weeks away from the coast, travelling through the smaller wheatbelt and goldfield towns and they weren't at all crowded, even with a beautiful wildflower season still in full bloom in those areas. After the school holidays we headed towards the coastal towns. Even in the summer school holidays smaller inland country towns usually have plenty of space as they don't appeal so much to families, but they often offer a lot to see if you are willing to spend the time to discover it. We very rarely book anywhere in advance, though you may want to keep an eye on when long weekends occur in any spots not too far from high population areas, and maybe book for those if you can't be elsewhere.
-- Edited by Meredith on Wednesday 22nd of February 2017 01:45:43 AM
Ozzie_Traveller said
09:57 AM Feb 22, 2017
griffo and kezz wrote:
hi to all we are new to this site and this topic has probable been discussed before we plan to head off feb 2018 for our first trip around ozz we have just bought our first van nextgen 15 ft off road we pick it up in mid april this year so were pretty exited.
one of the things that keeps popping up in my head is were do you go in peak seasons? do you prebook in a van park is there any quite free camp sites, does anyone know of any national parks that don't get to full ect.
we plan do go anti clock wise from Brisbane around feb 2018 head up the coast and wing it if we can for as long as we can min 12 mths maybe longer and work a bit along the way
im a carpenter and can fix most things and kezz can work for bunnings around Australia so we should be able to go indefinitely if all goes well cheers griffo.
G'day mate
As others have said - peak seasons = school holidays = high [rip-off] costs & lots of CP customers on their holidays. We stay far away from coastal CPs during these times, but by going 1-hour's drive inland from the coast, there are heaps of beaut places to stay without costing you the earth
As to "12 months" ... you will need that just to see all of WA, never mind the rest of this great backyard :)
Hope this helps
Phil
PeterD said
12:01 PM Feb 22, 2017
In busy times you keep away form anywhere where there is water that you can swim or fish in or water-ski. Also keep away from large and capital cities. That means go inland but keep away from the major rivers and lakes
-- Edited by PeterD on Wednesday 22nd of February 2017 12:01:50 PM
Desert Dweller said
06:38 PM Feb 22, 2017
PeterD wrote:
In busy times you keep away form anywhere where there is water that you can swim or fish in or water-ski. Also keep away from large and capital cities. That means go inland but keep away from the major rivers and lakes
-- Edited by PeterD on Wednesday 22nd of February 2017 12:01:50 PM
That's good advice, but unfortunately it's the hottest period of the year to go inland.
That's why everyone else flocks to any available water enjoyment venues.
It can be bloody hot, dry & dust just to enjoy a bit of peace & quiet.
Best to stay at home in a relaxing haven away from the madness.
griffo and kezz said
07:02 PM Feb 22, 2017
thank you all so much for your invaluable information we will be planing ahead i think and the thought of going a few hours inland could be fun we may get to see more of this beautiful country and maybe meet some new and different personalities along the way hope to meet you all someday you never know if you never go cheers griffo
Ron-D said
07:06 PM Feb 22, 2017
We try to avoid school and public holidays that's when we stay put and enjoy things around home,in hot wheather we're on the coast in caravan parks ,in winter we always free camp love the atmosphere of an open fire, yep winters the time to go bush,summer the time to get near the ocean and fish that usually means caravan parks and that's fine when your running out of time not money
theberrys said
01:24 PM Feb 23, 2017
Hi Griffo & Kezz we headed off and did a couple of laps over 3 yrs some time ago and it was not long enough and we luckily did not work during this time. Firstly why would you choose to go anticlockwise in Feb we started in that direction (we live on the Sunshine Coast) but it was in July - I tell everybody just go talk to others on the track and you will develop your own pattern. However, last year a friend of a very long time spent a lot of time quizzing me about free camping and made sure they had all the gear to do so and after 8mths on the road and one lap later had not spent one night out of a caravan park so as I say you will develop your own style. Since our major trip we have spent about 50% of our time on the road and our travel habits are such that we predominately free camp I guess this is partly due to the exorbitant cost of caravan parks and being a pensioner. You will probably find that if you are working you will need the convenience of caravan parks but I suggest as soon as you collect your van do some short trips and experience all the types of accommodation mentioned in the posts above and once again talk to people on the track. Regards Tony
griffo and kezz said
06:00 PM Mar 28, 2017
hi tony we will be heading north cheers if it gets to wet we will go west we would like to do the tip about September or earlier depending on the wet season so we may have some months to to travel and kill time on the road then who knows
wendyv said
07:50 PM Mar 28, 2017
If you can put up with heat/humidity/rain, there is sometimes work to be had caretaking or giving managers time off - in tourism places that are busy in the winter months. May be worth sussing out, as you go to places as tourists in the busy times.
House sitting may be another option to see you over that crazy summer holiday period. Some Darwin people look for sitters, so they can spend the holidays down south, for example.
Otherwise, as others have said, look to go inland. But scenic places near inland water are as busy as the coast! We spent one summer on the road, around Toowoomba/Stanthorpe. One around places like Ballarat, Bendigo, Hamilton in Vic. Another summer was spent in Tasmania, but that's pretty busy too, these days.
hi to all we are new to this site and this topic has probable been discussed before we plan to head off feb 2018 for our first trip around ozz we have just bought our first van nextgen 15 ft off road we pick it up in mid april this year so were pretty exited.one of the things that keeps popping up in my head is were do you go in peak seasons ?do you prebook in a van park is there any quite free camp sites, does anyone know of any national parks that don't get to full ect.we plan do go anti clock wise from Brisbane around feb 2018 head up the coast and wing it if we can for as long as we can min 12 mths maybe longer and work a bit along the way im a carpenter and can fix most things and kezz can work for bunnings around Australia so we should be able to go indefinitely if all goes well cheers griffo.
-- Edited by griffo and kezz on Tuesday 21st of February 2017 05:01:34 PM
-- Edited by griffo and kezz on Tuesday 21st of February 2017 05:03:09 PM
Hello griffo and kez, a very warm welcome. We mainly stay in showgrounds or free camp. There is a book called camps 9 from the publisher 07 54491475. Sunshine coast qld i think. This newest one has just been released and i was told u can buy camps 8 for $20 off them. Also an app wiki camps about $7. Some recreation grounds also. Good luck. Safe travels.
thanks rocket we intend to buy camps nine and the wiki camps app ive read they are priceless imfo for travelers how long can you stay in most showgrounds around ozz and do you book first ?also wats the general rule for safety in free camps ex;what to look out for if your not sure of the area may sound dumb but i have my wife to think of as well as my own safety and holidays seems to bring out the wankers if you know what i mean .
-- Edited by griffo and kezz on Tuesday 21st of February 2017 06:18:28 PM
During Christmas/January & even more at Easter it's almost impossible to find a bit of peace & quiet while camping in any style, paid or free. It's peak time for kids & their working class parents to enjoy some camping which is fair enough.
Helps the blood pressure stay normal.
We stay at home during these periods avoiding drunks, boguns, loudmouths, hoons, ankle bitters, jet skis, trail bikes etc.etc.
Have to agree with DD on this one, would also add school holiday periods, they vary from state to state.
We also avoid traveling on long week ends, or days either side.
Are the kids and their parents that bad ?
Nah not that bad, bloody worse sometimes !
After 5 years full time on the road believe me we've seen the worst first hand, we've given up full time travel now, but in peak periods we used to head inland to small country towns, away from the maddening crowds - almost ! even then it back fires and you get the odd morons roll up.
Heading inland is usually a good idea. For example we were travelling around the southern half of WA during the last October school holidays and spent the 2 weeks away from the coast, travelling through the smaller wheatbelt and goldfield towns and they weren't at all crowded, even with a beautiful wildflower season still in full bloom in those areas. After the school holidays we headed towards the coastal towns. Even in the summer school holidays smaller inland country towns usually have plenty of space as they don't appeal so much to families, but they often offer a lot to see if you are willing to spend the time to discover it. We very rarely book anywhere in advance, though you may want to keep an eye on when long weekends occur in any spots not too far from high population areas, and maybe book for those if you can't be elsewhere.
-- Edited by Meredith on Wednesday 22nd of February 2017 01:45:43 AM
G'day mate
As others have said - peak seasons = school holidays = high [rip-off] costs & lots of CP customers on their holidays. We stay far away from coastal CPs during these times, but by going 1-hour's drive inland from the coast, there are heaps of beaut places to stay without costing you the earth
As to "12 months" ... you will need that just to see all of WA, never mind the rest of this great backyard :)
Hope this helps
Phil
In busy times you keep away form anywhere where there is water that you can swim or fish in or water-ski. Also keep away from large and capital cities. That means go inland but keep away from the major rivers and lakes
-- Edited by PeterD on Wednesday 22nd of February 2017 12:01:50 PM
That's good advice, but unfortunately it's the hottest period of the year to go inland.
That's why everyone else flocks to any available water enjoyment venues.
It can be bloody hot, dry & dust just to enjoy a bit of peace & quiet.
Best to stay at home in a relaxing haven away from the madness.
We try to avoid school and public holidays that's when we stay put and enjoy things around home,in hot wheather we're on the coast in caravan parks ,in winter we always free camp love the atmosphere of an open fire, yep winters the time to go bush,summer the time to get near the ocean and fish that usually means caravan parks and that's fine when your running out of time not money
hi tony we will be heading north cheers if it gets to wet we will go west we would like to do the tip about September or earlier depending on the wet season so we may have some months to to travel and kill time on the road then who knows
House sitting may be another option to see you over that crazy summer holiday period. Some Darwin people look for sitters, so they can spend the holidays down south, for example.
Otherwise, as others have said, look to go inland. But scenic places near inland water are as busy as the coast! We spent one summer on the road, around Toowoomba/Stanthorpe. One around places like Ballarat, Bendigo, Hamilton in Vic. Another summer was spent in Tasmania, but that's pretty busy too, these days.