I have just completed a trip in my Iveco Motorhome, taking 3 months, starting in Melbourne to Geelong, The Great Ocean Road to Taillem Bend and Adelaide. After Adelaide to Gawler, Renmark, Mildura and back to Melbourne then to Gippsland, covering Wilsons Promitory and the coastal route to Philip Island, then back to Melbourne.

This is not a story about all the wonderful places I visited, the fish I didnt catch or the great time I had, but about Motorhome facilities provided and lacking along my route.

Many of todays Motorhomes and Caravans are fully self contained. Apart from the usual refrigerator, TV, cooker, they are equipped with state of the art solar electrical systems, water tanks for fresh and grey water, toilet and shower, just to name a few. These RVs are suitable for free camping, and most owners want to free camp. Many City and Town Councils do not provide these facilities, and in some cases, have in the past but have shut them down. This is primarily the result of pressure on Councils by Caravan Parks, Motels and other accommodation houses.

The old style Caravan Park has outlived its original objective, and many operators have recognised this. For example, a lot of people travel today in private cars. Caravan Parks have built Cabins to cater for this market. Some cater for families and have constructed swimming pools, BBQs and other facilities to entertain both adults and children.  But Ive yet to see a commercial park cater for fully self contained Motorhomes and Caravans, and at a reasonable rate. There are some exceptions, Hobart Showgrounds, Tasmania for one, and Im sure there are many more. Several towns open up their Showgrounds to RVs. State Governments have built roadside stops which can be used for overnight parking. These are for use for what we call ourselves, The Grey Nomads.

My first stop on arrival at a town is the Information Centre. The big yellow I on a blue background. My first question is Do you have any free camping areas ?  If the answer is NO, I dont ask any more. I usually leave town after a quick look around. I see no point in buying fuel, groceries or just spending money in a town that does not provide me with any facilities. I make this known to the usually very friendly people you find in these Centers.  If I really want to stay in a town with no facilities, I can always  find a place to bed down for the night. Ive stayed in shopping center carparks, in suburban streets, new housing subdivisions, truck stops, showgrounds, football grounds, beach side parks with the ominous No Camping signs, anywhere that looks safe.

Because free camping areas may not be available in a Town, I wont be forced to stay at a Caravan Park. I do stay in Parks, usually once a week. I use this facility for my benefit to do washing and put a top up charge in the deep cycle house batteries. I usually free camp, then next morning check into a Caravan Park early so I can start the washing and any other work needed on my RV early in the day. I wont stay in a Park where the cost of a powered site exceeds $25.00 a nite. Many Parks I have stayed in have been empty of customers, so sometimes you can negotiate a lower rate. $20.00 for a powered site is common in small town Parks.Many Caravan Parks today are a rip off. An airconditioned Motorhome, using aircon and some electrical appliances over a 12 hour period would consume approx. $3.00 in power. Some Park owners work along the lines of increasing prices when they have few or no customers. As mentioned, I will not pay more than $25.00 a nite. My frequency of use of a Caravan Park is one night in seven.

A big problem with towns not providing RV facilities is finding water to upload and dump points. Water taps can be found in a variety of locations, town parks, showgrounds, sports fields etc. Some taps have no top, meaning you cant turn the water on.  You can buy a fitting at most major hardware stores  that fit all tap tops, so your problem is solved.  A 15 meter good quality hose is an essential. Dump points, now becoming a more familiar site around the country, are not always there when you want one. If there is no Dump Point, I use a public toilet to empty the black water. I see no reason why a sewerage system cannot be used for this purpose, as long as you keep the area clean and hose it down after dumping.I should mention that the dumping of black waste in public toilets is only carried out as a last resort and I only dump in toilets with a sewerage system, never Septic. Having completed an electrical apprenticeship in my youth, and having a comprehensive knowledge of several building trades including plumbing, I can tell the difference between public toilet systems, septic or sewerage. I spoke with a plumber friend this morning, and he confirmed my contention that dumping black water in a sewerage system does no harm. There is no magic about a dump point connected to a sewerage system to break down any chemicals. However an occasional dumping into a septic system should not present any major problem as the chemical content is only 50 ml in a container of 20 liters. But a constant dumping into a septic system will cause a build up of chemical that will eventually kill the working bacteria in a septic tank and the system will become inoperable.

I have free camped in Melbourne.  At Port Melbourne, where the ship, Spirit of Tasmania leaves every night at 7.00 p.m. for Devonport. Metered parking at $4.00 an hour is available, but if you proceed along  Beach Street (Esplanade)  to Beach Hotel, on the opposite side of the road, paid parking  hours are 8.00 am. to 6.00 pm. That means you can park free between 6.00 p.m. and 8.00 am. On most of the freeways in and out of Melbourne you find Service Centers, which are basically truck stops. These have a Petrol Station, McDonalds or other fast food stores. At the rear of the property is usually a huge parking area for trucks and their drivers to rest. No one will bother you there !!

Finally Ill briefly give you some excellent areas to free camp that I found along the route,  together with areas to avoid due to lack of facilities for self contained RVs.  Geelong there are no facilities. The Great Ocean Road has few free parking areas but these are mainly in forestry areas and have no facilities.  About 10 km before reaching Torquay, take a right at the roundabout.  Approx. half kilometre on the right is Mt. Duneed Public Hall.  This is suitable for overnight stay. It has water and toilets. After the town of Lorne is a turnoff to Johanna Beach. Large free camping area on the beach with toilets and no other facilities. A lot of RVs and campers were staying there.  Approx. 8 km west of Port Campbell is a large sealed parking area for persons walking to the beach. Two other vans stayed in this carpark the same night.

At Warrnambool, you can get a powered site at the Showgrounds for $25.00, but I paid only $20.00. There is a Dump Point at the Showgrounds. Tailem Bend has a good free camping area which youll find at the intersection of two highways, south of town on the river. Enter from Princes Hwy.  Adelaide has no facilities, so I by passed this City. At the Information Centre at Gawler, I was told the Council do not like to see Motorhomes in their town. I was somewhat taken back by this statement, but not wanting to disappoint them, I moved on. I then left the main highway to Renmark, taking a secondary road, coming to the small town of Sedan. A lot of historical houses and buildings in this small town. Overnight stop at the rear of Sedan Hotel. Powered sites $5.00. Unpowered free. Why so cheap, the Publicans, Dave and Sue Pinnington,  will be happy if you have a few drinks in their very friendly bar and partake of a very hearty and delicious meal or counter lunch. I stayed 2 nites, and thoroughly recommend this stopover to members.

River crossings in South Australia have no bridges, just a vehicular ferry. Youll find one at Swan Reach. Before crossing the river is a very popular free camping area on the banks of the Murray. (Recommended) Moving on to Berri I found Martins Bend free camping area. Situated on the Murray, this camp ground is free. Stop and register with the Caretaker on entry. It has toilets and dump point with potable water not far away. This is one of the most impressive camps I have stayed at. (Highly recommended).

Moving on to Renmark, nothing for me there but across the river is the small town of Paringa. Good Caravan Park with Dump Point. $25.00 for a powered site. At Mildura, ask the Information Centre for directions to Kings Billabong. About 10 km out of town, situated on the Murray, another very popular free camp, but no facilities. (Recommended)  There is water and a Dump Point at the Council offices in the City.

The journey to Bendigo was unremarkable. At Bendigo, powered sites at the showground are available for $25.00 a night.

Areas of Gippsland are totally lacking in RV facilities. One of these areas is under the control of  Bass Coast Shire Council and includes Philip Island. This Council does not have poor facilities, it has no facilities. The exception is a small number of isolated camp sites in forestry areas. This Council seems to have an enormous budget to manufacture No Camping signs that are plastered around the Shire wherever there is a public park or parking area.

By contrast, Wellington Shire Council provides numerous facilities. At Port Albert a free overnight stop with Dump Point. On 90 mile beach, accessible from Sale, between Paradise Beach and the small town of Seaspray, there would be 20 free camp sites between the highway and beach. Some have toilets and rubbish collection. These are only two of several areas provided by this forward thinking and progressive Shire for RV travellers. At Seaspray, a large Caravan Park with Dump Point is P23.50 for a powered site. Travel throughout this Shire is highly recommended.

Finally, at Duck Point, out of the small village of Yanakie at the entrance to Wilsons Promitory,  is the waterfront Yanakie Caravan Park. Normal powered site rate is $25.00 but because business was slow during the cold and extremely wet weather, my friendly hosts, Tony and Mary gave me a special deal. I paid $20.00. (Recommended)

I trust my experience related here, although brief, will be of assistance to Members contemplating a journey along a similar route to the one I travelled on. If you dont want to use Caravan Parks, do your homework well.  If you want to take a chance, there are many places to stop overnight. In 2 years of travelling, only once have I had the dreaded knock on the door telling me to move on. I thought the occasion was amusing, but thats a story for another day