About 6 years ago I flew to Cairns to pick up a M/H ...
As it was late arvo I traveled about 40 k and saw a C/p and decided that I would stop overninght and suss out the new M/H.
I asked the manager if he had a spot where I could park the M/H No Power, No water, No toilets, No Shower just somewhere to park and exploer my new M/H......
$37.50 a night he said take it or leave it.. he said..
Well I said " Ya can shove ya C/P up ya *&^%$#" and left..
10k down the road I found a Sugar Cane loading pad and pulled in there for the night..
I tend to agree Bob. This trip we have stayed at a few CPs and paid the piper, I do like the free camps a lot better and so does my wallet, Where we are going next have few free camps close to town so SWITBO (she who is to be obeyed) likes a bit more luxury than most free camps can offer.
Thats a great record mate, I guess as a newby Im a little "chicken" to free camp all the way as well.
Cheers mate, I hope you are well.
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P B Crockart EX RAAF Electrician,
Aircraft Avionics tech. Senior high school teacher.
I tend to agree Bob. This trip we have stayed at a few CPs and paid the piper, I do like the free camps a lot better and so does my wallet, Where we are going next have few free camps close to town so SWITBO (she who is to be obeyed) likes a bit more luxury than most free camps can offer.
Thats a great record mate, I guess as a newby Im a little "chicken" to free camp all the way as well.
Cheers mate, I hope you are well.
Phil, The more you travel the more you will get used to pulling up along the way..
We find Wikicamps very helpful and only start looking for a camp when we are ready to pull up each day, we never plan our trip just travel along doing our own thing going in the general direction we want to go.
Mind you we are fully self contained and always have a few feeds in the fridge.
Its a mistake to brand all caravan parks alike, just as its a mistake to brand all "free" camps alike.
We've camped in some lovely C'P's, also some awful free-camps. After a couple of these yucky free-camps we decided not to stay in any more of them, but after a while we found another nicer one. By saying "never" you can miss some good experiences.
We have met some really great people in c/ps, some we have kept in contact with on a very regular bases. A wonderful lady we met in Albany 3 years ago has graciously opened her home to us in Perth for the foreseeable future, a truly wonderful person. Often run into people that we have met in c/ps. I have also met some truly wonderful people in free camps under the most stressing circumstances and they have all rallied around and helped in their own way. I don't think it matters if you are in a c/p or a free camp it is your own state of mind that makes it great or the alternative
As for the money side of it, I have a limited amount of resources and it goes somewhere.
cheers
blaze
We have done >200,000 km on the road and only 'free camped' once in 15 years
(That's 256 km/week John ... But we have also traveled through 15 countries in West Europe, British Isles, 5 cities of China plus Hong Kong, NE USA, SE Canada, Hawaii, NZ, Singapore etc .. but not in the Van ... Ha Ha!!).
I enjoy free camping but SWMBO does not.
We enjoyed our only overnight on the waterhole at Kynuna in 2000 with one other couple, who camped about 300m away so they could use their outside shower. Had breakfast around a campfire with a brolga wandering thru the camp & vapour rising off the waterhole. Magic.
We are all different I suppose.
Viva la difference.
The free camps would be rather (more) crowded if we all abandoned the CPs. So you free campers aught to encourage us not to change.
We just done about5mths & only stayed in three parks for a total of five nights, three night were to catch up with fellow GN members, two in Adelaide while we looked at new vans.
A couple of days at the Alice Springs show grounds, same at the Polo grounds in Darwin.
Give me the freebies any day, but some time we just have to bite the bullit, & it hurts.
JC
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Be your self; there's no body better qualified ! "I came into this world with nothing , I still have most of it"
We're long term travellers - the MH is now 12yrs old with a huge set of numbers on the clock
We are on the wallaby for about 250 days each year, and if we use a van park for one of those 250 nights, then that's enough for us But that's because we are fully self-contained - and not everyone on the road is
With solar panels feeding into large batteries, the MH is all 12volts so we don't need external power, all our fridge & heating & cooking etc is via gas - so we can get out there and do it by ourselves
Safety - the only time in 40-odd years where our overnighting has been interrupted has been in towns - by hoons who consider it funny to make a nuisance of themselves for 2-3 minutes before zooming off into the distance
If you're not used to free-camping, I invite you to 'find-a-friend' and give it a good try ~ once you've set yourself up with all you need etc etc
Phil
-- Edited by Ozzie_Traveller on Sunday 19th of October 2014 07:43:44 AM
But first a bit of history when we leave home the full, pantry full along with gass and water. We are good for say 3 days in a nice bush setting we run low on water, do we pray for rain to top our water back up or do we steel it from the locals in the next town.
After one such time when I ran low on water I asked before I filled my water tank whether the park owner where we stayed minded me topping my 80 litre up he said thank you for asking and yes it was OK but don't use that tape at your van use the one at shed it has a filter on it, it's my personal supply. The man went on to say that big vans come in here stay the night leave with 200 to 300 litres of water, not all but most he said you can pick them as they drive in the gate being cynical.
So where do we get our bulk Mount of water from? Ralph
If we all wanted the same spot there would be some real ding dong fights out here.
In caravan parks, there are some that suit some and some that don't, the same as camp sites.
When I had a partner we spent a fair amount of time in Caravan Parks and I hated it but she needed her comfort etc.
Since being single I spent two times in a caravan park, one with the Caravan Forum group and I think 4 hours and I was waiting to leave and the only time after that was again on a combined trip with others and again I got there as late as I could and was one of the first to leave in the morning.
What many consider a bush camp site I would run away from as there are too many together and camped to close together.
The first time I went into Greens Lake to camp with the GN's, I drove around and went straight out, there was too many people there. The last time I went there I was able to camp down the track a bit and was reasonably happy. Just me, but I like to sit outside and relax and watch nature not suburbia.
For me if I am on my own then that is nice by me where others would get panicky and move on.
If all the bush campers wanted CP sites then there would be no room for the weekend travelers in the parks and the rates would be over $100 a night in the off season as rates don't reflect costs they reflect the highest they can charge and fill x% of sites.
We all have different Rv's and set them up to suit our needs. A CP customer does not need any or much solar or batteries where the ones that solely bush camp (independent camping is better) have fairing amounts of both and tackle it different ways, some a little and use 12v and gas while others are all 240v but it is the same as long as you can live your life and are happy who cares what everyone else has or does.
We all have different styles, some drive from one attraction to the next while others meander around and some just look for a nice quiet spot on their own and stop till the water or food runs out or there is a desire to move on. Some travel in convoy and some on their own, The list of variations is immense.
The way parks are going more will have to become self sufficient and bush camp to see our country as the sites are diminishing and the rates are getting higher as well more permanents are being forced into the parks because of the housing shortage etc so again less spots for the traveling public / or higher rates and more restrictions.
As long as we are happy with our mode then enjoy.
Regards
brian
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11 Mtr house Boat based at Mannum hoping to travel up the Murray as far as I can get then drift back again
But first a bit of history when we leave home the full, pantry full along with gass and water. We are good for say 3 days in a nice bush setting we run low on water, do we pray for rain to top our water back up or do we steel it from the locals in the next town.
After one such time when I ran low on water I asked before I filled my water tank whether the park owner where we stayed minded me topping my 80 litre up he said thank you for asking and yes it was OK but don't use that tape at your van use the one at shed it has a filter on it, it's my personal supply. The man went on to say that big vans come in here stay the night leave with 200 to 300 litres of water, not all but most he said you can pick them as they drive in the gate being cynical.
So where do we get our bulk Mount of water from? Ralph
G'Day Ralph and the rest of the Happy Nomads,
We have the capacity to hold 300ltrs of water but seldom travel with full tanks, anytime we fuel up and need water I always ask if they would mind if I took a bit of water on as well when I am paying for my fuel ( usually over $200). I have never been refused water and more often than not they direct me to a better source of water than on the driveway.
I also carry a Whale pump for emergencies when I may need to get some water form a source that I can only get it in a bucket.
Also most places that have a CMCA dump point have a drinking water tap you can fill from.
Like Brian said above we are all different and enjoy our travels in different ways doing different things along the way.
We live on a farm at home so are used to our own company, we moved out of the city a long time ago as we dont like crowds. We are happy to pull up anywhere along the way and so long as we aren't hemmed in by others we are happy..
For us if we had to goto a C/P and get packed in like a tin of sardines we would sell our rig and stay home.
Don't get me wrong we love meeting new peeps and having a yarn but we just don't like being surrounded by people..
We only get away for short periods at a time as the farm and home come first, once it is sold things may be different..
Thank you for your reply, this is some what similar to us for the most we only get away for short periods at a time.
On this trip we are away a bit longer if I think we are going to stay somewhere without water supply I fill n extra 20 litres for emergencies.
We tend to go between low cost showgrounds/council c/p like the one we are at at the moment $20 a night, free washing machines, nice bargain, small town and very nice open parking.
Thank you for your reply, this is some what similar to us for the most we only get away for short periods at a time.
On this trip we are away a bit longer if I think we are going to stay somewhere without water supply I fill n extra 20 litres for emergencies.
We tend to go between low cost showgrounds/council c/p like the one we are at at the moment $20 a night, free washing machines, nice bargain, small town and very nice open parking.
