Two types of free campers.

Jamjar · Senior Member

RE: Two types of free campers.

Aus-Kiwi · Guru

i stay over night , camp or park on sunset .. Especially on beach park area.. Then move by 8am .. I find it safer to stop InTown or out on the highway . Usually in some truck stop or works gravel area.. NEVER. Leave any rubbish and if there's some around I clean it up..
As I know some anti nomad nark would love to complain.. Some people can't stand other people enjoying life !
Truck stops on the Hume ? We learnt very quick not to park close to amenities as you get traffic all night .. There's usually plenty of room to park away .. Most are considerate noise wise ..

Ozzie_Traveller · Senior Member

G'day all

As others have said above, there are two issues - outback & urban. Outback is great, it's quiet etc etc and collectively, we love it all the time

One of the biggest "problems" as I see it is the lack of options within towns as it is a caravan park "or else" ... with the 'else' being whatever you can find and however convenient / inconvenient it may be

NB: all through Europe, towns make available sites for self-contained motorhomes to stay a night. Most are free, some have a small cost, and the site has a petrol-bowser type of thing that provides fresh water, a dump 'slot' for the cassette, and power if needed. The towns install these sites knowing it will bring travellers into the town, and keep the shopkeepers happy. Bit different from here, eh!!

One way I see to overcome this is for town councils to start to make altenate locations available to travellers, with a PAYG / parking meter system
There are plenty of places in most towns - the rec reserve, showgrounds, lightly used sporting fields which have a 'basic' toilet block on-site

Imagine what it would be like to have a wiki-camps-like smart-fone list of these locations, where you could rock up, pay your parking fee of say, $10, and park for the night

If you need the full-monty ... then a caravan park is available. If you're happy to use your own toilet & shower [ie self-contained] then use the parking meter and just stay a while - in both cases you'll be moving on after brekky next day

Phil

brickies · Guru

A former Prime Minster once said there is no such thing has a free feed , Well it's same with free camping someone is paying to provide it , And some people think has long has it not them that's good

03_Troopy · Guru

brickies wrote:
A former Prime Minster once said there is no such thing has a free feed , Well it's same with free camping someone is paying to provide it , And some people think has long has it not them that's good

Who is paying for it if you camp out in the scrub? no facilities at all for anyone to have to upkeep. You take out everything you take in, leave no rubbish around, No-one even knows you have been there.

brickies · Guru

Nobody, But if you want more than that someone has to pay , The ratepayer

03_Troopy · Guru

brickies wrote:
Nobody, But if you want more than that someone has to pay , The ratepayer

Ah brickies, you're starting to see the difference, good stuff wink

PeterD · Guru

brickies wrote:
Nobody, But if you want more than that someone has to pay , The ratepayer

The expenses may come out of council funds. However in all but the largest cities the free campers contribute to the council revenue. If you provide free camping and allow more then one night stays then the free campers spend money in town. Spending money in town boosts the income of the traders and in turn keeps a viable shopping centre, this in turn boosts the real estate UCV and this in turn boosts the rates collected from the traders.

Examples of what free campers contribute to towns can be seen at Home Hill. Since they permitted two night stays in the back street two businesses that were in the throws of closing have remained open and two new ones had opened when we were there a few years ago. This year I noticed that the shops looked a little more prosperous and a fair size IGA had opened. Not bad for a town that was dying.

Longreach has a large free camp that holds up to 80 or more vans. Whilst we were on a river cruise there the guides were saying that the campers arranged for all their purchase dockets to be collected for a period. They were saying that the purchases in town amounted to around $15,000 for a week. Not bas for cleaning a couple of dunnies and collecting the garbage.

This last one may be out of the ordinary but it shows what can be achieved by welcoming free campers. There are other towns in Qld where the free campers have been organised into cleaning up the sports grounds. This has rejuvenated the towns a little and uplifted the locals.

We travellers on limited budgets only have limited funds to part with. If places don't allow short term free camping we don't stop. If we do stay we have a choice of parting with our money to parks or the other businesses. I suggest that the health of the town is boosted more when we spend our money with the small traders than in the one business charging us through the nose for camping.

Bruce and Bev · Guru

we're doing a farm stay in the Wheatbelt are of WA. Last weekend we visited a large town - Narrogin. One street back from the main drag was a motorhome with steps out, sullage hose in gutter......no wonder the local shires get wound up. Couldn't they have gone a little out of town. WA has a heap of roadside rest areas and looking at the Narrogin area - there are 4 on wikicamps that they could have stayed at. Looks like they hadn't just stopped for a rest or lunch !!

Free camping in the towns or cities is what gets us a bad name

brickies · Guru

Bruce you are spot on , I never free camp in a town there are plenty of free camps not far out of town , Which give easy access to town to spend the day in and move out to a free camp , If I want to stay in town that's when I pay to stop in a caravan park . You still have a choice .

KFT · Guru

brickies wrote:
Bruce you are spot on , I never free camp in a town there are plenty of free camps not far out of town , Which give easy access to town to spend the day in and move out to a free camp , If I want to stay in town that's when I pay to stop in a caravan park . You still have a choice .

Agree with both of you. We do the same and have never had an issue in over 15 years.

I only hope we continue to have a choice. We are doing our bit to help that along but some people are their own worst enemy.

Santa · Guru

Thanks to all who have taken the time to reply, the responses have certainly provided an insight into the attitudes of those of us who choose to free camp. smile

brickies · Guru

Santa the best thing about post, The poster stated their views without someone wanting to start a fight , Think this maybe a first hope it stays that way on all post , We all have different view and should be able to state them without trading insults .

Jamjar · Senior Member

Now ain't that the truth. As a new member I have been shocked at the nastiness on this site. It's bullying by a minority who think they know all. Take a look at my post on the 'techie' section. Someone mentioned heating a planter pot for warmth, I said I liked it - not that I'd do it - and what followed were posts saying what a bad idea it is, but not in a polite way. I take offence to their assumption that I am uneducated and unable to make my own mind up based on my store of knowledge and common sense. I feel sorry for the person who dared to suggest it. There will always be nasty know alls on forums and it is up to the moderator to remove posts before they get out of hand and not after days of abuse have occurred. I was going to remove my post which mentioned the plant pot, but couldn't see how to do it. J.

jetj · Guru

Maybe people were concerned for you and others who might think it safe. No one wants to hear of deaths from carbon monoxide. My local fire brigade had to attend after people heated a shipping container and died.

I hope they meant well, I didn't read the thread.

-- Edited by jetj on Wednesday 28th of October 2015 04:09:22 PM

03_Troopy · Guru

jetj wrote:
Maybe people were concerned for you and others who might think it safe. No one wants to hear of deaths from carbon monoxide. My local fire brigade had to attend after people heated a shipping container and died.
I hope they meant well, I didn't read the thread.

-- Edited by jetj on Wednesday 28th of October 2015 04:09:22 PM

Apparently neither did a lot of others who were saying what a bad idea it was. The poster of that suggestion distinctly said to heat the pot for a while, then turn the stove off.

jetj · Guru

Thanks Troopy for setting me right, but I would not even cook in a small area for a short time without lots of ventilation. Just my opinion and I'm not disagreeing with anything or anybody. I cook outside.

-- Edited by jetj on Wednesday 28th of October 2015 06:06:32 PM

mjt57 · Senior Member

Desert Dweller wrote:
we did do a quick shop, water top

This has prompted me to ask - where do you fill your water tanks?

Aus-Kiwi · Guru

Stopping in towns for lunch is not an issue .. Well? I don't think it is... I don't off load m/t grey water though.. Stopping for lunch etc isn't free camping .. It's just parking like any one else.. Just because we have a van or motor home doesn't make it any different ..
As long as size and time parked isn't breaking any rules or law.. Sporting, sales yards and recreation grounds is were we stay.. Most these places finish work around 5p.m .. We make sure we don't park in an area blocking driveways etc , as far as we can out of the way.. Leave or move early .. I ask at information centres for drop off points .. There's often places nearby were you can stay.. Top up with water too .. Just check or ask about water quality .. The information centres I HAVE found to be GREAT.. Follow their instruction .. They seem very happy..

jules47 · The Happy Helper

We prefer to free camp, or very low cost camp. We have a motorhome, and tow a small car, which allows us to camp up, and still go to town if we need, or to sightsee the areas. While in WA we have found farm stays are a terrific idea, farmers usually have lots of room, and the owner of the farm (dairy) is a great bloke, loves a chat, his young son comes to visit. The best thing is, we feel safe leaving the motorhome while we tour the area.

If we are in a free camp, and want to go out, we ask friendly neighbours to keep an eye out for us, and of course, return the favour.

We are near Busselton, and the shire here have provided a dump point with water, as well as a fresh water tap, and rubbish bins. All in the same area, a driveway off a street, near the showground. They have the dump point and the water taps locked up, pretty securely, and you have to get a code number from the visitors info centre.
Great idea, hoses don't get stolen, nor the dump point damaged.

Radar · Guru

I like to know where I fit in if there is 2 types of free campers.

I like nothing better to park for a few days by a river with basically no amenities.

Stop overnight in a roadside rest area or a gravel pit out of town come late afternoon gone shortly after sun up. Not a truck parking bay.

Stay in a showground for the ease of parking the van almost anywhere with the basic shower and toilet maybe power and allowed to top the water up. Had some great experiences.

Then when I like a town or place a caravan park, one that suits my budget, is clean and not to quishie when there is not an alternative for few days rest.

We very rarely book accommodations ahead on our wanderings, go where the breeze takes us.

This is all governed by how much money we have to spend on our tour, can not say holidays as retirees we don't get holidays. We don't have endles amounts of money but we are prepared to stay home and save our money for next tour.

The arguments that we can not afford this and that I feel don't come into it as you only do what you can afford to pay for, I believe you pay in some way for everything you do, we worked to earn and save our money to do things in life, I was lucky I got this far with good health but for the most my days were very long and in the end a little rewarding.

So I ask which camper are we. Radar.

jetj · Guru

You do your own thing as do I. I don't need to conform to anyone else's idea of a free camper, we all have differing needs, budgets and ideals.

-- Edited by jetj on Thursday 29th of October 2015 11:26:04 AM

HiAce98 · Veteran Member

I've even parked behind the airport in Brisbane overnight when I needed to be there early, free security too. LOL
But I don't expect to spend more than overnight in a city or even a small town for free. "Freedom camping" implies to me that you are spending time at a place you want to be for recreational reasons, and for me that place would never be in a city anyway. If all you need is 8hours kip then I see nothing wrong with parking just about anywhere. What about the "Tired drivers die" campaign? If I want to sit under the annexe with a coldie and a book I "get outta town"