Gday...

Ron, I am open to be corrected.....BUT ..... I very much doubt "all the new models" of caravan are 'grey-water tank equipped'. 

Some maybe ... but not all. 

When you see rest areas such as this used as "free camps" ... night after night after night ... then you can understand why communities are following the CMCA line of "Leave no Trace" and restrict the areas to "self-contained only" accordingly.

Ultimately, the need for these restrictions/limitations by councils and communities suffering this annual, and increasing, inundation is understandable.

Hopefully, the places I travel to, and camp in, will continue to not be as popular to the GN throng ... and I can enjoy "my style" of camping - in tranquil, relaxing and unrestricted camping areas.

Cheers - John

Gday...

You are quite correct hako. That is the exact problem.

Despite what the good folk on this forum, and other fora like this one, think, there are still many who may be "self-contained" regarding grey and black water, but definitely don't "leave no trace". 

The way too many leave the rest areas they "camp" at, makes one shake one's melon. 

Cheers - John

Hi Ron D,

Those that you feel, what to tear you apart. Are just bored,IMO with nothing better to do with their key pad.

Self contained is , in most new Rv's are an extra cost. We paid to go this way for the long haul and take advantage of a few less low cost council options.

If our tank fills to the limit, I can drain off an extra 20lts at a time, and dispose of in a proper manner.

I can't see why those who have a pota poti, plus one or two 20lt drums Eg: The type that pool colrine comes in, can't be used. And disposed of in the same way at the next drop point.

If  its contained. Its Contained. How a council is going to govern this, is up in the clouds.

Regards Jim & Lambie

Ron-D wrote:

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Yeah Jim The shower tent and the porta potty are thing of the past for us as well ,last year I bought a new Nova caravan,with two 80 liter tanks. 

No grey water as my ATM is on the limit . We carry drums to take care of this but who knows maybe this won't be good enough for some people (well they can go to hell  ) 

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Hi Ron D,

I would take the Councils on. IF. They issued an infringement and you were showen, to be doing the right thing.(Take a Photo for the point at hand) Where one has contained their grey /black water into a lockable container.

Where does it start and stop. If we were to knock over a half a can of golden necktor and a few mm hit the earth. 

Hello everyone
I have no axes to grind, for or against being self contained.
I have previously travelled in an old (no inbuilt grey water tank) caravan, and now have a second hand, self contained motorhome.

I fully agree with Peter n Margaret. Set out below are my own first hand observations.

My opinion (and I could be wrong), is that rules are made because there are normal people, and then there are people, who for whatever reason, do not do the right thing.

My first lap (2013/14) was towing an old caravan, without a grey water tank. But... I did have a bucket, funnel, and empty 15 litre water container.
I personally never stopped at any paid sites.
If I had been forced to stop at a self contained site, then I would have obeyed the rules, by having a basin bath, inside the caravan, instead of an outside shower in the pop up shower tent, with the grey water going into the water container.
My sink water would have also found its way into the water container, via the funnel and bucket.
As I was never in a self contained site, I distributed my grey water equally to nearby trees/bushes

At the Tamworth festival in January 2015, I spotted an old 21 seat bus type motorhome, with WA plates, in a bitumen car park, discharging shower water, (with plenty of soap bubbles) onto the bitumen. As another WA traveller, I was going to let them know that what they were doing was a NO, NO, (perhaps they had a broken pipe). By the time I had parked up, and walked back, an official (in khaki uniform), had got to them first. (I have no idea what the outcome was)

I have stopped at sites where I could plainly see that the travellers before me, had swept the floor of their vehicle, and left their rubbish, where it had fallen, on the ground, outside their door

In February 2014, I was camping at Beady Creek (near Glen Innes). The drop toilet smelled putrid. Other travellers told me that some undesirable, must have emptied their porta loo into it.
There was a dump point at Glen Innes, nine kilometres away.

In July 2015 I camped at West Peawah River and ditto as above. The nearest dump point, (if you did not have a shovel), would have been Port Hedland 92 kilometres away.

My interpretation of the free camping rules, are that when the local councils get fed up of cleaning up after us travellers, or when we stop spending in their towns, they will close their free sites, due to economic restraints.

Just as some of us travellers, can not afford the cost of a caravan park each night, and therefore give them a miss. Some councils, will not be able to afford to keep sending staff to clean up the free sites, if we keep abusing them.

I think that Peter n Margaret have said it much better than I could, therefore ditto to that

Its not that difficult or expensive to make an old van compliant with most councils requirements. My van is 20 years old was not built with a toilet and shower inbuilt no grey or black water retention tanks. I put my own in (no I'm not bragging I just cannot afford for someone else to do the job). It cost about $300.00.  I may not have the capacity to stay as long in some places as others can, but I can comply while I'm there. Therefore I too get very annoyed when I find others doing the wrong thing and, giving weak excuses for doing so.

Friar