On a number of occasions, I have mentioned that, in 1960, at 17 years old, I started travelling our beautiful island. It was all because I was being paid, as a truckie, and many years later as a coach captain. The Birdsville, Tanami, Strezleckie and Warburton tracks were just that, tracks. The Gibb River road, Hollander Track and the Cape York road etc, were still somewhat of a challenge for a first timer. To get to the point. Be it on any highway, byway or track/road throughout this country, there is the constant dropping of toilet paper. "Desert Carnations", "Bush Daisies" etc. At the risk of my becoming 2 stone lighter, in many cases, it's the ladies, who bob down for a quick pee, finish the paperwork, and just drop it on the ground. OK, so it's a lot easier for us blokes. All we gotta do is is belt ones "appenage" against the nearest tree, (!!??) and that's it. With "the other", all one has to do is carry a garden trowel, or shovel, for a small "burial service". If by chance, any GN knows "Macca" from ABC radio, or any other radio, TV personality, who might be able to contact, and possibly convince Kleenex, Sorbent or any other toilet tissue manufacturers, to produce the tissue in brown, green, or even camoflarge, (that's for the 4X' crowd.) Seriously, as coach captain, for over 20 years, the vastness of this country I used to drive fasinated the passengers, particularly those from overseas, but so bloody often, there, right on the edge of any road/track was used toilet tissue. So often, stopping at a point of particular photographic interest, there was always evidence of some one, or three leaving a filthy mess on the ground. Fair Dinkum, I just don't understand it.
Totally Agree!! I was taught as a young boy scout back in the UK ---50+ years ago how to take a crap in the Bush/woods/whatever.
I've since done the deed on mountains in deserts etc all over the world - doing it properly & respectfully
Humans aren't supposed to act like animals (even dogs have a dirt kicking instinct) but the blowing dirty paper is the worst.
It doesn't need that much planning either we all know we'll do it about once a day on average!!
I am particularly annoyed by the camper van hire companies catering to all the van packers.
Two years ago I hired a camper van on my return back to Oz to help me search for my rig. I tried to order a van with a portapotti but no Dice.
I could get extra chairs, tables, surfboard, or even wetsuit, but no dunny, unless I hired a big motorhome. Finally one company offered me one for an extra $88 per fortnight. Long story short I bought one for $60 and sold it after I bought my big rig.
Lots of Tourist blurb free with the hire but no hints AT ALL on Bush crapping etiquette.
Last year I saw a van drive off next to a lake in NSW with a steaming pile on the camping lawn --20 metres from a Dump point and 30 metres from a toilet, - if I had realised & caught them quicker, I might be in jail now!!
It would be very easy for hire companies to a add a garden trowel and laminated instruction for Aussie crapping - e.g/ depth of hole/burning of paper etc - a fair few Utube pics on this too.
And the hire companies are cleaning up & sending lots of clueless European van packers( & others) to free camps which end up closing due to the "Bush Daisies"
But I'm not so sure about camouflaged Dunny paper!!! - I'd like to know where it is to avoid it!!
Unthinking crappers need their noses or van windscreens/door handles rubbed in it if you catch them!! That's my 2 cents worth.
In WA, because its so dry and hot, toilet paper doesn't disintegrate when dumped on the roadside. Instead it blows in the wind and rips on the bushes and ends up looking like snow.
We call it tourist snow !!
On the main coast road north from SW to NW WA - all the areas near rest areas or pull over areas is covered in tourist snow.
Not a pretty sight !!
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Cheers Bruce
The amazing things you see when nomading Australia
I have vivid memories of when I drove interstate trucks during the lat 70's to the early 90's the alarming amount of "Kimbies" just discarded in parking bays and along the edge of the roads on most highways and main roads throughout our beautiful country.
The people that just pull up on the side of a road or in a parking bay and changed their baby's nappy became a real problem when these disposable nappies became available during the 80's.
In earlier days the nappies were cloth/towelling fabric and parents could not afford to just throw them away.
Parents carried them in buckets with lids and washed them for re use as soon as they could.
Throwing and discarding paper, disposable nappies and other sanitary items on the side of the road or in camping areas in roadside stops or national park camps or anywhere for that matter amounts to nothing more than sheer laziness.
Unfortunately disposable means just that to newer generations (only speaking generally) but it is their country that they are littering and I do wonder with the example that some set for their children just where this will all stop.
Rant over:)
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"Seek the truth or bury you head in the sand, both require some digging"
Any litter is just plain disgusting and it just sends rage through my mind seeing so much of it out on the roads we travel.
One such over boil was on the Mereenie Loop, we stopped for some photos of the wild flowers and there it was on the side of the road just in the grass
a bloody McDonalds milk shake container. Of all places hundreds of miles form a Maccas outlet!!
We took it with us and disposed of it at the counter at Mcdonalds Alice Springs with a note where it came from and left. I know it could have come from any of their joints
but I just wanted one to leave it with their thoughts.
I am a member of KABC in WA and have adopted a number of truck bays that I clean up at least once a month when I am not caravanning. I have found all sorts of rubbish from the regular cans and containers to dead cats and sex toys.
One of my main peeves is the "biodegradable" wipes that don't biodegrade. The users just leave them to blow around. At least tissue eventually breaks down.
This is a subject that really gets up my goat, why cant people have the most basic of respect and do this normal function neater and cleaner?
We went to a free camp at Baxter Camp, just west of Caiguna in WA. There was the usual mess BUT a proliferation of dunny paper all over the place. The irony here is that a toilet AND dump point are within walking distance of the campsites. Now I understand that some folks dont like dirty dunnies, but any port in a storm.
I was also in the Boy Scouts, first as a kid then a Scout Leader some time later, a small shovel and dunny roll were the most important camping kit to take.
Solution: when you see this mess try to clean it up. Sounds gross but if we want to keep our free camps some one has to do the right thing, dry dunny roll cant be that hard to pick up with a pointed stick or arthritis pick up device. Burn it all in the campfire later. If we all did 10 mins each at the campsites there would be minimal mess as I see it.
So folks, my "bottom" line is WE clean it up because I dont see the problem going away. WE are the ones responsible to keep the places clean unfortunately, a 10 minute clean up should be part of setup procedure. I guess we clean up after these pigs. Rant over
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Ex RAAF, now retired. EX Electrician/Teacher.
Homebase is Murray Bridge Tourist Park (in a cabin). New Horse.. 2020 Ford Everest Titanium, Jayco swan for touring.
On a number of occasions, I have mentioned that, in 1960, at 17 years old, I started travelling our beautiful island. It was all because I was being paid, as a truckie, and many years later as a coach captain. The Birdsville, Tanami, Strezleckie and Warburton tracks were just that, tracks. The Gibb River road, Hollander Track and the Cape York road etc, were still somewhat of a challenge for a first timer. To get to the point. Be it on any highway, byway or track/road throughout this country, there is the constant dropping of toilet paper. "Desert Carnations", "Bush Daisies" etc. At the risk of my becoming 2 stone lighter, in many cases, it's the ladies, who bob down for a quick pee, finish the paperwork, and just drop it on the ground. OK, so it's a lot easier for us blokes. All we gotta do is is belt ones "appenage" against the nearest tree, (!!??) and that's it. With "the other", all one has to do is carry a garden trowel, or shovel, for a small "burial service". If by chance, any GN knows "Macca" from ABC radio, or any other radio, TV personality, who might be able to contact, and possibly convince Kleenex, Sorbent or any other toilet tissue manufacturers, to produce the tissue in brown, green, or even camoflarge, (that's for the 4X' crowd.) Seriously, as coach captain, for over 20 years, the vastness of this country I used to drive fasinated the passengers, particularly those from overseas, but so bloody often, there, right on the edge of any road/track was used toilet tissue. So often, stopping at a point of particular photographic interest, there was always evidence of some one, or three leaving a filthy mess on the ground. Fair Dinkum, I just don't understand it.
Regards.
Pipes
Sorry Pipes it is not the females peeing in the grass, it is the foreign back packers who don't have free camping facilities, or even consider digging a hole for the rest of the job.
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Pay it forward - what goes around comes around
DUNMOWIN is no longer on the road and still DUNMOWIN!
