Gday...

OH well.  I guess my post providing the link to the document was invisible.

Cheers - John

Regarding the Non-Compliant Camping Toolkit

For anyone that's interested there's an online survey that's been launched today at https://surveyhero.com/c/cd9bc350
Its purpose is to collect data that may help to debunk the claims made by the CIAA in their so called Non-Compliant Camping Toolkit.

Additionally, there's also an on-line Petition on Change.Org calling for a Royal Commission into the Caravan and Tourist Park Industry
here's the link:

https://www.change.org/p/the-federal-government-of-australia-traveling-public-calls-for-royal-commission-into-caravan-tourist-park-industry?recruiter=52102952&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=copylink&utm_campaign=share_petition&utm_term=Search%3ESAP%3EAU%3EBrand%3EProper%3EExact

Anybody here that wants to preserve Low Cost camping in Australia is urged to participate in the survey,  sign the petition and distribute the above links to help get the word out there.

If we do nothing, then nothing will happen and Australia will see a rapid end to low cost/freedom camping.

Regards to all

Steve.

Santa wrote:

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All a bit of a storm in a tea cup as far as I'm concerned, never have been a user of low cost/free camps within city/town area's.

We love travelling the outback and will camp when and where appropriate, once we hit city/town limits, which isn't often, we are happy to conform and stay in van parks. ~~~SNIP

Santa

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Gday...

The above is my position as well. At the risk of sounding negative, I think that the establishment, and continued maintenance, of rest areas/car parks/patch of dirt within the boundaries of cities is going to be a disappearing amenity.

However, it is a laudable effort to attempt to have van parks provide 'limited facilities' and 'lower costs' to travellers who do not want the 'full bottle' amenity of a van park. 

I think a year or so ago a number of parks, of a particular chain, offered an area 'out the back' for $10/night with no power or water but access to loos and showers. I think most of them discontinued the offer after 12 months as very few patrons availed themselves of the offer. I have no idea of how, or if, they advertised it widely.

Having said that, even the survey agrees basically with my and Santa's idea of it all and states - 

Australia has a long and proud tradition of 'swagmen', men & women who traipsed across this wide brown land and camped at night on the roadside, along a riverbank, or on the outskirts of a town. (my emphasis) No doubt there were hoteliers of 100 years ago who looked at these travellers and would have preferred them to stay a while at their hostelry, and to encourage people to stay, the proprietor introduced 'blackboard specials' and discounted tariffs.  

That 'tradition' as described in the survey does not include sleeping in rest areas/carparks/patches of dirt WITHIN the confines of cities ... it clearly states "........on the outskirts of a town".

Regarding the CIAA survey, I find it extremely difficult for them to have any sort of success what they have detailed in the survey preamble -

The CIAA is actively persuing Councils to close ALL Free and Low Cost Camping sites and possibly those in National Parks and State Forests Australia wide.

Councils have no jurisdiction over National Parks or State Forests let alone the camping in those areas.

I wish them well, but can't find myself signing either petition.

Cheers - John

Not negative, simply not overly concerned.

As I explained most of our camping takes place in the outback, we don't camp in national parks or state forests.

I suspect a lot of the people who are worried about loss of camping area's seldom venture more than a couple of hundred kilometers from the city, if that's the case I can understand their concerns.