Finding safe free campsites

Every Campsite is safe, or every campsite is unsafe. It depends on your point of view.

We have free camped all over Australia and have never felt unsafe, but we have met people who have had terrifying experiences.

So are we just lucky or has it got something to do with how we select a campsite? It may also have something to do with our attitude to people.

So, treat the locals as you would like to be treated yourself, listen to first hand accounts from people who have experience in where you plan to travel and if concerned camp where there are others around.

I agree with Notso
I would add that you need to use a bit of common sense though.
If you drive through a town that has its businesses windows covered with security shutters, or surrounded by a high mesh security fences, the streets littered with broken down vehicles and there mangy dogs roaming the streets – then don’t free camp with free within 100ks of the place.

I usually make a point of camping out of eyesight of the road so as to not attract any unwanted attention

You've pretty much got it covered Glenn. Plenty of info on the web to get anyone started but this has to be tempered with comon sense and the knowledge that people with bad experiences are more likely to post than the reverse. So 'you' ask people for sensible comments on reliable forums, enquire from locals, and more often than not just bite the bullet. I've never enquired from the local constabulary simply because they have far too much else on their plates to be tourist guides as well, but I'd happily listen to their suggestions if the opportunity arose. Free camps close to population centres where yobbos are known to regularly congregate, eg Yalwal in NSW, are last resorts for me. We encountered some minor trouble there many years ago and from what I've read and heard it is considerably worse now. Depends on time of year and week that you visit of course.

Safety and ease of finding a free camp really depends on where you are and how you're travelling (single vehicle, multi-vehicle, or truck+caravan). Generally the more remote, the easier it is and the safer I feel. Overall, if you're looking for a short stay finding a free camp is not a big issue.

Tools that I use to find information about campsites is an app called Wikicamps. Has information and camper reviews about most campsites where people can "rate" the camp site.

When used in conjunction with the Tom Tom app, it gives very good directions to get to the campsites. I use an iPhone, but I believe that both wikicamps and Tom Tom apps are in android phones/tablets as well.

Just be aware, if the campsite is located more than 40 metres off the main roads, then you're probably on private property and still need permission to camp, even if its a campsite on these apps.

Cheers
Gary

The worst campsite I ever stayed at was in the Deuer River National Park, NSW. Unfortunately, a psychopathic feral also chose to stay there. Generator, fluorescent street lighting, power tools, loud (bad) music til 0200, and a very bad attitude.

Otherwise I have never felt unsafe. I always try to get several hundred meters off the track. Its good to have trees or topography between you and the passing traffic. You don't want passing vehicles to see the loom of your campfire, or the reflectors on your rig.

Hundreds of kilometers of country roads in NSW and Victoria are lined by fences, making getting well off the road very difficult. So I tend to put in the long strides to clear these states before thinking about stopping for the night.

Bob

There are lots of books on the market about free camping around Australia , Camps Australia Wide is one that is used by a lot of people and has a very large list of free camp sites...some with photos. We found that the cost of it could be recouped by just using 2 or 3 of the sites listed..cheers

There are many quite official campgrounds organised or supported by local councils. These are well publicised in publications like Camps Australia Wide and usually have quite a few campers in them. Any of these are "safe" but might be crowded.
Otherwise, once you are well out of a major town it is just a matter of finding a quiet place where you can pull right off the road without trespassing. Gravel pits are a good example. It is always a good idea to be well out of town so local hoons are not likely to use your camp site as a party scene - empty beer bottle, rubbish, toilet paper etc lying around give plenty of warning! The hoons seldom travel far to party!
Generally anywhere is safe enough. The worst you are likely to experience is loud noise and stupid drunks - and we have met them in caravan parks! We have never felt threatened or met anyone who has been really frightened for their safety while camping. I suspect caravans aren't very attractive targets - they are difficult to steal and people generally don't carry a lot of easily disposed of valuables in a van.
In our experience it is much more likely that the house you have left in the city could be burgled and trashed while you are safely camped out in the bush. Lynne

Many of the above posts have hit on the best advice - make sure you're beyond hoon driver distance from towns and, if you can, get out of sight of the main roads. And the more remote the parts of Äustralia, the more enjoyable and relaxing the camping - especially if you like to avoid the traffic volumes of places like the Bruce Hwy in Qld.
Heaps of printed and on-line sources of information, but by far the best is the casual chat with a fellow camper who can tell you about a great spot just up the road - we keep a notebook for these tips.

Check for VB cans.

Honky

With a name like 4wdadventureoz I thought you would have new it all! LOL

Just kidding, when I do the big loop I'll be bringing my friendly self defence mechanism, the shotty, bet that gets em buzzing!

After shows like wolf creek and wc2 to follow I'm getting paranoid!

People will scream but if no one bothers/taunts me in the middle of the night all is good.

Have a good holiday!

I like to look at these from a different perspective Glenn.

Safe doesn't mean just safe from other people , it could mean safe from being flooded or fire , in fact it usually means safe from things you aren't prepared for on first inspection.

No matter what the situation , being more flexible e.g. being able to pack up and move quickly increases the likelyhood that you will move on earlier if you suspect trouble.

I have many times seen people stay when they should have gone simply because it was to much trouble to break camp despite a loudmouth moving in next door.

For this reason we like to sleep in car and have a setup which truly means we can be "Outta there" in 5 minutes max.

Talk of violence and self defence is hardly helpful to the OP!
We have yet to see or hear any evidence that the Australian bush is full of maniacs driving vast distances in the hope of finding a lone caravanner to terrorise. Hollywood horror films are not a good guide!
You do need to be careful how you respond to those you meet out there. Our only slightly scary experience was going for a walk from our van after setting up in an apparently empty area of bush. As we walked we saw a man, apparently very drunk, shouting and waving at us - we wondered if he was threatening us for being near his camp. When we got closer we met an elderly bloke who was having trouble walking because of a very bad hip but he was still out there in his old rig and enjoying the bush. He just wanted to attract our attention to tell us that if we walked in another direction we would find a beautiful waterhole teeming with birdlife! It was a good thing we didn't shoot him! The waterhole was lovely too! Lynne

Hi all

Thanks for all the replies, all of them are extremely helpful. It is a very interesting topic and I am enjoying researching it.

Myself, I am generally never worried when exploring and free camping. We prefer the bush and more remote places than the normal travel routes. We drove to Darwin last year and were astounded by how full all the free camp sites were along the Stuart Highway, some as early as lunchtime.

We have never had any issues with anybody as generally anyone else we come across is in the same boat as us.

Cheers

My post was not entirely tongue in cheek as over the last couple of years there have been well documented reports of 1. an elderly couple pulled up for a cuppa at a lookout in the Blue Mountains area who were robbed by three men one of whom presented a handgun. 2. A couple stopped for a break at Bulahelah and were robbed of all their valuables by a couple of men. Another bloke stopped for a break near Port Macquarie was robbed. I am not saying that it happens frequently but once is once to often. There are a fair few desperates in this world, desperate for money for drugs, desperate for money for food plus a smattering of mentally unbalanced people whose motives are largely unexplainable but not excusable in my book. A couple of Grey Nomads to these people are a very, very easy mark for the simple reason that most are unable or unwilling to resist. I have been the intended victim of an armed robbery and I did not enjoy it at all despite getting the winners sash. All of my wifes and my material possessions are our M/h and the trailer with the Suzuki behind it. We worked damned hard to put it all together and if some person thinks that they can steal our property then I hope they had their weetbix that morning because it won't be easy for them. I can, unfortunately, only see these incidents increasing in number as more G N's take to the road. As long as I am able I will take whatever actions are necessary to protect me and mine. I do not live in the shadow of fear.

There sure are nutters around but you have far more chance of meeting one (or two or three) in your home in the suburbs than out in the bush.
Most of the DHs wouldn't know how to drive a car to go bush looking for easy targets, easier to get them in their homes in the 'burbs.

As to being safe if you have a gun, puleese, give me strength, that should make USA the safest place to live as everyone has a gun. Why are there hundreds of gun deaths every day?

Well I don't think it's like you would have your shotty leaning on the door of the van like you used to see in the movies, but if I'm camped out at an isolated area and I heard or saw a car or something creeping up at 2 in the morning I might just have it loaded and ready to go.

What's the alternative if that scenario happened, hide under the bed?