Member - lyndon K (SA) replied:

Yes, i find the same thing. I did my first trip of OZ when i was 22 in a Daihatsu Rocky in 92. We are about to head of for a year on the road at the ripe old age of 37 :).
Not looking forward to the crowds as i found it quite crowded in the bush 15 years ago.
I guess most young couples are busy with the mortgage and kids.
Cheers Lyndon

Kev M (NSW) replied:

Alan,

I've just cracked the big 30 and was told today that my service is being terminated from the ADF due to my back injury. So expect to see me and the clan on the road in the not to distant future.

Cheers Kev

Notso replied:

Have a loomk at the census data from the 2006 Census.

It tells a sad tale of decline in rural populations.

Site Link

Member -NIFFTY (WA) replied:

There all working on the mines! No rain but good money to found underground.
Niffty
Perth

Member - Wayne B (QLD) replied:

Alan,

Does it matter, when we are camping I enjoy all company regardless of age.

I agree the majority of people we meet and enjoy their company are the 55 + retired or close to retiring.

The blokes tend to wander over to the campfire on day 1 for a beer and chat, by day 2 the wife is in tow having a few chardy's . Day 3 they are offering to take the kids.

I enjoy their life experiences and now have many older friends. Perhaps the reality is with the cost of living at the moment prohibits most of those our age from chasing their dreams.

Wayne

Member - Kim M (VIC) replied:

Equinox

I now live in Melbourne, and a bit of an old fart compared to others. It would appear to me that many young people have little connection with the bush.

Australians use to have a very adventurous spirit. But for some reason, this has been lost within many sectors of the current young population.

Regards

Kim

ross replied:

Get real you bunch of old codgers. It taken most of you,most of your life to able to afford the extended trips and the time off.

Also I was in Yulara a few months back and there must have been thousands of kids doing the backpacker thing on buses and old cars.
My guess is they will back when they are older to redo these trips at a slower place and more off the beaten track.

Anyway most of you whinge about young people this and young people that ,and now your whinging there is none around:laughs:

Brian (VIC) replied:

Sadly I think it seems to come down to the cost of raising your family these days. I'm 37 and have just bought our first home so we are gunna be tied down for a few years with only short trips available with the budget. When my wife and I were in our early 20's we had a big dream to tour Oz in my beaten up Camira, which, suprisingly didn't not fail once on the time we did have on the road. By the time we made it to Perth from Melbourne 6 mths later we were expecting our first born and that kinda put an end to any travels for a while.
And yes, I agree that a lot of 20 somethings would rather be shopping or busting their butts in the career of their choice than getting out amongst it in the bush, but thats their choice to miss out. I for one, am going to continue doing what my folks did to me as a kid and subject my kids to endless trips through the back country (when the budget allows).
It does get in your blood, there's no denying it, and if you get the kids into the great outdoors from an early age they will certainly follow in your tracks later on down the track, if the want to or not at this point...
I am eternally in my parents debt for doing this to me and likewise for the missus.

Brian T
The occasional tourist.

Brian B (Brisbane) replied:

Hi Alan,

We see quite a few younger folk in some spots we get to but not everywhere.

From my own experience my two sons who are 25 and 23 and who are partners in their own electrical contracting business are so busy they don't get a chance to have a holiday at all.

Since I took my early retirement package I work for them now and they just don't stop.

I know they both want to have a break at times and trip around but that is just not a reality for them at present.

Still I like their work ethic and they will get a chance further down the track I am sure to get out and about a bit more. They have the interest but just not the chance to go as yet.

Member - JohnR (Vic)&Moses replied:

Alan you are talking about travellers I think, and Notso and Nifty are talking more about the people working there

Been around for the company I work for this week guys and I have seen quite a lot of younger people, twenties and thirties, lots older too of course. The dairy industry in Victoria has quite a lot but needs to generate more interest. It has been difficult with th elower prices of recent years and the drought too. Other industries are little different in Victoria. I will gauge that better perhaps when I go to talk to some grain cockies later in the month.

I think the oldies, baby boomers are the ones travelling and are obvious to us that there are plenty of cloned oldies out there.

There were a few younger ones with kids at Warraweena and that was good to see. It was pleasing to see the way that they were all able ot mix in and the usually noticeable generation gap wasn't so vivid. Keep looking anyway Alan.

Member - Davoe (Nullagine) replied:

duhh whats new
even more disturbing is the lack of women. Rural WA men outnumber the men by far
In he city they only outnumber us by 500
So many men have flooded into WA there is no room for women

Member - Peter H (WA) replied:

Hi All

I think kids in general are different than when we grew up. Im only 46 so around my era. I have 2 sons. The eldest (24) left here (Bunbury) about 6 yrs ago, did Uni and now only comes back for short stays. His idea of camping is at the Burswood Resort. My youngest (22) could not live in the city. He works in Ravensthorpe, Newman, Nifty and Woodie Woodie. He gets jumpy driving here when he is on his week off. He loves nothing more that him and his mates spending 3 or 4 days camped in tents in both summer and winter. He loves it. He says he is only working away until he buys a home and a 4wd. Not necessarily in that order lol. He is due home in a couple of days for 2 weeks stress leave. He was held up at knife point last Friday night inside the camp at Newman. But even this event has not put him off being there.
It's interesting you mention experience at 4wd'ing. Before he went up north he had to do a 4wd course. As he said best thing he could have done.

Peter

Member - Barnesy (SA) replied:

You obviously haven't been to Pt Hedland. Many young people (and young couples)here working in the mines and doing various contract work.

Could it be that you are getting on yourself and the activities that you choose to do are enjoyed by other oldies?

You obviously didn't go to the Marble Bar cup the other week either. More people under 35 than over. Many of them probably work on stations or mines, places that tourists and grey nomads don't go to.

Barnesy

thomasando replied:

I'm 24 and try to get out into the bush as often as I can - unfortunately having a mortgage can be prohibitive, and the nature of my work means that I don't often get to take holidays for as long as I would like. Believe me if I had the chance I'd be out there every day. Shopping? Cocktails? No thanks - give me a 4x4, a fridge full of beer and several weeks in the bush any day. It's rare with people my age though...

Scoey (QLD) replied:

I'm in my late 20's and I could think of nothing better than heading bush every chance I can. The thing is but, these days, it's often cheaper and requires far less hassle to head off overseas - and that's precisely where all my mates go! If you'r in your 50's or better then I'd only be assuming but 30 years ago it would've been much easier to pack up a fourby and head bush than to plan a holiday overseas!

My mates can jump online and in about 20mins, they have planned an itinerary, booked flights, transfers and accomodation for a weeks o/seas hoilday! If I was going bush for a week it would take me a lot longer than 20mins to organise!

Food for thought eh? ;-)

Cheers
Scoey!

Member - Matthew H (SA) replied:

Alan 'n' All,
You know, my wife and I found the same thing when travelled Oz in 2002. We did the "Big Loop" - including nearly 2 months alone in WA. I was 37 and my wife was 27. In some places we almost felt like "sideshow attractions" due to our age. I reckon we were at least 25 - 30 years younger than most of the people we came across. We met some great people who we continued to see in various places on our trip, often many weeks apart. The most common question we got asked was; "how can you afford to be doing a trip like this", or "are you retired already?"
Well, our answers were pretty standard ones; we saved our money like crazy for about 2 years beforehand (we were DINKS at the time). We managed to do the trip on a budget of $70 per day, and that included fuel, accomodation, food, and a few luxuries along the way too. Mind you, that was when the dearest place we saw diesel was $126.9 at Balladonia Roadhouse and the cheapest we bought was at Rockhampton at 74.9.
Retired? We wish! We left home in Adelaide with a mortgage and a car loan so they needed to be paid while we were away. I was in RAAF (still am) and I took 7 months off at half pay (which wasn't even enough to cover our borrowings) and the wife took leave without pay for that period. So it CAN be done! Once our 11 month old boy gets a bit bigger, we will find the time for another "loop" prior to his schooling - though we both know he will gain more life experience on the road with his parents.
Most dissapointing people we met, were a retired couple from VIC in a motorhome in a Perth caravan park (the one with the Park Nazi's who used to do regular "patrols" - if you have stayed there - you'll know the one), who proudly displayed their sticker " go motorhome - go first class"!. They even turned their chairs around and sat with their backs to us so to avoid talking to us. Apparently, because we were only in a C/T!
Must getting around to writing that book!

Cheers all, Matt

swampy66 replied:

I have found people camping inland are predominantly oldies.
We prefer to stay be the ocean - at least we can find other people our age. Ones who aren't traveling using the Camps 4 book.

Maybe - when we have seen all the coastline - we will venture to the outback.

cheers

disclaimer: I use the Camps 4 book for overnight stops. I was born in the outback.

Member - Phil B (WA) replied:

Hi Alan
Just came back from a 2 week trip to the Great Vic Desert, we had two kids in our group (18 months and 13 years of age) the parents are breaking them in early.
Also came across a lone family of four, with kids about 10 and 12years old - good to see.
But like you found almost everyone else was 'old"

Phil

Member - johnathon W (WA) replied:

I am 33 I have 3 kids 11yrs 4yrs 2yrs all boys I have just brought my first campervan offroader soon to start taking the Kids bush I hope they will enjoy it like I did when I was there age when my parents took me but the sad thing is alot of the places I have been camping it has all been closed off by the NP poeple and I think it is a shame but then again it is usually some morron that ruins it for the rest of us hence lot of camping spots are now no go zones. Just look at all the Lakes now no go zones and some of those areas are beatiful. I found now having a campervan it opens more avenue and hell of alot cheaper in the long run to stay at caravan parks and your car is not stack up the roof trying to fit every thing in. I cant wait to go up to Karrijin and Mill stream in September never been there and Coral Bay and Exmouth clocks ticking and getting closer man I want to go now lol but have to wait. This will be my first Holiday in a bout 2 years a decent one anyway. I have never been up past Monkey Mia yet I am sure from what I have seen of WA so far this is my Home now in WA.

Member - cuffs (SA) replied:

What a threat" EASY WITH THE OLD" I did the big trips when I was pup, all the climbing and hiking, now I am mature and slower, I sit in a chair, drink a beer and watch the young do all the fit stuff. Still love travelling this great land before they put in more board walks in my favourite spots and turn the bush into a tourist destination but then maybe trade the 4by for an electric wheele chair.

Outa Bounds replied:

We just got back from our trip (Cobar NSW to Albany & Perth in WA) and I was thinking the same thing: mainly oldies at the road stops and caravan parks we set up camp in. However reading the 4x4 magazine I reckon the younger generation is starting to follow the trend of those oldies (their retired parents?).

I would say kids, work and family life prevent most in doing it (our kids are just starting to get into school). Otherwise my friends from school (I'm almost 28 now) are still living the single lifestyle, still in their parents home, working and saving the money (maybe purchased a investment property) and going on overseas trips regularly - oh what you can do when you don't have to pay rent etc!

Those who work in the mines are the ones that should be out on the road more, as they tend to have more time off, but then again the big city life is where all the hard earned money can be easily spent.

Col88 replied:

The reason for a lack of young people travelling in the bush is cash.

You can travel around India for $5 a day. Years of Getaway and The Great Outdoors showing us the rest of the world and cheap flights. It comes down to the bottom line. It aint cheap to holiday in Oz.

Same reason young people don't drive Mercs. They can't afford it yet.