Hi Landy,
You will no doubt cause debate...and maybe what I am about to say will also.
I am of the opinion that we should not expect to stay free close to a town which has a van
park, so long as the
park has vacancies and basic facilities and sites of a reasonable standard.
We have a van which is set up to stay unpowered but choose to stay in a variety of campsites,ranging from van parks to free camps. My favourite
places are in National Parks and those in NSW, especially on the Coast, are often more expensive to stay in than powered sites at van parks not too far away. It's more the ambience, the fauna and flora, and the proximity to walking track which makes us stay.
Whenever we stay in free or low cost
camp grounds which are maintained by local volunteers, we do our best to support local business and buy fuel and other items in the town, regardless of price, and also visit tourist attractions and pay entry fee. I do not think we are in the majority in this regard however!
I have asked to stay in unpowered sites in van parks where there is often more vacant space and the powered area is packed, but some are not suitable due to overhanging trees or sloping sites which is a shame.
The reasons we avoid parks are because we hate being parked up closely beside other vehicles and also because most do not allow campfires which we love to
cook on.(We carry our own portable fire/BBQ which leaves no trace).
We do not choose to
free camp because of the cost, more for the type of
camp we can have. Sometimes there is no option and we stay in parks, do what we have to in the way of chores, see the sites and get out of town as soon as possible.I realise that not all of us are fortunate to be able to afford to travel like this.
We have noticed that the free camps are getting busier by the year and are often more packed than the parks.They are also noisier as many people run generators for hours on end, and often the dog owners have to stay in them if theres no
park which allows them. And then theres the litter, sometimes dirty
toilets and human excrement ..... they are becoming less and less attractive
places.
I will be interested to see the outcome of the Tasmanian study after spending 6 weeks travelling there early this year with our van. We love the place and will definitely be back, regardless of decisions!
Regards,
Heather