Thursday, Nov 17, 2005 at 20:58
We haven't got as far as the
Kimberley yet, nor been to the inland desert areas, so can't speak for those. but throughout the south west, wheat belt and
Pilbara have found it so easy to find a nice secluded spots to
camp. In the South, watch for things like old gravel pits, or tracks into unfenced bush. Rivers are "public" property to high
water mark. In the North near rivers there is usually tracks off the road and good opportunities. We've done it with from tent, to back of Ute, small fold up camper van to full sized caravan. I know you are meant to ask the pastoralists before
camping on stations, but you never know who they are or where to find them, and being unfenced land, pulling off the road is easy. We do no harm and leave no trace other than tyre prints.
Once we had gone down a track to a beach somewhere North of Quobba, fished at
the beach to no avail, and were sitting at our table having tea with the generator running, and our gear around us as we would put it on the ground to roll out the swag on the back of the Ute. We heard a vehicle coming, and thought maybe a station proprietor was after us - but the holidaying people coming to fish that evening said "You'll bloody freeze - we bloody froze when we camped here last year". We didn't - it was a glorious
camp spot overlooking the ocean and the
bright star in a clear NW sky.
The only time we were ever remotely challenged, was not far North of Cape Le Grande NP in January. The CALM run beach side spots were full so we moved inland and pulled off into a bit of bush near a fenced
blue gum plantation. Next morning a wildlife
ranger came and told us we were in a
nature reserve (it was not signed at all), and it was illegal to
camp in a
nature reserve. He asked were we staying long and we said no, we were leaving that morning (we were just about ready to leave). He then more or less said - just don't stop where you can be seen from the road.
On another
forum, i read of someone being actually moved on and stopped from
camping in the
Augusta shire - that is the only case i have heard of in WA.
We have long distacnes to travel in WA, and unless you are camped right on the edge of a town with facilites, you can always plead tiredness, and that you will be leaving first thing next morning. It is also unsafe to travel at night in much of WA due to kanagaroos and other livestock. Wide open state with plenty of room to
camp. Enjoy it.
AnswerID:
139845