Camping some of us have nice spots....

That's not a bad idea.
I was thinking along the same lines when we were camping over new years.
I doubt that it would be hard to organise with fellow Ex Oz members to camp on their properties if they have the room.

We are contemplating moving back to QLD at the end of the year and are thinking of settling near Dalby on acerage. Although it is not very far from Metro areas it would allow Ex OZ members to go for weekends etc.

Good Idea

Kev

A good thought Royce. jan and I were just talking about the idea they have come up with in Barcaldine to have grey nomads as town volunteers for a while. You might wasnt to be selectiove at times though. As you mention, many properties welcome WWOOFers as so there could be lots of useful chores the Exploroz community could handle. Like the idea!

Peter

Not a bad idea Royce. I have lots of re-growth, thats needs digging out, thistles to chip, blackberry spraying, windrows to clean up, boy could I get lots done.

OK, call me behind the times, but what does WWOOFers mean?

Royce,

Insurance, or your legal liabilty for that matter, takes no notice of whether you take money for camping or not.
The people who allow others onto their property have to be VERY sure that when that visitor breaks their leg by falling into a ditch in the middle of the night, they won't be sued.

So, I wouldn't let anyone camp unless I knew them well. A membership of an internet forum means nothing. The risk to the landowners is huge with little reward.

R.

We have only once plucked up the courage to call in and ask a farmer if we could camp in his back paddock - he lead us to a glorious spot by a lake filled with bird life which we didn't even know was there, against a mountain backdrop - glorious.

We have from time to time invited other caravaners to stay - as you say, it is just (new) friends visiting.

No work has ever been in the equation with us, although guests wanting to experience the farm life could join in with the tasks of the day - we prefer to share travel tales. I have friends who saw someone with a brand of caravan they were considering drive through town, so they invited them out to their farm - the new found friends enjoyed helping put down a concrete pad for the new dairy. They then had an invitation to stay with their new friends on the other side of Australia.

We had Swiss relatives of my sister's partner camp on our lawn, and they really wanted to join in and experience life in Australia. They had a ball getting covered in dust, working with the sheep. They had never been on a quad bike before, and the young lady loved it, going and mustering sheep proudly by herself. It was a really hot day, and they had the energy to work all day and enjoy the new experiences. They love to get involved where ever they travel and they just love Australia.

Motherhen

Hi Royce,

Good idea, though I have a few reservations about how it might work in practice. To be viable it has to result in a win for both parties - the hosts and their guests. The simplest win win would be a reciprocal visiting right (We'll stay at your place and you can stay at ours.) As you suggest, a bit of help around the place in exchange for a welcome might also be a fair swap. Good companionship, local knowledge, fresh ideas - all welcome, valuable and priceless.

If we rule out vitually all urban folk (who can't really put campers on the front lawn and probably can't even provide parking space) the pool of hosts is not very large.

The visitors need as a minimum somewhere to leave their human wastes, then we start the list - potable water would be nice, maybe a shower, perhaps access to a washing machine, kitchen, TV, ...... Somewhere you have to call a halt on just what is available or you finish up with a zero fee caravan park or homestay business.

Others have raised the matter of insurance. It is certainly a consideration, though if the process was based on the premise that the visitors are just friends staying for a while, I'd run the risk myself. It would certainly become an issue if any money changed hands, as that would be inconsistent with the notion of friends staying for a while.

Looking at the positives - We enjoy travelling and welcome the company of other travellers. (We get a sort of voyeuristic pleasure listening to the VKS737 scheds and hearing people checking in from the places we've been or wish we'd been! We've made some very special friendships around campfires with fellow travellers; the pleasure not just from their company, but especially from the intimacy which flows from sharing similar experiences and values.) Apart from these very subjective benefits, there will also be practical advantages for hosts who need extra hands on occasions, or can use a visitor's expertise. (It's not uncommon to find a notice in a caravan park - plumber, electrician, etc needed.) There already exist semi organised bodies which match up retired teachers or others with remote area households which would value their skills for a while. Maybe something similar would work for travellers. There are also parallels with house swapping (anyone from the tropics want to swap for a Canberra winter?!)

I think the principle of your suggestion has a lot of merit. Not sure how it could be implemented - maybe some kind of pool into which members contribute or draw from might work; perhaps something like the plot swap running here for track files. Thank you for raising it.

John

Some friends and I were discussing exactly this on new years eve!
Not sure how it would all work but we thought of it because we have a few acres where we live and it seemed that there would be lots of other people in a similar situation that could do a bit of a 'patch of grass' swap. Sounds like a great idea to me!

A good idea if insurance and selective acceptance can be worked out.
There are a lot of very nice people who would love the experience.

Years ago I went and visited a friends property. Pre lunch activities involved rounding his cattle up. Picture a suburbanite standing by the gate as the hillside is filled with mean looking critters, all intent on stomping me into the ground.
Well thats the way I remember it. Can't remember lunch at all. LOL

Mmmmm. I think you could be lining up for alot of trouble with that one Royce. For every 100 ExOzers there would be one that loves loud head banging music, one with a yapping biting dog, one that snores like a train, one that crap's behind your tree, one that brings his kids mini bikes & one that leaves his rubbish behind, do I need to go on? Sure 90% are going to be great company but you'd be leaving yourself open for some problems.
Far better to meet other ExOz members at a gathering then invite the good ones you want to your private property thereby minimising any confrontation & liability. Certainly has worked well for me in the past with other organisations.
Cheers Craig.............