Showers and toilets at free camps & other Necessary equipment

Hi

A lot of the free camp places we've camped at have drop toilets, I don't think we've stayed at any that had showers..apart from the Toompine pub that was not only free but offerred power and showers..and flushing toilets..

We carry a portaloo..there's lots of different ones out there..we've got a chemical one and have had no trouble carrying it around or storing it...others like using thing like Jimmy's thunderbox...As for showers we have a coleman hot water unit and it works great...

If you don't have it, get the Camps3 book tat's available through here it's got lots of camps listed, not all are free but it also lists the facilities that you'll find there.

Lyn

Wait till you get up north and round to the west. The freecamp sites are busier than the caravan parks. Those that have facilities usually consist of a toilet and the odd fire place. Both copping a fair bit of use. Just make sure you do a good drive round first and check out where all the generators are if you want a peaceful camp. (Some have a $100K van, a $90K car and a 190 buck GMC gennie that can be hear half way down the Canning Stock Route!). If you're going to be utilising the sites, a fold-up shower tent or two is a must. I'm presuming you have an external shower??? If not, I've used a twine shower under the bonnet of the vehicle to good effect. The other solution I got away with for a couple of years was the $29.00 shower from supercheap or a camping store that plugs into the vehicle cig lighter socket. Just drop the little pump into a bucket of warm water and you're away. Have fun, we did it last year and I wish I was still out there.

Cheers. Mick

Extremely few free camps have free showers. A lot of free camps have dunnies, but in the popular areas they are smelly due to over use and people emptying portable toilet cassettes down them (the composting types & long drops have to be kept relatively dry, the flood of water from cassettes kills the bacterial action.)

It is necessary to carry your own shower if you desire one. Most people can get away without a shower for a few days just with washing from a dish.

We carry a shower tent and one of those black plastic shower bags that you can heat with the sun's heat (we use a kettle for hot water.) These cost $20 average. Another device we have considered is a kit containing a 12V bilge pump (with lead, switch & cigarette lighter plug) connected to some clear plastic tubing with a hand held shower rose on the other end. You just drop the bilge pump in a bucket of warm water, plug the power lead into a vehicle and you are in business.

PeterD

Don't think you will many showers at the free type parks or rest area's, but if you have a GPS that accepts Points of Interest files maybe these toilet lists will help if your busting.
Toilet Files
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I tend to disagree with most of the comments about no showers in free camps. Nth QLD is full of free camps and plenty of them have showers (mostly just cold water, but hey it is FNQ....32c o/night hehehe). I tend to utilise the showers in some facilities where I fuel up. 100 odd litres of diesel and you will generally be OK for free shower and at worst it generally costs only a couple of bucks.

The Glind has been working a treat for multiple showers in one spot and those other places without shower facilities for about 10 or 11 years on 3 of my vehicles now.

As suggested Camps 4 is a wealth of knowledge even if the camps are more populas once introduced to this book. The "places" free camps section on this website has a few to look at as well. If you can't find this section give me a reply and I will post a link.

Cheers, trevor.

On my last trip using camps 3 I came across a stop at Westmar between Moonie and St George Qld. Blow me there was no one camped there overnight and the next night and it had flush toilets, lights, and hot showers "free" as they say and a pub about 300 metres away. I almost moved in,but alas moved on, places to go you know.
Best of luck with your travels but do get yourself a camps Australia book.
JimDi

Although I tend to be a remote area camper on those occasions I have stayed at places with bush type toilet facilities I prefer to take my loo seat and shovel for a walk in the bush rather than use the provided, usually unclean, toilet - maybe I'm just a bit prissy?

Mike Harding

I agree with the comment about Camps Australia 4, ( we have 3 ) it's a brilliant guide/book.
Depending where we go, ie local coastal & touristy spots we take along a Porta Potty, and if there is a long drop " dunny " there then I have one less job to do when we get home.
If we go bush, or the desert, ( the more isolated spots ) I take Jimmy's Thunderbox, and a good shovel, and make my own longdrop.
To help with odours, we have found that a sprinkle of common garden lime, does the job, immediately after you do the job.

Cheers Bucky

Minimum is a trowel/small shovel and a cig lighter so you can burn the paper. Too many free camps are lined with used toilet paper floating in the breeze. Burying is not enough - animals dig it up.