Camping in NT

I have lived in the Territory for 35 years and have no idea what you are talking about.

We don't have special rules for free camping.

Cheers Steve.

G'day Bob

The Northern Territory Government has gone out of its way in recent years to stop people from camping by the side of the road.
Pressured by the NT Caravan Parks Association who would like to have all their parks full 24/365, they have bulldozed many of the regular gathering places along the Stuart Hwy. From the SA Border to Alice Springs there are only two places to free camp and that is about 25 north of Erldunda and at the Finke River. There is also a place a short weay out of the Alice but these places are so close to the road that you will get some sleep deprivatrion from road trains and other noisy vehicles.

North of Alice there a a few places but as before they are only really roadside stops. Once you get past Katherine the whole bloody road is fenced off and all our hideaways of the past have now been encompassed into private land.

I tend to look at my map and see where a station road goes off the highway and if the station is 50km or more off the hwy then I would toodle down there a km or two and have a quiet camp.

Last year I found a lovely spot under the new bridge at Edith Falls turnoff. The track had been bulldozed before but there was a 4x4 way in and we had a good camp right next to the bubbling Edith River. A train passed by at 4am and stirred the possum!!!

This may have changed recently but before Kaherine there is Gorrie Airstrip and other places after Katherine going north are MacDonald Airstrip, beyond the back of Adelaide River dump, Adelaide River itself driving past the local encampment and so on. But its all developing too fast. In the Top End it is either National Parks, Conservation Reserves or Caravan Parks(if you can get in!!!)

If you stay off the main drag there are more possibilities but local knowledge is helpful.



Cheers

youve got the NT mixed up with WA where free campers are considered lower then kiddiefiddlers and grannyrapers.
Plenty of free with no facilitys and modst priced with showers etc on the way into and in Kakadu.
Flora river on the way toKatherine from WA has showers etc and BA people. I rarely have a problem free camping

Hope this is not doubled up but I have a small book titled Camping guide to the Northern Territory by Craig Lewis and Cathy Savage. Boiling billy Publications.