Overnight stays

Yes, Western Australia tried this ruse as well and it backfired on them. You cannot legislate that travellers have to pay for accommodation. And Yes, which part of the 20 hours can't you stay 50km from a caravan park or such. Maybe in Queensland dawn to dusk is 20 hours:-))) We found that the best place to camp in Queensland was in front of a NO CAMPING sign. Does the booklet say anything about non motorist rest areas? There are plenty of them up and down the coast road. Some are a bit noisy though.

Cheers, Willem
Never a dull moment

Gday Geoff and Jen,
Basically what they are saying is
1. If the "Mainroads motorist only rest area" is within 50 kms of a commercial
caravan or camping facility, you cannot stay there.
2. If it is outside of these 50 kms, then the maximum amount of time you can
stay there is 20 hours.
.
Hope this helps,
Josh

How do you know theres a van park within 50klms, and what if your tired??? Dont they all preach SNOOZE OR LOSE or drowsy drivers die etc??

Just claim fatigue and sleep where ever it takes your fancy.If they then take you to court tell the judge you were no longer able to be in control of the vehicle and under due diligence removed your self from the road .

Just returned from a bit of a drive through Qld and just happened to have the radio tuned in when the Roads Minister came on with his blurb. The 50 km ban relates to Main Roads controlled roads only but the local councils also have their own bylaws. We found lots of old quarries off the side of the roads which made excellent camp spots for an overnite stop. Incidentally, the first person who rang to congratulate the minister was the President of the Caravan Parks association or wat ever. Funny about that. We recon that it is pushed by the Caraparks group as people are rapidly waking up that you are being ripped off by them. $18-$25 a night for an unpowered site IS being ripped off. If you were to set up camp after 4ish, grab a beer and wait for someone to insist that you move on. Since you had been drinking, no-one would be prepared to take the responsibility should you have an accident after they forced you to drive on to the next town. The legislation was pushed for by the tourist operators and is a load of crap.Alpaca

Hi All,

My family has a long tradition of caravanning. My grandmother was rumoured to own the first caravan in Vic back when they were all DIY jobs and wheeled and dealed in them for years to make some extra $$$ after WWII...

But I gotta say, CVP's have changed over the years. We bush camp wherever possible now because with the rising popularity of CVans, campertrailers etc we are finding most CVP's are now overcrowded and overpriced (supply and demand at work). I'm sick to death of paying anywhere from $18 to $26 for an unpowered site for the priviledge of a tiny site barely big enough to have a stretch in, neighbours keeping us awake (not necessarily because their over noisy, just way too close), toilet doors banging all night, car doors slamming shut, people packing up and setting off before dawn...

Here in WA, during school holidays and peak periods CVP's up and down the coast are booked out years in advance. Many small coastal towns use show grounds etc as overflow area's to cater for the influx and it's been like that for donkey's years. On a family holiday to WA back in 1977 I remember us staying in the show grounds at Albany.

So my point is this...if legislation forces all those who camp out due to personal preference or necessity in CVP's that are already full, where do they go? Simple, they stay home instead and its the small towns with economies relying on tourist $$$ who suffer. Maybe if some of the pollies actually got out on a real roadtrip instead of spending taxpayer $$$ on 5 star accomodation they would understand what I'm saying.

:o) Melissa

Petrol 4.5L GU Patrol &
Camprite TL8 offroad camper