free camping laws

It won't help answer your question but most of the places I have just pulled over and camped PC Plod and Ranger Smith would rarely if ever visit.

Usually when camping in a spot like that it has been on a transport run, we pull up late and get going early. None of the places I have done this have been particularly beautiful.

Places that I like to camp are all on some form of managed land. Be it a farmers field, a National Park or a town common like tgood manners to seek the puch a case it is simply good manners to seek the permission of the landholder.

I do know it is legal to camp overnight (maybe for a couple of nights) on a stock route. Don't let the pollies sell the long paddock

Duncs

Hi

In this vast and open land you are unlikely to get a knock on the window or door.Places we look for are old gravel pits (ideal), old roads which haven't been blocked off if they are screened from traffic, tracks into unfenced bushland (usually crown land), tracks along rivers and creek lines. I can't say all are legit, but we have only had that knock on the door once. On that occasion, we wanted to camp at Lucky Bay near Esperance for a while, but it was January holidays and the place was packed. The weather was hot, so we drove inland and found a small patch of scrub next to a blue gum plantation to stay overnight. It looked like it was a well camped in spot. Next morning a park ranger came and told us we were in a nature reserve (there were absolutely no signs to indicate this) and that camping was not permitted in a nature reserve. He asked were we staying long. We told him why we had stopped there overnight, and that we were leaving within the next few minutes. He was very pleasant throughout, and did indicate that if bush camping, to stay out of sight. Of course we leave no mess, and have a self contained caravan.

Motherhen

thanks for the replies so far!
I guess car parks near boat ramps etc. are going to raise attenti0n when travelling and stopping. not real keen about "keeping out of sight" when travelling alone. might have to just pull into a van park to be relatively safe

Here's Part 11 Section 2 of the Caravan Parks and Camping Grounds Regulations 1997 in Western Australia:

11.Camping other than at a caravan park or camping ground

(1) A person may camp —

(a) for up to 3 nights in any period of 28 consecutive days on land which he or she owns or has a legal right to occupy, and may camp for longer than 3 nights on such land if he or she has written approval under subregulation (2) and is complying with that approval;

(b) for up to 24 consecutive hours in a caravan or other vehicle on a road side rest area;

(c) for up to 24 consecutive hours in a caravan or other vehicle on a road reserve in an emergency, unless to do so would cause a hazard to other road users or contravene any other written law with respect to the use of the road reserve;

(d) on any land which is —

(i) held by a State instrumentality in freehold or leasehold; or

(ii) dedicated, reserved, or set apart under the Land Administration Act 1997 or any other written law, and placed under the care, control or management of a State instrumentality,

in accordance with the permission of that instrumentality; or

(e) on any unallocated Crown land or unmanaged reserve, in accordance with the permission of the Minister within the meaning of the Land Administration Act 1997, or a person authorised by the Minister to give permission under this paragraph.

(2) Written approval may be given for a person to camp on land referred to in subregulation (1)(a) for a period specified in the approval which is longer than 3 nights —

(a) by the local government of the district where the land is situated, if such approval will not result in the land being camped on for longer than 3 months in any period of 12 months;

(b) by the Minister, if such approval will result in the land being camped on for longer than 3 months in any period of 12 months; or

(c) despite paragraph (b), by the local government of the district where the land is situated —

(i) if such approval will not result in the land being camped on for longer than 12 consecutive months; and

(ii) if the person owns or has a legal right to occupy the land and is to camp in a caravan on the land while a building licence issued to that person in respect of the land is in force.

(3) In this regulation —

building licence means a building licence under section 374 of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1960;

emergency means a situation where to move the caravan or other vehicle to a more suitable area would constitute an immediate and serious hazard due to the condition of the caravan or other vehicle, or a vehicle towing the caravan, or of the driver, or passengers, of any such vehicle;

road side rest area means an area designated by a traffic sign erected in accordance with a written law, as an area which may be used for 24 hours for —

(a) resting;

(b) stopping; or

(c) camping,

in a vehicle;

State instrumentality has the same meaning as it has for the purposes of the Land Administration Act 1997;

unallocated Crown land has the same meaning as it has for the purposes of the Land Administration Act 1997;

unmanaged reserve has the same meaning as it has for the purposes of the Land Administration Act 1997.

[Regulation 11 amended in Gazette 16 Jul 1999 p. 3202-4; 25 Aug 2000 p. 4911.]

Full Regs here: Caravan Parks and Camping Grounds Regulations 1997

Act: Caravan Parks and Camping Grounds Act 1995

Cheers

G'day Jag,

You will usually find that provided you pull up in a manner not to obstruct other road users you can pull up almost anywhere and camp over night. If you were to get a knock on the window from Mr PC all you need to say is that you deemed it unsafe to continue driving because you were tired/sleepy and you will be moving along in the morning.

It would have to be a pretty hard constable who booked you because you were too tired to continue driving.

Mind you, you wouldn't want to have the deck chair out under the awning sipping on a couple of coldies with the same excuse.....lol

Cheers.

Excellent question. I have "free camped" in a tent and in the car all over Australia for the last 40 years, on and off.
I have only once been moved along by the police, and that was actually my old man's fault to parking in a parking area at night in a strange town. How were we to know that it was the parking area behind the local bank ?
I camped off the road in the middle the bush not far from a town once. Some friendly locals came and asked if I was Ok. They'd seen my lights. But I moved on anyway :)

I am one of the very few who have gotten away with camping in front of the showers/toilets at Yulara camping grounds. Apparently there was a don't camp sign there, didn't I see it ? Mate, I've been driving for a week..I didn't see anything ! After promising to leave in the morning and not tell anyone (heheh), the Ranger left me alone. Later that night a couple of cheeky backpackers set up camp not far away, but I was too busy sleeping to mention it to them.

If you start to look for somewhere to stop in the daylight you won't wake up in the main street after the night fog has cleared.
You will also avoid meat ants nests, trees that drop branches, great sandy spots that turn into raging torrents overnight, and with any luck, noisy neighbours.

Cemeteries are a quiet spot out of town that can be used with a bit of care. Usually have water, some times toilets. Not many visitors at night either.
Good for a stop over, but I wouldn't 'set up camp' in one.
cheers

I guess car parks near boat ramps etc. are going to raise attenti0n when travelling and stopping. not real keen about "keeping out of sight" when travelling alone. might have to just pull into a van park to be relatively safe

This depends on the type of rig you have, but i tend to drive quite a long way into the scrub if camping near a road. You don;t want your light to be visable from that road. If you do that you will have no problems, there is nothing in the bush that is going to "hunt" you ! With the excemption of camping to close to water ways in the north :)

Have fun
LK

Another thing to keep in mind is that some No Camping signs are a bluff. Councils install them sometimes without doing it by the book and so they are not worth the post they are installed on. General rule of thumb from memory is, if the council passes a bylaw, you usually can not camp within 2ks of a designated Caravan Park. Problem is which is legal which is not? You could ask the officer policing the sign for a copy of the bylaw. Cheers Tony

Some places (eg sporting venues) actually value having someone camping there if in an area prone to vandalism, as vandals are discouraged.

Motherhen

this is all good information people, thank you and would love to hear more! (not sure if I like the cemetery idea though) we have a high top landcruiser which stands out like the proverbial. the idea of just finding a spot far off the road sounds good if travelling in convoy with another vehicle. not worried about wild life, just the yobbo element basically