camping books

Dear Al,

I have both books - although Camps Wide 5. I personally prefer the Camps Wide series & have used mine plenty of times. I guess it is because it is in an easy to read format and one that I am now used to.

I guess it is personal preference as both books are great?

Happy travels!

We also use both, older editions, but same story.
I found Camps Australia better for us, although the camping around Australia tends to fill in a lo of the gaps, mainly more national park camps.
I reckon get both, and even whatever else is available, they all have great info, and for what the travelling will cost ya, a few extra books of info is well worth the extra cost too
Cheers
Troy

I'm going to go against the trend here and suggest state specific books.

As you are new to camping will you be mainly based in the one state of Aus or travelling around the entire country?

If staying mainly in one state, a state-based camping book will have more details, eg park information, sightseeing spots etc. My NSW guide I've bought has a lot more information detailed info then an Australia-wide camping book in the NSW section.

Hi Al,
Camps Australia Wide is referred to as the travelers bible amongst those who travel regularly.

I use the spiral bound edition as it contains pictures of the campsites.
I never leave home without it and often use it to find picinic spot wiyhin a days drive of home. These are camp spots but we go there for a recky to see what it is like.

You do not say whether you are new to Aus or new to camping but apparently new to both. If this is the case I would recommend you stay with the settled areas for your first trips as the more remote locations can be dangerous unless well experienced and prepared.

Good luck with you travels, Bruce.

another good book to get is camping in australia by cathy savage and craig lewis lots of good camping in out of the way spots ;some of which are not in the camps books bye barry

Hi Al

If getting one book, I would go for Camps Aust Wide 6. Most of the time we find somewhere suitable for overnight ourselves, but if we don't, no panic; we refer to the Camps book, and sometimes find a nice place a few kilometres away from the road and have it all to ourselves, when we have passed roadside rest areas packed out with motorhomes and caravans right next to the highway where we wouldn't stop in a fit. When you are out in the open it is usually easy to find an old gravel pit of a track into the bush. It travels where there are lots of towns, the book is very useful. Because campsites can be closed, keep a watch on the CAW website for updates.

I travel with a laptop, mainly to download and back up my photos, but also use it to communicate with family and friends, conduct banking and business as well as research out trip. Just over three weeks would be the longest we have been out of Next G range. I rarely use the mobile phone now; even ordering spare parts if needed by email. We did need the satellite phone last trip to order parts after a breakdown, and to follow up when they we mis-directed by the Courier and we had to get a second consignment sent; these things usually happen when you are in a remote area.

If you are travelling on normal routes, you will not need a GPS, but you may like to use a one with navigator function to plot a route and tell you where to go through cities. If you are going remote, a GPS is another safety device that makes travel easier. Some also have points of interest highlighted.

Motherhen

if using a gps in conjunction with rooftop maps for the vic high country and the utm system make sure that enter the map datum wgs 84 into the gps otherwise you could be a few hundred metres out bye barry