Free camping / Free choice

Brian I agree with what you say. Caravan Parks simply do not offer the lifestyle that I am looking for. They are mostly cramped for space, not very well located in terms of what I have travelled for and do not allow the use of any sort of fire, not even a charcoal b-b-q. Yes, I too am a bit tired of virtually being told how I should spend my leisure time. If when I arrive I don't find what I am looking for then I move on. Having said what I have, I do believe that there is a place for caravan parks in the scheme of things, and I am sure there are many people who prefer to use them. I am simply not one of them and my choice to camp elsewhere needs to be respected as much as the choice of those who enjoy caravan parks.
Happy camping,
Mike

Tell'em "Their dreaming"!!

This subject is a sore point for caravan park owners. I live in a park where the owner has been complaining to council about free camping along a river bank some 300 meters from this park. I have no objections if they camp is overnight, as their are no toilets or water. Because the park owner complained the council did nothing to stop the camping. Until I went past a van that had set up along the bank and had hoses running from the van to the water. It was the toilet being pumped out,his dish washing water running into our river. Thats It, so instead of going to council I took it to the EPA and asked why this is this a camp area if that is how they treat it. Hence a letter was sent to council from the EPA to (show cause why)nothing is being done about the waste water dumped into the river. Council response was put up signs NO camping No overnight stay. Then put poles in to stop you parking their.. In the end It was the caravan that got the spot canned and not the caravan park owner. Just think that every spot you stay at IS YOUR OWN BACKYARD and treat it as such.

I agree Brian, but I guess this is another case of a few spoiling it for the rest, in respect of people not treating free areas properly. One gets a bit sceptical when the
Govt, under pressure, allows National Parks to set their camping rates to reflect the
cost of local commercial campsites, especially when the NP rarely offer the same level
of facilities found in a caravan park. No doubt park owners are under increasing cost
pressures too but seem to be pricing themselves out of the reach of many travellers.
Also a factor is the "self contained" status of modern campers, & their desire to experience a more natural ambience when camping.
Our local Council, to their credit, closed a poor caravan park, relocated it to a better area, made it free, provided BBQ & toilets, & now see several vans every night with
subsequent local spending supporting local business.cheers.........oldbaz.

Free camping is good if it is use right but like most things it gets abused.

Some of the magazines are taking a very "if it's free or cheap it's good"approach to sell magazines..... everyone wants something cheap or for free.

How many people have subscribed to the magazines just to get another free or cheap thingymajig that they will never need or use.

It's a double edge sword where by the local councils and groups try to entice tourists into their area to spend money.

This has backfired where tourists aren't spending money in their areas and are using the free areas and services provided.

We have some friends in tourism and there biggest bitch is caravaners using free camping areas for days on end, dumping large amounts of rubbish in bins, having a look at all the free attractions and not spending money in the area.

End of the day the tourism operators are in business to make money and if they make money they spend in the local community creating jobs plus someone who is paid having to look after the free facilities, clean the toilets/shower and remove the rubbish.

I think it's a small group of travelers who know how to abuse FREE camping and facilities.

Classic example is parking bays, by 1.30pm they are full by caravaners all set up and socialising with other caravaners, some just outside towns.

We use free areas when traveling much like the caravaners, the difference is we get to the free sites early evening after traveling all day and we are gone in the morning.

End of the day the more tourists spend in a local community the better the facilities become and the cheaper it is for those who are willing to pay.

In our capitalistic, greedy society if market forces are to determine outcomes, then no restrictions should apply and the caravan parks should make their park so attractive to me that I choose to pay to stay with them rather than go to a free camp next door.

Most caravan parks are so unattractive, crowdy, have rundown facilities that usually cannot cope with a full park. Plkus most have trees over sites and have never heard of solar panels or trees dropping branches or birds making a mess over everything below the tree. Having a cheap powered site is not much help if the solar panels get covered in junk to render them useless when leaving the park.

As for people who deface free sites, they should have the book thrown at them for defacing not free camping. I like the trend in WA to have dump points in rest areas.

I spend a huge amount of money when travelling so where does it say that it must enter the community through the caravan park.

Towns with free parking for vans in the shopping area are the ones that attract my dollars.

Alan

It used to be under common law, that a traveller may stay in an area for three days before having to move on. What happened to our rights?

I quite happly point anyone in te direction of the free camps along this road when they ask. Some people show appreciation by biuying a few things here, others show thier lack of it, by walking back out the door without spending a cent, and barely managing a "thanks".
As I say, I'll happily point you in the direction .. but a few do make me wonder why i do it..
I do get a little cranky when people free camp in our driveway however. I think that's really pushing the freindship a little ;-) .. and it has happened on a few occaisons.

Cheers
Al

happy camping, no matter how ya do it...

Ah yes! The evergreen subject of "free camping", what ever that may mean.
I am aware of heated debate on another forum that seems to have been generated by moves by some Tasmanian councils to try to recover costs of providing facilities for the many tourists that can't fit into the caravan parks during the busy season. I have never been able to understand how anyone can object to paying something for the provision such facilities. I'm not sure who is the worst, "greedy" caravan park owners or "stingy" caravaners and campers.
The RV manufacturing industry have caught on the the promotion of free camping as a way to sell bigger and more expensive equipment and their strategy seems to be working as there is no doubt that there is an increase in the number of people who do not want to stay in a caravan park.
I have always thought that free camping had a limited life as it would be brought undone by the sheer weight of numbers of people wanting to do it. That process may well have started.
Kevin

Competitive Neutrality. Caravan Parks can point to this ruling when Council or Show committees offer free or low cost camping. The fees charged must cover all the same costs that a caravan park would have, eg rates, cleaning, electricity etc so as not to have an unfair noncommercial advantage.

A few good analogies have come up in feedback:

Next thing a book shop will be wanting the library to charge for lending books, an amusement park will want the Council park swings and slides removed, resorts with a swimming pool will want the beaches subject to fees, the local store will want the drinking fountain taken out of the Council park so people have to buy bottled water.

Caravan parks should not receive the special attention that they do. If they can't attract their clientèle with innovative methods and marketing, they do not deserve to be in business. Those who buy well set up for independence rigs because they don't want to holiday in a sardine can environment will never be their customers. Other businesses in their town will be the ones losing out.

Motherhen

I think the biggest misnomer in the debate of ‘free camping’ is that there is no such thing as free camping. The ratepayers in many of these communities are paying for it.

But in defence of the caravan park owners, I think the biggest gripe they have is not so much that ‘free camping’ exists, but that it is being promoted by some councils, the very councils that levy the caravan park with all types of fees, such as rubbish disposal, levies for black waste, and the list goes on. But at the same time open up areas in close proximity to ‘free camping’ and in competition with their business. Is htat fair and reasonable?

On our recent trip someone asked why did we stay at the Caravan Park in Birdsville rather than just camp down the road in the ‘free camping’ area? Well I guess we want to support these businesses otherwise over time they will disappear...