Water

G'day AP,
We have been caravanning for a few years now, and generally we will pull into a CVP at least one night a week to have a loooong shower and the water tanks.
If we are unable to get to a CVP we ask at the servo that we are filling up at if we can get water, and generaly it's ok.
Hint, you can nearly always get water from a tap at a cemetery.
Cheers
Baz

Hi Arsenal Phill

We usually fill at fuel outlets - but ask before we agree to purchase fuel, as some may not have suitable access. We need fuel more often than water. We do not use filters as many do, but just use water direct from a bucket if it is not clean enough to put in our tanks unfiltered.

As outback travellers, we understand water survival is very important, so i have written a few articles on where to fill, how to economise when water is short, and what to do when you have no water. These can be found on my website in my profile, or i can MM you direct links.

Motherhen

Hi Arsenal Phill,
In our case...it varies.

Sometimes there is potable water available at the townToilet dump point...it is marked as not safe to drink otherwise. Just don't use the hose provided for rinsing out the toilet cassettes...use your own clean one.

Also, we have called in at the Information centre in towns to ask whether theres a tap provided for visitors and often there is.

If there is nowhere then we either book into a caravan park or ask to buy some at the serice station when buying fuel, as others have mentioned.

On a few occasions when its rained ovenight we have collected run off water from our awning and used that...sometimes there has been enough to top up our two 90 litre tanks in the outback.

We find carrying a couple of empty 20 litre containers in the car handy as we can easliy fill those and top up the tanks when passing through towns.

If necessary we can be very frugal with our use.
Hope this helps you.
regards,

Heather

Thanks to everyone for your input. It has cleared up this little, yet important issue. We are very glad that we have joined your community and looking forwarding to exploring it more.

Hi Phill

It also pays to be aware of water quality, and make you fills at optimum points. We came into Queensland from the Barkly and stayed at a CP in Mount Isa whilst sightseeing there. The town water failed the cup-of-tea test, so i would not fill the tanks. My concern was that we were heading towards the deep artesian water which smells like rotten eggs. However when we got to Boulia, where we also stayed at the CP, the bore water was excellent so we filled the tanks, topped up the jerry cans, and filled cool drink bottles for extra drinking water. We did not fill the tanks again until we reached Gloucester in NSW around six weeks later.

We had been told by other travellers that water was good at Gloucester so we were looking to fill up the tanks, and asked at a garage where we were having the caravan brakes adjusted, and he said "I have a tap and you are welcome to fill up here".Too easy.

Although my research and progress is slow so not a lot of places loaded as yet, where to find water in towns that offer this as a service for travellers is to be a feature of my website. Many towns do provide a free or in some cases small fee water fill for travellers.



Mh

when travelling, always respect and be mindful of the fact that water is a scarece commodity and no matter what, someone needs to pay the plumber.

Councils remove the handles from taps in boat ramp areas etc not to discourage 'vandalism' but to discourage free camping; Around Sydney/hawkesbury in the past I sometimes saw caravanners hooking up to tap, doing thier washing, emptying the grey water onto the fish cleaning areas and generally being bogan free-loading pests with a 'it's a free country and I've paid me taxes' attitude. So keep this in mind :)