Discussion Forum - Caravan World

In this month’s Postbag, Carolyn Garrard asks why there are so few opportunities for RVers to overnight by the side of the road, given that most modern vans and motorhomes are self-contained.

Do you agree? Is it appropriate to camp wherever you choose?

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COMMENTS (25)

Comment by Unknown

posted 9 days ago

We have just purchased Camps 5 as the cost of Caravan parks is getting too high we are leaving on a four month trip of S.A. and plan to free camp with weekly stops to wash clothes and generally clean van & car, we have been looking at roadside stops for some time and are disgusted at the mess some people leave we will certainly take our rubbish with us. Would like to see more toilet facilities at roadside and also more dump points.
We live in the most awesome country in the world please respect it and leave only footprints
Dave M

Comment by Unknown

posted 9 days ago

I refused to be herded into a park, most of these parks are set up for families, (jumping pillows and playgrounds etc.) and that's fine if you are a family, but it's not what we want. Freedom Camping is our preferred method. We have been on the road for over a year and we use camps 4 or the CMCA's GEOWIKI to plan our stays. If needed we do a bit of a clean up of the camp site when we arrive and we always make sure we LEAVE NO TRACE. When we do this we hope it is sending a message to others to do the right thing and also the local councils will hopefully keep these short term parking areas open if they see that travellers are doing the right thing.

Comment by Unknown

posted 23 days ago

We see on the side of roads signs, feeling drowsy, have a power nap, but most of the time there is no where in sight to pull off the road. They put up these signs, but hey! would pull up on the shoulder of a main highway, to be buffeted by the likes of a B double doing it's 100 plus Kms per hour. Would be like being hit by a tornado if you were in your van trying to get a bit of shut eye like the signs say. All we need are sites were we have toilets and a safe area for a campfire or barbecue when allowed. I agree with most comments about caravan parks are getting to expensive when it's only an elderly couple, who don't need all of these play grounds and all the other things a family needs. I have noticed on the internet that some parks are offering non ensuited cabins for about the same price as a powered site, so to me these parks don't want caravans at all. I agree with one comment, that caravan parks are a rip off for the small area you use, maybe the toilet a couple of times and a shower, for $30 plus is a bit rich. I rad on one site of a couple who used a caravan park a couple of times a week, to do there ashing have a good clean up, and out on the road again until another park is needed. Good on you.

Comment by Unknown

posted 3 months ago

We agree that there should be more overnight stops between towns. We travelled up through the centre and down the west coast last year and caravan park fees are just too much for overnight stops when we do not require playgrounds, BBQ places and luxury ablution blocks. We have a small van but are quite self contained. Travelling inland is cheaper than the coastal areas so I think our future trips will avoid larger towns. Jan. Echuca

Comment by Unknown

posted 4 months ago

Yes as a nomad i support more designated sites,ones with basic toilet facilities should be a minmum including a dump point.The newer stops like ones in NSW have parking areas for trucks, cars and rv's. this i assume means the whole area base is strong enough to take the big b-doubles in any park.many rv users do not realise the truck park areas are built to take the rigs whereas the 'car' areas do not have the same base strength.although not in favor of more tax but a national fee for rv users who use dump points and fill-up with water as they travel may need to be looked at. possible look at the US and European roadside facilities before making anymore sites as a review of the design is possibly needed. watson

Comment by Unknown

posted 4 months ago

More free road side stops like the one in Home Hill Qld is required. It has all the required amenities which is keep very clean by the council,across the road are all the required stores to fill the larder. NWK Tinaroo

Comment by Unknown

posted 4 months ago

We are half way through a trip around the coastlines of southern and eastern Australia, and have camped in both parks and free camps. Certainly the free camps are more attractive to the people wishing to have the 'getting back to nature' style of camping compared to parks where the standards vary greatly and are not necessarily reflected in the pricing. So far the least attractive park was the most expensive, and the cleanest, attractive park was the cheapest.
Sorry AAA, but your star rating system simply is not working.
Roky98

Comment by Unknown

posted 4 months ago

On our trip from SA to Qld so far we have stayed at several free camp sites, ranging from lovely riverside campsites to combined side of the road truck stops and everything in between. With two small children on board it is even more expensive staying in caravan parks and quite a lot of the time all we would be doing is pulling up at last light and leaving first thing in the morning to get to our actual holiday destination. We have saved a few hundred dollars by doing this and respect every stop we come to and leave the site as we found it. I must say though that there is a definite lack of suitable sites in northern NSW and southern Queensland and have a few hairy stops in so called free camp sites. One we didnt stop at after seeing a sign "Do what you want, take what you want, remember you are on camera." To us that meant it wasnt safe.
We do enjoy staying in parks but find it hard to justify the cost when they sometimes charge $10 per child extra (even though they are pre school aged) and $4 for a load of washing is ridiculous. We do try to support park owners by using them at our major stops but wish they didn't charge quite so much for our tots.
We don't support camping wherever you like but we do support using free designated camp sites and hope that the government see the need for it and make more available.

Comment by Unknown

posted 4 months ago

We certainly need more overenight camping spots but it is simply unrealistic to expect that we can camp wherever we like. You can't even do that when you go bushwalking in a national park.

Comment by Unknown

posted 4 months ago

I totally agree with most people even though I can afford to stay in parks they are charging like wounded Bulls for facilities that are not wanted by the bulk of Caravaners,Merv J a Grey nomad

Comment by Unknown

posted 4 months ago

We have been on holiday for 2 1/2 years and not stopped in a caravan park. Thankfully have a child at home to look after things. We went home for a week a year ago and took off again. We could not afford to travel like we do if we had to pay for caravan parks. We never have issues finding a suitable free place to park. We never leave any rubbish and take all our rubbish with us and often pick up other peoples rubbish if not too much and deposit in the first bin we come across.

Comment by Unknown

posted 4 months ago

200 years ago you could camp anywhere you wanted to. Since them, various freedoms have been wound back. Going on the 'wallaby' is part of the Australian dream... its part of our culture. More overnight stops should be provided to keep the dream alive. Just like libraries and public swimming pools, they don't have to make a profit. Overnight camp spots should be there just because we Australians want them. We shoulld be able to choose between a restaurant or our RV's and likewise between a park or an overnight stop. (chris)

Comment by Unknown

posted 4 months ago

I agree more camps should be provide for up to 2 nights stay especially for those that have dogs as caravan parks that allow animals can be few and far between

Comment by Unknown

posted 4 months ago

We recently did a trip to Adelaide and return and found their was no where near enough free camp sights. i loved the trip but was dissappointed having to use caravan parks which are getting far to expensive.

Comment by Unknown

posted 4 months ago

If you are self contained and secure in the knowledge that you can look after yourself ( and that includes from a security aspect) and leave the area free of your rubbish then I think you should be able to do so. Unfortunately this would deprive a lot of parks of revenue and they have taken a big risk sometimes in providing these facilities. Neil.

Comment by Unknown

posted 4 months ago

No it is not acceptable to stop and camp wherever you feel like it. You should only stop in designated area's or with approval of the owner if its private propety.If there were more roadside stops we would eliminate this at times unsafe practice. Plus there would be appropriate facilities, especially for the rubbish that is left.

Comment by Unknown

posted 4 months ago

So long as care is taken when leaving an area, that we should do our best to leave it in the same condition as we found it. I applaud people who make the effort to clean up after themselves when staying for any amount of time when camping out in the bush. Caravan parks are a rip off, stay away!!

Comment by Unknown

posted 4 months ago

Some of the small towns around australia need road side stop to keep trading. It is a known fact if free overnight stops were no longer available people would still try and camp out of caravan parks illigally. By allowing free stopping areas everyone wins not just large over priced parks.

Comment by Unknown

posted 4 months ago

Some of the small towns around australia need road side stop to keep trading. It is a known fact if free overnight stops were no longer available people would still try and camp out of carravan parks illigally. By allowing free stopping areas everyone wins not just large over priced parks.

Comment by Unknown

posted 4 months ago

Having just done the Around Oz adventure, we found that more roadside stops were definitely needed especially when long distances separate towns. Queensland has the best we think and WA needs to consider more stops with toilets that are usable. On two occasions, we had to use a truck stop because of failing light and found them to be too close to the road noise but had no problems other than this. Caravan parks are getting too expensive and the freedom & sociable atmosphere that free camps offer is much more enticing.
BrisVegas dwellers...sometimes!

Comment by Unknown

posted 4 months ago

after travelling well over 300k in short and long trips we have noticed a sad decline in the number of suitable rest stops. The ones you tend to get are parts of the old road where a new section has been made. Incoming and leaving traffic from these sights have to move very close to vans etc parked as far as possible to the side and so disturb a good nights rest.Trucks and heavy vehicles are forced to use the same areas with little consideration given for their size.The best stopovers seem to be the ex roadwork camp sites wich thank goodness have been kept in reasonable condition . The caravan parks are forced to go where the dollars are easiest to get and that seems to be cabins with little or no sites left for caravans or campers. Maybe a chain of government assisted cheap sights located 10 hours drive time apart would relieve the situation but don't hold your breath for this outcome. maybe allowances in the same site area for heavy vehicles would help as well. thats my winge m king

Comment by Unknown

posted 4 months ago

Not only are a lot of caravan parks upgrading to resorts ,with the usual escalating of rates making it expensive for overnight stays, but the removal of van sites to install cabins is making it more dificult to find a site unless you book ahead. More vans on th road less sites, use rest stops. Len Newcastle

Comment by Unknown

posted 4 months ago

These days there are some big distances between towns, there should be a few more parking bays to be able to stop and rest instead of risking everything by trying to reach the next town.

Comment by Unknown

posted 4 months ago

I agree you should be allowed to stay wherever you like but I realise that the accom providers would be strong lobbyists against this!
A friend of mine who lives in his bus says that the rules are that if you do get caught - as long as you have not put any items (such as table chairs, esky etc) on the ground where you are camped they cannot legally get you for camping as you can say you are only "parking".
As a caravan traveller who often uses the late night no traffic conditions to cover a lot of distance, I'm reasdy to crash out well after most caravan parks will allow me in - with all the signs on the side of the road advising against driving tired surely there can be no recrimination for pulling over for a bit of shut eye?
I just came back from Byron bay and paid $48 for a beach front cravan park spot then saw hundreds of backpacker vans, wagons etc. quite obvioulsy camping all along the beach front car park despite "no camping" signs - good on them I reckon! (bit harder to get away with when you're towing a caravan though!)

Comment by Unknown

posted 5 months ago

Yes I think we should be able to camp where ever and that means we must use common sense also. A lot of us travellers are self contained, therefore if we just need to pull up for one night we should be sensible and do it without any fuss and bother to others. Caravan parks are just getting totally out of hand with their pricing.

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