Hi all, we have just completed a short (but long for us) trip through Vic, NSW & Qld. Covered 5500kms over that time and saw some wonderful sites and met some great people. We stayed in caravan parks, national parks and free camped. There were a few things that we noticed on our travels (most good, some not so good) so just thought I would put my thoughts on here to see if it is just us or not.
1. Surprised at the number of people who are on the road for a long period and or permanently - we have met others in the past but never as many as this time around. May be it was the places we went this time.
2. Surprised at how many people free camp and for how long they stay in one spot - we always find it difficult to settle and stay in one spot long. I hope this changes when we retire and we learn how to slow down.
3. Gob smacked at how dry it is in western Qld and how anyone survives out there I will never know. We have been this way before but last time we saw it was after floods so it was looking all lovely and green and there was feed everywhere. We met some fellow grey nomads who were helping out and just wish we had the time to do so ourselves as they certainly our help.
4. Horrified at the price that some caravan parks want for the night for the use of the shower and toilet and a small bit of power to run our small fridge. $49/n is way too much in my opinion or if you wanted to stay 3 nights it was $30/n - discrimination if you ask me. Smaller out of the way places were far cheaper.
5. Disgusted at how people leave road side stops/rest stops. Toilet paper and worse and the way toilets are left - not useable in a lot of cases which only encourages more toilet paper etc to be left around. When you don't have a toilet on board you really rely on toilets to be useable. We returned to a free camp we used 12 months ago to find the toilet had been ripped down due to the state they were in. People were still going to the area and using the bush as the toilet and not taking a shovel with them. I could on and on about this subject but I think you all know what I am talking about. How do we fix it???
6. Amazed and the variances in national parks - the cost, the facilities and that they are not much cheaper than low cost caravan parks and I guess that is was parks of the any state want - us to stay out. We did see some wonderful wildlife in the parks which we may not have seen elsewhere.
7. Lastly, just how wonderful fellow travellers are and we really didn't meet anyone we wouldn't be happy to talk to again. Everyone has something to offer - even in a small way. All were happy to share great spots to stay and things to see and do - so for those travelling a lot more than us - keep up the good work.
Sorry if this is a bit long winded but as it has been awhile since we have travelled far I was gobsmacked at the changes I have seen this time around. We look forward to doing a bit more travelling in the near future and hopefully it won't be so "eye opening" next time.
Cheers
Gerty Dancer said
09:28 AM Dec 3, 2013
Nope its not "just you" Leajoy, we would agree with everything you say. And we now wish we had a toilet on board!!!
Even if you don't get time to go out and help the on the stations in the drought, just by staying and paying in the caravan park and spending money in the local shops you are helping, it keeps somebody employed, and the businesses going. When the shops close down because of hard times, life gets even harder for the people out there.
Mr B2 said
09:35 AM Dec 3, 2013
Good write up, And its just not you.
Its great to be parked in a supermarket or in the middle of town, And your having a nice sit with out a problem, hahahahaha, On board Dunny,
Years ago when I started to build my house, I lived in a Caravan for 4 years on site, The caravan was hooked up to my Septic system,
I must dig the end of it up, Its still all connected, but its been buried for years,
I have my very own dump point, Just empty my Coach into my septic tank when Im home, Simple,
Radar said
09:57 AM Dec 3, 2013
LeaJoy hi
Yes to it all and well said, we do wonder about people and their actions but hopefully there is a lot of other positive things out there to turn the balance so we are all happy. Cheers
Nelly said
11:20 AM Dec 3, 2013
Agree with it all even though I am only a part time traveller. I struck this toilet problem at Innamincka - there is A long drop down at the camp ground so one would think that if it was too far from their camp and they had to go bush, they would take a shovel but no - absolutely disgusting. This is a BEAUTIFUL place and just an honesty box for camping - people like this will ruin it for others unfortunately.
Golddetectornomad said
11:52 AM Dec 3, 2013
Great write-up Leajoy,.....perhaps one day we'll all be tagged like white pointer sharks, and then all our 'movements' can be monitored...literally.....Lol..........I think its just the 'magic of the moment' at being alone that makes some dirty sods act the way they do....they 'do', because they 'can'.......unfortunately they breed and pass on their lack of life's skills to their offspring.....one day the penny will drop with Caravan Parks that we are willing to pay a reasonable amount for reasonable service/facilities...we will not be extorted by anyone at our ages.....most of us have been tried by experts when they thought we had little alternatives during our working lives.....no little black duck is now going to extort us now we have a choice...........Hoo Roo
Happy Daze said
12:27 PM Dec 3, 2013
Hi all, our caravan doesn't have an en-suite but our porta-potti gets stored in a bag in the van when we're on the move, so if we stop for lunch or a cuppa or whatever and there aren't any facilities available, it's easy enough to use if necessary. If it's an overnight (or longer) stay, then we just put the toilet outside in the pop up toilet/shower tent. This arrangement works for us as we didn't want to have to go to a larger van, also we don't have the room to store a big van at home. Happy just to be on the road and adhering to the old saying "necessity is the mother of invention". Safe travels, Annie
GaryKelly said
04:10 PM Dec 3, 2013
Seems some people are just grubs. Even when I spent time in hospital, I shared a ward with three other blokes. We had one shower and one toilet between us. I was disappointed at how many times I had to clean up after the last person. At least I had the benefit of a toilet brush which you don't get in a camp toilet. Some people just don't care about anyone but themselves, even in hospital wards.
Wirroff said
05:24 PM Dec 3, 2013
100% agree with the last statement; some people will just remain grubs. I'm not going to point any fingers at any section of society, including us grey nomads, but generally the state of the toilets at rest stops etc, is quite literally, DISGUSTING. Why can't people even do a simple task like flush the loo? I can't count the number of times I have been in toilets, urinals included, and the mess because some lazy bugger can't be bothered flushing is appalling. All I will say is this; we're (i.e. GN's) not the only ones who use these facilities. Travellers, back-packers, truckies, the general public, the local hoons all use these but unfortunately, when they are taken away due to lack of care, it will be us that suffer. I try and do a little 'cleaning up' at each and very one we visit (if I can stomach it) in the hope that they will remain for all of our use.
Cheers!
Golddetectornomad said
06:18 PM Dec 3, 2013
A touch off subject perhaps but similar "attitude'. As a prospector it never ceases to amaze me how many irresponsible sods leave their digs unfilled which will see our hobby eventually taken away by the same few at the expense of the majority...like Wirroff I, and other prospectors spend a lot of our time simply filling the holes left open....some areas in State Forrests and National Parks here in the Golden Triangle resemble 'The Somme'....after some no neck individual/groups have been through leaving dangerous and unsightly holes everywhere......its against the 'Prospectors Creed' and also under our Miners Right of entry plus many of us are members of Victorian Detecting clubs,that no hole should be left unfilled and the ground should be returned as near as possible to original...
As an insight...its rarely the type of person one imagines who does it....recently I was prospecting a rather remote gully where I have never encountered anyone, on my hands and knees digging and was startled to look up and see a bloke leaning over me looking in....he seemed a reasonable bloke, reasonably well presented and spoken, said he was a plumber from a well known Town and takes Fridays off to go detecting but had not been to this area before....he showed me about half dozen small nuggets and said he had found in the next gully adjacent to mine....he walked over to his immaculate near new Land Cruiser and made his way out of the State Forrest.....then.....I went over to that next gully he had been working......wide open holes everywhere....he had even dug into the sides of a 'protected puddler' created from the 1850's....in his desperate attempts to find gold quickly....I filled in his numerous holes etc..and tried to restore the puddler......
This bloke looked decent and had the worst attitude...and its all about attitude..to do the right thing when no one is watching......I suggest similar to those who abuse our toilet facility privileges...a pox on them all...Hoo Roo
Hi all, we have just completed a short (but long for us) trip through Vic, NSW & Qld. Covered 5500kms over that time and saw some wonderful sites and met some great people. We stayed in caravan parks, national parks and free camped. There were a few things that we noticed on our travels (most good, some not so good) so just thought I would put my thoughts on here to see if it is just us or not.
1. Surprised at the number of people who are on the road for a long period and or permanently - we have met others in the past but never as many as this time around. May be it was the places we went this time.
2. Surprised at how many people free camp and for how long they stay in one spot - we always find it difficult to settle and stay in one spot long. I hope this changes when we retire and we learn how to slow down.
3. Gob smacked at how dry it is in western Qld and how anyone survives out there I will never know. We have been this way before but last time we saw it was after floods so it was looking all lovely and green and there was feed everywhere. We met some fellow grey nomads who were helping out and just wish we had the time to do so ourselves as they certainly our help.
4. Horrified at the price that some caravan parks want for the night for the use of the shower and toilet and a small bit of power to run our small fridge. $49/n is way too much in my opinion or if you wanted to stay 3 nights it was $30/n - discrimination if you ask me. Smaller out of the way places were far cheaper.
5. Disgusted at how people leave road side stops/rest stops. Toilet paper and worse and the way toilets are left - not useable in a lot of cases which only encourages more toilet paper etc to be left around. When you don't have a toilet on board you really rely on toilets to be useable. We returned to a free camp we used 12 months ago to find the toilet had been ripped down due to the state they were in. People were still going to the area and using the bush as the toilet and not taking a shovel with them. I could on and on about this subject but I think you all know what I am talking about. How do we fix it???
6. Amazed and the variances in national parks - the cost, the facilities and that they are not much cheaper than low cost caravan parks and I guess that is was parks of the any state want - us to stay out. We did see some wonderful wildlife in the parks which we may not have seen elsewhere.
7. Lastly, just how wonderful fellow travellers are and we really didn't meet anyone we wouldn't be happy to talk to again. Everyone has something to offer - even in a small way. All were happy to share great spots to stay and things to see and do - so for those travelling a lot more than us - keep up the good work.
Sorry if this is a bit long winded but as it has been awhile since we have travelled far I was gobsmacked at the changes I have seen this time around. We look forward to doing a bit more travelling in the near future and hopefully it won't be so "eye opening" next time.
Cheers
Even if you don't get time to go out and help the on the stations in the drought, just by staying and paying in the caravan park and spending money in the local shops you are helping, it keeps somebody employed, and the businesses going. When the shops close down because of hard times, life gets even harder for the people out there.
Good write up, And its just not you.
Its great to be parked in a supermarket or in the middle of town, And your having a nice sit with out a problem, hahahahaha, On board Dunny,
Years ago when I started to build my house, I lived in a Caravan for 4 years on site, The caravan was hooked up to my Septic system,
I must dig the end of it up, Its still all connected, but its been buried for years,
I have my very own dump point, Just empty my Coach into my septic tank when Im home, Simple,
LeaJoy hi
Yes to it all and well said, we do wonder about people and their actions but hopefully there is a lot of other positive things out there to turn the balance so we are all happy. Cheers
Hi all, our caravan doesn't have an en-suite but our porta-potti gets stored in a bag in the van when we're on the move, so if we stop for lunch or a cuppa or whatever and there aren't any facilities available, it's easy enough to use if necessary. If it's an overnight (or longer) stay, then we just put the toilet outside in the pop up toilet/shower tent. This arrangement works for us as we didn't want to have to go to a larger van, also we don't have the room to store a big van at home. Happy just to be on the road and adhering to the old saying "necessity is the mother of invention". Safe travels, Annie
100% agree with the last statement; some people will just remain grubs. I'm not going to point any fingers at any section of society, including us grey nomads, but generally the state of the toilets at rest stops etc, is quite literally, DISGUSTING. Why can't people even do a simple task like flush the loo? I can't count the number of times I have been in toilets, urinals included, and the mess because some lazy bugger can't be bothered flushing is appalling. All I will say is this; we're (i.e. GN's) not the only ones who use these facilities. Travellers, back-packers, truckies, the general public, the local hoons all use these but unfortunately, when they are taken away due to lack of care, it will be us that suffer. I try and do a little 'cleaning up' at each and very one we visit (if I can stomach it) in the hope that they will remain for all of our use.
Cheers!
As an insight...its rarely the type of person one imagines who does it....recently I was prospecting a rather remote gully where I have never encountered anyone, on my hands and knees digging and was startled to look up and see a bloke leaning over me looking in....he seemed a reasonable bloke, reasonably well presented and spoken, said he was a plumber from a well known Town and takes Fridays off to go detecting but had not been to this area before....he showed me about half dozen small nuggets and said he had found in the next gully adjacent to mine....he walked over to his immaculate near new Land Cruiser and made his way out of the State Forrest.....then.....I went over to that next gully he had been working......wide open holes everywhere....he had even dug into the sides of a 'protected puddler' created from the 1850's....in his desperate attempts to find gold quickly....I filled in his numerous holes etc..and tried to restore the puddler......
This bloke looked decent and had the worst attitude...and its all about attitude..to do the right thing when no one is watching......I suggest similar to those who abuse our toilet facility privileges...a pox on them all...Hoo Roo