Wouldn't have been getting out to check on the noise either Vic, you did the right thing and moved on.  Any news on the two mounds???

I did send Crimestoppers and email from their site with the details and my contact details in case they have trouble finding the spot, but heard nothing back from them, I doubt I will, but I have passed it on so have done my bit.

I see there is a sequel to Wolf Creek coming up, so will have to see that when it is released.  John Jarrad was so convincing in the movie as the physco if I was a backpacker I would never go backpacking again, lol ! 

If you haven't seen it, suggest you get it out on DVD, it may be scary but is a good warning why you should be wary when on the road, and it is based on a true story.......

Don't you believe it John, there are a certain element in our society many of whom live in the area where I was that have no respect for age and see old farts as easy targets.

Now I can think of a few nubile females that I wouldn't mind being raped by though, not likely to happen though, but a man must have his dreams

 

Happywanderer wrote:

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Dream on Vic. lol

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 I leave my van door unlocked in hope Marj, but all in my head these days, lol  

Happywanderer wrote:

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Oh, thats what I've been doing wrong. I lock my doors.!!!!

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 That's it Marj, Myrtle would be very angry that you keep locking her up at night, how else do you expect her to spread her wings....hmmmm or should that be wheels, lol

 

I have been sorely tempted to respond to each of the many great posts that we got to this thread but I decided to hold off and let the discussion flow. Now that the topic is falling off the first page, I thought that it was the right time to comment.

 

What have I got from this exercise?

 

Well, it came as no surprise that many of you are very much committed to 'Free camping/Bush camping' or what ever you may choose to call it. Which in itself raises the first point.

 

What should staying at sites other than caravan parks be called?

 

Indeed it may have been the lack of definitive description that had led me to a long held, but incorrect understanding of the practice.

 

In my travels I had only observed those people who were staying in roadside camps, or roadside rest areas. I was not attracted to them except maybe as overnighters & then off to my destination in a Caravan Park somewhere.

 

I see now that these roadside rest areas are probably often used by 'freedom campers' in the same way as I would, perhaps as a stop over when en route to their next camp in the bush, or to a CP to recharge, wash clothes, fill up with water & supplies or the like. I understand that there are many who have developed a level of self sufficiency & knowledge that reduces or even eliminates this necessity to visit C Ps.

 

Of course the saving of the ever increasing expense of 'luxury' caravan parks with their unwanted facilities and often crowded state can not be ignored even though some roadside rest areas may likewise be overcrowded from time to time. On the other hand CP s usual order, location & security is much valued by many.

 

 

I am convinced that a camping bible like the oft quoted Camps 6 is essential. I'll get myself one with pictures before the next trip. The never used reference that I have in my library is Bush Camps and Rest Areas Around Australia by Anna Fisher-Smedley. It was published in 1994 & my copy is the 1998 second edition, the year I retired & stated caravanning. Perhaps I should have been more attentive to it. Out of the library & into the van for it!  I'll look round for a more recent revision too.

 

On its inside cover is the very apt poem by Rhyanna Smedley ..

 

"WAYSIDE WANDERER

Traveller, come and go as you please,

To this wayside stop, beneath the trees.

Rest, eat and sleep a while,

But behind you, leave not a pile

Of banana peel, tin and glass,

And other rubbish amongst the grass,

To make this once pretty place

Greet others with strong distaste.

So, let not it be said, nor others dismayed,

That it was pretty here, until you stayed."

 

Love it!  Aught to be posted at all camps.

 

Caravan Parks or Freedom Camping?  ...  as many have said or implied .. Each to his own. Viva la difference. Great to have the choice.

 

Thanks for your input .. To answer my own question 'what have I got out of this exercise?' .... maybe you have opened up another facet of caravanning for us.

-- Edited by Cupie on Wednesday 23rd of November 2011 08:23:10 AM

Nice post Cupie, sorry If I strayed a bit with my posts, it is an interesting subject.

I like a combination of both, but there is something peaceful and tranquil about bush camping that you can't get in a caravan park (but not every bush/free camp/road stop).  One of the reasons I like travelling the Nullabor which some find boring, but I don't.  You are just so far removed from the rat race and the hustle and bustle of city and town life it is a nice change.

I try to confine our travels to non holiday periods (being retired) and find that both free/low cost camping and caravan parks are much nicer to stay at during those times and not so crowded.  However this is not always possible for longer trips.   Cost plays a big part too for people, no everyone can afford to stay at caravan parks every night, particularly those full time on the road and on low incomes.

I try to be as flexible as I can on my trips and not be too dogmatic about where and when I will stay/stop within reason, although this is not always possible for those on a tight schedule and having to return by a certain date etc.  One of the unwritten rules I broke while away on my last trip was if travelling solo (or a couple on their own) is think twice about staying at a rest area/stop overnight if nobody else is there (safety in numbers).  However sometimes if you are feeling tired or a bit off or it is getting towards night sometimes I take a risk, but am aware of any possible consequences.

Some good examples of mixing caravan parks with free/bush camps/rest stops or mainly doing free camps are our GN solo's, especially those on the road full time, they are amazing and an inspiration to us all.

Whatever our choices of RV lifestyle, we have to be happy with what we do and if we have a partner who may have a different view or need to what we would like to do RV wise, then there has to be a compromise.  My on road RV lifestyle in my younger days was a lot different from what it is now. 

Happy travels to everyone whatever they choose to do.   

 

 

 

-- Edited by Vic on Wednesday 23rd of November 2011 11:06:08 AM

Sounds good to me..............

I love free camping when we used to travel years go in the outback ,we never camped in a c/van park unless we needed some home comforts
a nice hot shower ,(we still had a camp shower) but there is something about a normal shower that is just bliss.

We also had washing to do ,not that i didnt mind doing it by hand but yes i agree with all those that favour free camping
ide rather the silence along a river bank,or camped under a big shady tree ,than all those vans here there and everywhere.

True i can understand that you would meet a lot of people in the van parks but you tend to do the same in free camps and even
so not free camps gees about 12 years ago when i last travelled with my previous partner we went with a convoy of people from
sth west rocks, crescent head area, and all pulled up along the side of the road and camped ,thats what the outback was like then

Im not so sure how it is now and if people can still do that,but the places we went there was just nothing there,i remember we had a break
down in one of the friends landrover ,we purchased the part in st george, drove just out of town fixed the car all camped on the side of the
road ,next day got a few klms ahead and part broke again so we had to return to st george with that part and get another,but yes we did this
in many places just pulled off the road in that gorgeous red dirt of ours lit a fire and set up our camps spots ,was one of the best times of my life

free camping is the go i say

I think it boils down to whether you find free camping to your liking, novices who may only have had one or two free camps and struck obnoxioux or noisy neighbours etc who don't give a rats about anyone else, or overcrowded free camps may be put off by the experience.  All I can say is give it a go and try a few, preferably not during the holiday/school holiday periods if possible and then see how you feel.

I know of people who would not even comtemplate an RV holiday whether in a caravan park or otherwise, unless it is motel/5 star accomodation with everything laid on they are not interested.  If they can afford it then good luck to them, but whether you can or not, I would not have missed the experience for quids, it is just a whole new way of life and looking at things and very satisfying in the main.

 

 

JRH wrote:

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5 star accomodation in motels and hotels is all very well but a lot of the people you meet there have their nose so far up in the air they will never see the ground again.

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 Ummmm........I was thinking their noses were that far up somewhere else John that they could not smell the air or the roses, lol  

 

JRH wrote:

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----SNIPP ----

5 star accomodation in motels and hotels is all very well but---SNIP---

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 Gday...

This is definitely a personal opinion. I really CANNOT enjoy any sort of holiday or break staying in any motel, let alone 5-star ones.

A legacy of having to travel this country (and overseas) in the course of my work who paid the bills and booked motels and restaurants for me at the firm's expense.

Anytime I stay in a motel I feel like I am back at work   

Ahhhh - retirement has been SOOOO good

Cheers

John