Travel Etiquette

Rip and Rosie · Guru

Travel Etiquette

jules47 · The Happy Helper

Have been reading another forum regarding the state some people leave campsites in - and they have a section called "travel etiquette" - thought this section might be of use to new travellers - (sorry about the "bold" but can't seem to change it).

I know most of us are responsible, but this issue has opened a can of worms on the other forum (Exploroz-if you are interested) - I ams ure we have all seen the mess around rubbish bins, that are already full - why can't people take their rubbish home in plastic bags - there are enough of them around - we all get them when we shop. mThere is also a link where you can "dob in a litterer".

"Rubbish

Rubbish must never be buried in the outback - animals will dig it up and then the wind will spread the rubbish all over the place. This also includes toilet paper - if you dig a hole, then you must also burn the toilet waste - covering with soil is not enough.

You should never leave bits of food scraps or unburned rubbish in your campfire, such as tins and cans. It is certainly ok to thoroughly burn small bits of plastic & cardboard packaging at your campfire when in remote areas where no rubbish facilities are provided for you, but you should bag and carry all your hard rubbish until you reach a township or property where you can dispose of it properly into bins or a tip. It is typical for outback tips, even in townships, to burn all their waste so don't be fooled into thinking that is inappropriate for you to lighten your load a little during your travels. It is sometimes necessary. In some areas you may need to plan to carry 2 weeks of rubbish so be prepared with adequate bags or tubs.

ExplorOz is proactive in helping travellers carry out their rubbish and has designed a rubbish bin-bag that can be carried over your spare wheel mounted to the rear of your vehicle, van or trailer. Most people simply tie up their rubbish in plastic shopping bags and drop them into this vinyl carry bag. You can carry a large number of rubbish bags this way and keep smells, flies, and leaks out of your way until a rubbish pit or bin is found. See the Spare Wheel Rubbish Bag in our shop.

As in the photo, if the bin is full don't leave more rubbish! Take it with you. We also encourage you to report cases of littering. The Keep Australia Beautiful organisation has a website where you can dob-in a litterer "

Yuglamron · Guru

Hi Jules,

I have been pretty vocal about the closure of free camping grounds citing cost and greed of Caravan Parks. I know lots of other factors too.

The fact that many modern motorhomes and caravans are self contained and are pretty much self sufficient and can do without the facilities offered in CP's.We just need a powered or unpowered site for a night or two at a reasonable cost.

Note the editorial today with yet another site for free camping being lost to use.

It does seem ridiculous to have self contained rigs and spread your litter around making the country into a rubbish tip.

Yes the majority of people are sensible and do the right thing, but we have all seen the rest areas with toilet paper 'Streamers' and overflowing bins.

It surely doesn't take much to drop it in the next bin on your travels.

Gerty Dancer · Guru

Good post Jules! One reason we have free-camped less on recent trips was the filthy, sickening state of some of the campsite/rubbish tips. People just go to the toilet on the ground, not even behind a bush, and leave it there for the blowflies, and wind blows the paper as streamers all over the place. As you say, it doesnt take much to leave your site tidy when you leave.
I dont mind cleaning up a few papers and stuff like that but theres no way I'm going to shovel sh!t. I suspect that caravanners and motorhomers arent really responsible, have caught a family stopped who allowed their child to poo beside the car, and were about to drive off. When I called out "arent you going to clean that up?" I just got a stare before the driver jumped behind the wheel and took off. They couldnt care less.

Happywanderer · The Master

It is so easy to carry small shopping plastic bags, hang them on a hook, when they are full tie off the top and find a rubbish bin along the way to drop them into. No need to leave rubbish lying around, its a dirty habit by a few dirty people who don 't care.

jules47 · The Happy Helper

Today in Charleville, walking along came to a rubbish bin - beside it was a crumpled up paper bag - idiot couldn't even be bothered to lift the lid of the bin - so I did and put it in - have even seen this in caravan parks!!

-- Edited by jules47 on Tuesday 28th of August 2012 06:45:31 PM

Sheba · Guru

Who do you dob them in to ?

If you click on the relevant link in the original Post, you will see that there are links for every state.

Cheers,

Sheba.

-- Edited by Sheba on Tuesday 28th of August 2012 08:19:57 PM

Brenda and Alan · Guru

Rubbish left lying around really gets my dander up too! Alan and I have just finished a 10 week trip around the Flinders Ranges and up to Broken Hill. I have lost count of the number of babies' nappies left lying by the side of the rest stops or along tracks in national parks. What is wrong with people? Empty coke cans is another thing. They can carry the full one into the park, but when they drink it the can suddenly becomes too heavy for them to crush and put into their backpack or pocket to carry out again.

neilnruth · Guru

Wouldn't it be wonderful if all travellers lived by the motto: Leave a place cleaner than you found it. But that would be in a perfect world and this isn't unfortunately. Those of us who care can just continue to do our bit and trust it makes a difference. Hopefully our example will rub off.

Beth54 · Guru

I really don't understand people not picking up they're rubbish, or for that matter, throwing rubbish ou the car window.

Maybe they aren't taught that when they're young. I'm not making excuses, just trying to find their reasoning.

When my nieces Ukrainian husband first came to Australia, he was very thoughtless about rubbish. Apparently there's lots of rubbish lying around in the Ukraine. Who'd have thought! His new family very quickly taught him otherwise. Now he joins in the Clean up Australia Campaign.

aussietraveller · Guru

sloppy uncouth people leave rubbish at camp sites its not the first time and probably not the last time that I have picked up rubbish but certainly not toilet paper or baby nappies I believe that if we all when on the road pick up a bit of the rubbish and dispose of it properly we will make a difference.

I don't know if councils would take any notice but if you see someone throwing rubbish out of a car window or leaving it at a roadside or free camp take down their rego number and email it with a note to the local council they may just get a fine for littering.

jules47 · The Happy Helper

Did you see the bit at the bottom of my post about "dob in a litterer" - might be good to google it and have the details handy.

Beth54 · Guru

jules47 wrote:
Did you see the bit at the bottom of my post about "dob in a litterer" - might be good to google it and have the details handy.

I'd be happy to dob in a litterer! smile furious

jules47 · The Happy Helper

Ditto!!

dave289 · Member

just a point of interest, what happens after you dob in a litterer, who do you dob him in to ?

Delta18 · Guru

dave289 wrote:
just a point of interest, what happens after you dob in a litterer, who do you dob him in to ?

This will work in Western Australia, surely other states have a similar thing??

Cheers Neil

ChrisandPeter · Senior Member

A couple of weeks ago we took a group of boys to Moreton Island for a Biology camp.
During the tome we stressed that they must pick up after themselves and taught them to leave the place better than they found it.
We did a half hour beach pick up and i think that it really impacted on them the amount of rubbish that is left about.
Hopefully they will remember this whenever they go camping and it will amke a difference!

Lorries · Veteran Member

This is something I have posted on OzeRv, ExploreOz, C & M and Caravaner forums so I best share it here as well

We need to lift our game

Having been on the road now since early March I have travelled over 14,000 kms in Vic, NSW and Qld and am yet to return home. I have mainly free camped and I have observed much. I have come to the conclusion that we are our own worst enemy and need to lift our game if we want our camping options to remain open. I will most likely be hung, drawn and quartered for saying what is to follow but it needs to be said and it needs to be read and heard or we suffer the consequences.

It is through ignorance that some things happen but it is also through our own lack of respect for our fellow traveller and the environment.

Some of the issues I have seen are:

1. People coming out in the morning and just emptying their overnight bucket outside the van/whizzbang, caravan or motorhome and yes camper trailers and tents as well.

2. Councils having good intentions of doing the right thing by installing dump points at rest areas (and there is a tank and tap there) but the tank is empty (afterall it is dry season up north so no rain to replenish the tank anyway). The dump points are obviously a mess.

3. People using non maintained old toilet blocks long since switched off in what used to be rest areas but now not maintained how could they even think about it when you see the mess.

4. Dump points (CMCA/Kea sponsored one) that was putrid because someone had dismantled the tap etc (a search of the web said it had been like that since at least March this year and I was there end of July). I contacted CMCA to see if they could get it rectified. I had photos to prove both the mess and the ownership/sponsorship which NHQ requested.

5. Rest areas where it is obvious there is a shortage of water (just look around at the dry creek and dry grass) and the tanks are empty yet people continue to use the toilets even though they will not flush (and yes some were motorhomes that would have had their own on board facilities why would you not use your own in these circumstances?)

6. With point 5, the council came out later in the day and tried to clean the facilities but of course no water so a tanker came out and partly filled one tank you then had people standing under the tap outside just letting the water run over their feet for no reason and not for a short while either. They were there when the tanker came in so should have known better. You then also had everyone filling up containers etc the next town was only 10kms away that water in the tanker was not for that purpose.

7. You then have the sad situation of one of the more popular camp spots to be shut shortly because the sewerage system cannot cope due to the sheer overload on the facilities. One night there were up to 80 vehicles there of all shapes and kinds. Why is it that you will walk a long way to the facilities but yet you have your own on board. You cannot stay any longer than 3 nights anyway so you should have ample capacity (or near ample and about 8kms away is a dump point).

8. There are donation boxes at many of these places but I reckon that not much is collected and when it is donated I watched and photographed someone then promptly try to help themself to it.

9. You also see people get out an axe and chop down small trees etc for firewood when there is a sign that says no fires and yes these were motorhomers on their way back from the Sale Rally. I have since heard that this site is also on the closure list cant always blame the Caravan Park Lobbyists.

10. Why is it that campers take pets into National Parks and their camp sites when there are lots of signs around that say no animals allowed.

11. Why is it that some campers do not clean up after their pets?

12. Grey water disposal is an issue I dont know the answer to, but it seems that few caravans and smaller vans have much holding capacity for grey water and it goes straight onto the ground. Having said that Motorhomes are not immune either as they let their grey water go on the bitumen at rest areas and there is not necessarily a drainage system in place for this.

13. Over flowing garbage bins yet people still try to squeeze stuff in or leave it on the ground for the wild life to have a go at rather than taking it with you.

14. Staying in No Camping signed spots overnight.

I could probably go on and on with what I have observed but we are our own worst enemy at times and we will blame the Caravan Park Lobby for camp spot closures but in actual fact it is us that is the cause in some instances (not all).

In my opinion there needs to be an education program amongst all RVers as to what is the correct camping procedures in a modern society (not how our mums and dads used to do it). Also what does self contained mean and if an area is for self contained vehicles only then you dont go in unless you are. It is no good anymore that the non complying vehicles say, but we should be able to do what we want. You are either self contained or you are not. It is no good saying, but that little bit of grey water or that little bit of urine or toilet paper will not hurt. No it will not BUT in ever increasing numbers it will and that is what we have more and more people free camping. To some people self contained means that that they bring everything with them (food, water, beds, chairs etc) but not that it means you take it all with you as well.

We need Education. Care for your campsites or lose them.

Lorraine Smith CMCA N55008

jetj · Guru

Well done Lorraine!

jules47 · The Happy Helper

Lorraine - I think it was maybe your original post on EO or CF that I saw.

Lorries · Veteran Member

Yes, it has gone onto many forums - it started with OzeRv and was requested to go elsewhere on the basis that maybe, just maybe some would see it and change their ways.

jules47 · The Happy Helper

That was a great post Lorries - and as Chrisandpeter wrote - we need to teach our kids from an early age to respect our environment - I am not a "greenie" - but there are some things I would not do, and have taught my kids (now all grown) not to do - like throw orange peel in the bush - it takes something like 25 years to break down, birds or animals don't eat it, it doens't belong in the bush - same with banana skins, apple cores and all the rest - there are so many plastic bags around, instead of letting them blow in the wind, use them for rubbish, takes nothing to have one in your pocket and put rubbish in as you go -

Fella I know was at a camping area a while ago, some young blokes had a party the night before, throwing empty bottles all around. Next morning, they are up packing to leave, bottles still everywhere, this bloke went over to them with plastic garbage bags and said, here you go, pick up all your rubbish, and put it in the bin - which was provided - a huge skip by the way! They just went ahead and did as he said - cleaned up their whole campsite - well done, I thought.

Wheelchair Nana · Veteran Member

Hi we are new to the forum and only bought our van in March but have been campers for 27 years wth 4 kids I definatly agree with Lorraine we have always taught our kids to leave only footprints. Once the tent is down and everything is packed we then do what we call "Walk the site" and pick up anything that does not belong there.

I know they have continued this into there Adult lives and are teaching there children the same.

When we are ready to leave a place both my husband and I clean the area where we are camed and also the area around us, I have one of those long grabbing sticks for picking up stuff includding nappies.

"Our motto only leave footprints"

Cruising Granny · Guru

Selfishness, laziness and inconsideration for others are all reasons the problems noted above.
As for the nappies, cans etc alongside the bins. These are considered by some of our residents to be "white man's rubbish", therefore white man must clean it up.
The rest is just incomprehensible.
In recent weeks I've travelled to the Pilbara via the Goldfields Highway. To SW Qld via the Strezlecki Track, twice. From Port Augusta to Emerald, Qld via Broken Hill, Bourke, Barcaldine etc.
The full rubbish bins continue to overflow. Some parking bays don't have bins so it's expected that travellers will take it with them.
There is no single answer. It always comes back to the individual. Then it goes back to the councils and roads departments.
We as respected and respectable grey nomads have a lot of responsibility, and most of us take this responsibility very seriously.
Much of the rubbish is left by locals or day travellers, not we happy campers.
Truck stops can also be putrid, but not by the truckies. Most of them are very aware of the impact of their actions.
Just do your bit as best you can. Hopefully others will follow our example.