self contained vehicles

goldenyears · Senior Member

self contained vehicles

blaze · Guru

always amuses me when grey nomads complain about backpackers. I have found often, that the ones that complain the most are the worst offenders. just saying
cheers
blaze

Whenarewethere · Guru

I was in Tassie last year, can't stand staying with the masses, so I look for quiet locations overnight, it's not that difficult one just needs to try a bit, & use a spade if there are no amenities in the area.

The Travelling Dillberries · Guru

Couldn't agree more Goldenyears. We spent 8 weeks there and the only time we saw rubbish left everywhere it was from French backpackers, should ban em. Loud disrespectful grubs. We had a couple of chats with them, to no avail. Tasmania would be better served without them.

Mariner30 · Senior Member

This season seems to be the worst for non self contained campers ruining it for others on the Tas east coast, Camping in town streets, outside peoples houses where there are no facilities etc etc Hiding their cooking rubbish behind trees etc You can guess what some of these spots smell like after they wake up in the mornings...and they're not all backpackers

Eaglemax · Guru

Not only overseas backpackers are loud, young Aussies when overseas suddenly increase there volume of voices and automatically acquire the desire to sing Waltzing Matilda that they never sang in their home country. Must be a travelling youth thing along with no respect. Tony

Whenarewethere · Guru

Around where I live it is the locals & it smells like a sewer in the morning. The council locks the couple of dozen toilets every night so they don't get vandalized. Also dog owners put dog waste in a bag & chuck it over the fence into gardens. It's gets a bit tedious over the decades.

elliemike · Guru

Eaglemax wrote:
Not only overseas backpackers are loud, young Aussies when overseas suddenly increase there volume of voices and automatically acquire the desire to sing Waltzing Matilda that they never sang in their home country. Must be a travelling youth thing along with no respect. Tony

I can't agree with you more. We were all that age once, and travelling abroad (I was at sea ) we tended to think we could let off steam. Australians tend to call it being a "Larrikin"

I think blaming Overseas Backpackers for all Australia's Campsite and Rest Area Litter and Dumping is the easy way out.

I witnessed a few years ago a coach load of "Australian Youth" (supervised as well). Stop at a tourist beauty spot.

Having previously picked up their Maccas meal they proceeded to all tuck in. When they left they took "no" packaging or containers with them. It was mostly left where they ate it. That would be a group of maybe Forty Five !

Those witnessing this act protested as they drove off. We other travellers proceeded to clean the litter up. That included overseas "Backpackers"

-- Edited by elliemike on Monday 3rd of February 2020 10:57:22 AM

the rocket · Guru

Yes we have. Grubs come in all nationalities but its the french we have seen bathing at a tap naked and others walking around in a gstring only. smile

-- Edited by the rocket on Monday 3rd of February 2020 11:59:55 AM

Dougwe · Chief one feather

Struth Rocket, I need to hang out at those places.

Unless of course it was Strop practicing his French.

Whenarewethere · Guru

There are more G-strings at Coles in Manly that tomatoes on shelves...... I'm not complaining!

blaze · Guru

the rocket wrote:
Yes we have. Grubs come in all nationalities but its the french we have seen bathing at a tap naked and others walking around in a gstring only.

-- Edited by the rocket on Monday 3rd of February 2020 11:59:55 AM

I dont see a problem with that, It is the same mindset that thinks people are raped because of there dress. They are clean and healthy

cheers

blaze

TheHeaths · Guru

I must admit that the only person I have seen dumping toilet waste at an overnight camp (Baxter RA out of Caiguna on the Nullarbor) was a grey nomad, in an Island Star caravan from SA (where I live), emptying the cassette on the ground less than 100 metres from the dump point!

It is too easy to blame one group, when all groups have their grubs.

-- Edited by TheHeaths on Monday 3rd of February 2020 12:54:39 PM

Aussie1 · Guru

TheHeaths wrote:
I must admit that the only person I have seen dumping toilet waste at an overnight camp (Baxter RA out of Caiguna on the Nullarbor) was a grey nomad, in an Island Star caravan from SA (where I live), emptying the cassette on the ground less than 100 metres from the dump point!

It is too easy to blame one group, when all groups have their grubs.

-- Edited by TheHeaths on Monday 3rd of February 2020 12:54:39 PM

Whilst I find that totally unacceptable, with the reputation of the Baxter Rest Dump Point area being so untidy due to lack of attention from the bureaucrats responsible on a regular basis, the offenders were more than likely in a state of ill health as a result of the stench of that place and were probably disoriented when they emptied their cassette. I gave up some time back contacting the bureaucrats as well as local authorities. Every time we are there its a shovel for me.

bgt · Guru

Some years back there was a survey/study of rubbish left at rest areas. The number one item was? Yes the things that hold number twos. Nappies. Now how many backpackers and Grey nomads are traveling with babies? We have spent many years traveling overseas. Mostly RVing in the USA. Trash isn't an obvious issue in the USA. But here in Australia it can be very bad. Attitude comes from parents. The same parents who think it's OK to drop used nappies on the ground at a rest area.

Nevd · Senior Member

Baxter RA dump point is a gem. As a young fella one of my jobs was the old style garbo - jumping fences with bin on shoulder. One part of the job was to empty the thunderbox pans of houses that hadn't yet been connected to sewerage. No problem - just part of the job. Pulled into Baxter recently to empty the cassette - I couldn't handle it. With no water to wash it down, and baking in the heat it was the foulest setup I've come across. Went to Balladonia roadhouse van park & used the facilities there. Cassette didn't get emptied until we hit Kalgoorlie.

Greg 1 · Guru

I have checked out Baxter to dump the cassette but did the bypass for the same reasons. Very feral.

goldenyears · Senior Member

Blaze I wonder how amusing it would be for you having people urinate behind your vehicle !! and rubbish just left everywhere ! always amuses me when theres people like u defending this kind of action !! disbelief

TheHeaths · Guru

Goldenyears,

It is not a case of defending the actions. I for one think it is indefensible, and is purely laziness in action.

It is a case of pointing out that it is not just backpackers who do this sort of thing.

I can only talk as I find things, and with my comment on Baxter, I agree the toilet has proved to be problematic, but the day in question the dump point was not offensive, and the person involved, if they felt unable to use the point should not have just emptied their cassette immediately behind their van where others would be parking.

Mike Harding · Guru

Back packers, grey nomads, people with babies and nappies...

I doubt it's dominant in any one group rather my observation over the decades is that pigs are pigs no matter their background and never change - it's probably largely learned from their parents and passed to their children. They live the same way at home.

elliemike · Guru

It was 1968 and I was on a ship in the Indian ocean heading for Fremantle. I read a book from our onboard library, about a Cambridge University group who came to Australia in the late 50's to study rare and endangered birds. It was extremely interesting for me reading about travelling in remote Australian Regions. Not at all like what we had around Liverpool UK. They even went to Cape York.

They were being assisted by an Australian Uni, and the Australian Army supplied Army Trucks.

One photograph in this book amused me at the time. It was a track across a featureless terrain The caption read. "You cant miss the track even at night" They were referring to the Beer Bottles and Broken Glass lining both sides of the road.

At night the glass acted like cats eyes marking both edges of the track.

Litter in Australia's Outback and country areas is nothing new. But with more people getting out there the percentage of Litterbugs and Dumpers rises accordingly.

I guess before the huge increase in overseas travellers and young backpackers holidaying and travelling around Australia, There was a Litter problem.

Copied from WiKi

Clean Up Australia Day was first held in January 1989.^[3] The idea was born out of an Australian Bicentenary event, "Clean-Up Lake Macquarie", which was instigated in 1987 by Ivan Welsh as Mayor of Lake Macquarie.^[4] Then followed the local "Clean Up Sydney Harbour" event in 1989 with more than 40,000 volunteers who collected some 5,000 tonnes of rubbish. The 1990 Clean Up Australia Day event was launched by the then prime minister, Bob Hawke, over the initial opposition of the then state premier, Nick Greiner.^[5] Greiner later reversed his position and offered his support for the event.^[6]

Ozzie_Traveller · Senior Member

G'day all

Without any negatives for the O.P here as this topic has been aired many times ...

This is precisely why more & more venues and local councils are adopting a volunteer Camp Host to be on site, to meet & greet and to pass onto new arrivals the "laws of the land" as defined by the council or local authorities.

We have camp hosted at a variety of locations now over the last 3-4 years

In each case, we have had the pleasure of meeting & greeting dozens of RV arrivals, and ensuring that if Self-Contained is required by the council, then all vehicles -do- have a proper toilet and "personal washing facilities within the vehicle"

We have just finished yet another 10-day camp hosting visit to the Sporties Club in Tuncurry. The significant thing here is the recent media statement by the Club Manager stating "in the 3 years that the RV overnighting scheme has been offered to travellers, we have NEVER had to send cleaners out to the RV site to clean up rubbish"

Hope this provides suitable ideas for readers and local others
Phil