Free campsites

Petemox · Veteran Member

Free campsites

Possum3 · Guru

Peter most "Nomads" use Wikicamps app on their tablets to locate free and low-cost camp areas. Combine that with the Camps12 book to do pre-planning and you will save Thousands.

I like your planned itinerary - have a ball out there and stay safe.

Petemox · Veteran Member

Thanks for the advice. I had a quick look at this last night but couldn't make sense of it. Must have another go. cheers.

Bobdown · Guru

x 2 for Wikicamps.

You can plan your trip at home before you leave or just go thru the route you are taking and read the comments on the green tent sites.

If they are good, click on the heart to make them a favourite, and then bring up the map when you get near and look for all your favourites nearby.

A bit planning can save a lot of hassle later on.

Cheers Bob

mixo · Senior Member

Wikicamps is the bomb. I refuse to pay 80+ dollars for an 8 hour overnight stay at a caravan park with my family of 5.

Any town that has low-cost facilities I will stay longer i.e Longreach and Kimba for example.

Edit: Norsman is another one, but what I am finding now is we are slowing down because of these quality stops.Also the gravel pit is your friend!

I don't mind spending money at a caravan park at my destination, but in-between not anymore.

mixo

-- Edited by mixo on Tuesday 6th of June 2023 08:21:02 AM

Petemox · Veteran Member

Thanks for the suggestions about wikicamps. will follow it up.

-- Edited by Petemox on Tuesday 6th of June 2023 08:33:42 AM

Petemox · Veteran Member

Hi, in my searches about free camping I can across this site. It has an excellent section on free rest areas including photos, maps, reviews etc. Well worth looking at for anyone seeking free lay overs. I will test it out when we are on the road and contribute some reviews.

www.grumpygreynomads.com/

Possum3 · Guru

Peter, I have just had a look at the grumpy nomads site;

It appears to have the beginnings of a practical site although;

It is easy to navigate although I was unable to obtain any practical information regarding reviews (It is written in the first person which makes me believe it to be a bit of smoke and mirrors to solicit advertising).

The Rest stop information appears to be a compilation from Visitor Centre, rather than personal visitation.

I did have difficulty in locating how to review RV's.

On the other hand it could develop into a useful site.

Wannabe nomad · Senior Member

I plan whole trips via wikicamps
It gives me a rough idea of distances, camps with or without certain facilities, and (as I have no power) when, and where I will need to choose a caravan park, with a full camp kitchen, And a ball park figure of cost.
I had a look at next, roughly planned trip, and wiki informed me that one of my fave free bush camps has permanently closed giving me prior notice.
I like the filters on it, I change them to Caravan parks when I'm due for a CP stop and back to camps when not. I find doing it that way the screen is less crowded

SoloMC · Senior Member

I've been full time traveller for many years and wikicamps app is my go to in order to find free and cheap camps There are thousands of them, learn the app and go free

Tony LEE · Guru

Wikicamps - but use the filters to show only free camps. In the last year of being on the road all but 2 nights were at free campsites. Our bill for the year is $20. Yes, some are roadside stops, but most are scenic my travels on Polarsteps https://www.polarsteps.com/TonyLee23 Will give you an idea of what to expect at free camps. https://photos.app.goo.gl/h9hcityy3crVHFGA8 are the filter settings I use which excludes donation camps too

Roger Roger · Veteran Member

Hi Peter Wikicamps is the easiest we have found to use over 5 years. We free camp mostly, does depend how you are set up, we can go about 5 days without filling water tanks or dumping out, that time normally gives plenty of flexibility in finding facilities. We do use showgrounds or recreation grounds if the facilities are not freely available. Most showgrounds have a free dump point We only use caravan parks when meeting up with friends, and then find we do not use their facilities. Getting the laundry done is the hardest, and use google maps to find laundromats. Then ensure on the map we can park within a reasonable distance. Gravel pits for the out of way places, some show on Wikicamps, some you just find, plan on stopping before 3 pm to find free camps

Dick0 · Guru

WikiCamps is a great app!

I set up a list of filters to quickly reference Free and Donation Camps, Dump Points, Drinking Water, Showers, Laundry, Caravan Parks, Mobile & TV Reception etc.

Cuppa · Guru

Another vote for Wikicamps even though we mainly use it as our 'Plan B' for camp sites If looking for a dump point it's usually our first choice when in inhabited areas. .

Rarely do we plan our camps far ahead when travelling, because we never know what might take our interest along the way.

Generally we begin to look for a suitable spot around mid afternoon, & often find ourselves a secluded spot to hide away for the night. It's a skill we have improved with practice .

Plan B - Wikicamps comes into play if we haven't found anything suitable by around 4pm. Nothing worse than not having found anywhere before it gets dark.

Our preference is to camp alone, just us & nature, & if places are listed in Wikicamps or similar they have a greater possibility of having others camping there too. Mind you we have found some wonderful sites to ourselves from Wikicamps, but more so in the more remote, less travelled areas.

Most listed will not be overcrowded unless you only stick to the more popular routes.

We bush camp probably around 95% of the time.

Petemox · Veteran Member

Thanks for the replies. I have joined wikicamps now. cheers.