Deep Space Nine is where we dock for the night. The place we park the van, camper, motorhome, tent, ship, car etc. Whatever you use to explore our great country.
There are a few great apps and guides you can use to find your next place to dock for the night. Camps Australia Wide has a book and an App. It has been around a long time and is a trusted resource for finding legal places to stay. Wikicamps is another great App. Ownership of the App has changed and is now owned by a caravan park chain. This unfortunately has been reflected in the App and it is not as good as it once was. It is still a user generated camping app for iPhone, iPad and Android. There are also a few other options, including word of mouth.
Free camping area at Menindee, NSW
There is still plenty of free or low cost legal options to stay. There is a growing trend for “Stealth Camping” especially in the bigger towns and along the coast. It is not something we have done, mostly travelling in the outback there are plenty of places to stop.
If you are going to “stealth camp” then please be considerate. Don’t leave a mess, don’t take up more space than you need, be quiet, don’t have washing and things everywhere. Be conscious and considerate to the environment you are in. There are a few really good YouTube video’s on the subject.
One thing we are very mindful of now is being in a “Whizzbang” van. The sound the sliding door makes when it opens and closes. Coming from a caravan (wobble box) we know how some people feel about the “whizzbangers”. We have camped next to some people where one gets up to go to the loo in the middle of the night. The door whizz bangs as it opens and closes. Then again when they come back and then the next person gets up and does the same thing. And you wonder why people hate camping next to a whizzbanger. It’s not a joke, it doesn’t matter what ship you travel in, we should all be considerate to our neighbours and not slam shut any door, especially in the middle of the night.
24hr free camp at Ludlow Reserve near Woodonga, Vic
We are all fortunate to live in a country where we are free to roam, walkabout, explore. We have some amazing landscapes in our country. It is so sad when free and low cost camping areas close because of inconsiderate people who don’t care about our land, leaving a mess in their wake.
This is our land, we are all responsible for looking after it. If you are a visitor to our country we ask that you respect it, camp responsible, leave no trace, be mindful of the environment and your neighbours and we will all get along fabulously.
Live Long and Prosper