Finding a Safe Free Camp Site

Words by Glenn Marshall
Photography by Caravan & Motorhome on Tour

There are many fantastic free camp sites available to us all, varying from those offering serenity and solitude to those popular with other travelers. The freedom enjoyed without having to resort to paying to stay in caravan parks is something we all prefer. There are times, however, when you worry that the camp site you have chosen to stay at might be unsafe, or you might find that just as you prepare for happy hour, you are interrupted by a rowdy newcomer who arrives with music blaring, kicking up dust and creating a disturbance.

We have asked some experienced campers to offer up some tips on how they consistently find safe campsites to enjoy each night. Their advice will help you when you are planning your next trip, or setting off on the next stage of your adventure, to feel confident that you too will find safe campsites each and every night from now on.

WEBSITE FORUMS & SOCIAL PAGES

Experienced campers recommend quite a few good websites and social pages that give you the opportunity to ask questions about free campsites, either via forums or posts. It is easy to join up to any of these websites or Facebook pages and they are great tools for researching free campsites on your next trip.

One of the biggest and most popular is Exploroz (www.exploroz.com) with over 3300 paid members and 74000 registered visitors. Any question you ask on the forum about free campsites is likely to receive multiple responses that will assist you in your planning.

The Caravan and Motorhome on Tour (www.candm.com.au/forum) is also a great place to research free campsites. With over 10000 members and a Travel forum dedicated to free camping questions, you are sure to find out which free campsites on your trip are considered safe.

Another forum I subscribe to and use for research is the Expandas Downunder (www.expandasdownunder.com) that is dedicated to Jayco Expanda caravans, as well as all other Jayco caravans, caravans and motorhomes of any type. With 1700 members who just love getting out there and free camping, the forum is the ideal place to research your next trip and hear about the safe free campsites.

A couple of Facebook pages dedicated to free camping and a great place to ask about free campsites are Free Camping Victoria and Free Choice Camping. The Caravan and Motorhome on Tour Facebook page is another where like-minded travellers will help you find the safest free campsites.

SMARTPHONE APPS

By far the two most popular apps recommended for finding safe free campsites are Wikicamps and Camps Australia Wide. Wikicamps Australia will set you back a one off payment of $4.49 with no monthly subscription fees of fees for downloading additional content. Camps Australia Wide costs $39.99 to download, and also has subscription fees for live updates of $29.99 per year, $9.49 per quarter or $4.49 for one month.

Both apps allow users to easily locate free camps, rest areas, community camps, station stays, National Parks, State forests and caravan parks in your local area, or in places to which you are travelling. Users can also review camp sites and upload photographs to allow others to read about and visualise campsites, making it easier for you to choose which camp sites look safe and inviting, and those that don’t.

As Wikicamps is a dynamic user-generated camping app for Australia, all the sites that are found in the database have been added, edited and shared by users, meaning you get the most up-to-date information wherever you may be. It also means you can contribute by adding your own comments on safe camp sites.

TRAVEL BOOKS

Camps Australia Wide is without doubt the most common guide for budget and freedom camping. With over 3900 listings, the most current version of the “Travellers Bible” lists free and low cost campsites, caravan parks, station stays, national parks and rest areas around Australia, with full colour and informative symbols that depict the facilities at each campsite.

This book is great for planning your trips as you are able to reference the Hema maps contained in the guide and see where the campsites are in relation to towns and cities, and then you can see if the site is close to the roadside by checking the details of the campsite. In certain areas, camping close to town may not be considered terribly safe. Dennis Ellery, an experienced free camper recommends, “If you drive through a town with windows covered with security shutters, high mesh security fences and broken down vehicles, don’t free camp within 100kms of the place.”

INFORMATION CENTRES/PUBS/SERVICE STATIONS

When on the road, advice on the safest campsites can easily be sourced from places on your way. Information Centres are situated in most towns, and as they are staffed by locals, they will often be able to give you up to date information on the best known free campsites in the local area. To find the safest and often the best “hidden” free campsites, talking to the publican, service station clerk, butcher or shop attendant will often get you the best results. The local police station is also a recommended source for information, but not all police stations are staffed 100 percent of the time, so you may find this option a little more difficult than the others.

Another source of great information is the cocky driving slowly along the back roads in his clapped-out ute. Once you’ve overtaken him, consider stopping to flag him down. Not only will he enjoy the chat, more often than not he will know all the best places to camp. He may even offer you a safe campsite next to the billabong on his property.

NATURE AND NATURAL

There are safety considerations aside from a free campsite made unsafe by humans. Keep in mind that some campsites may be unsuitable because of dangers presented by Mother Nature or one of her creatures.

Fire danger is always something to think about when free camping. Never camp in an area where bush fires are currently burning and never light a fire where or when they are not permitted.

The potential for flooding is another trap for the unwary. Never camp in a dry river or creek bed as rain hundreds of kilometres upstream could cause a flash flood and wipe you out. Camping on river banks or flood plains can be dangerous even in light rain, especially in the black soil zones. Moving camp before it rains is always the safest option.

Local radio stations and ABC Radio are essential listening to get all the latest weather and natural disaster updates. Smartphone apps such as Weatherzone are also good tools to keep up to date with weather conditions.

You need to be aware of animals such as salt water crocodiles when camping near watercourses in Northern Australia. Dingoes can invade your campsite in search of food, so don’t leave any food scraps or shoes lying around and keep an eye on your pets. Other animals can present a problem too. Regular Caravan & Motorhome forum contributor Motherhen told me: “When camped near the Western Australia/Northern Territory border, the overseer from an adjacent station came around warning campers of a rogue wild pig which had killed a dog and attacked a person in an Aboriginal community nearby.”

What finding a safe free camp comes down to is doing as much research as you can, both before you leave and while you are travelling. This gives you the best chance of always being able to find a suitable campsite. It will also reduce the chance of you scrambling for a plan B or C as the light fails. Don’t be afraid to ask fellow travellers, tourist information centres, the publican, petrol station operator or anyone else you may bump into: word of mouth is the best form of research you can do.

It must be said, though, that it is very rare to come across undesirables who will make your free camping experience unsafe. You are more likely to be affected by a natural event such as fire, floods, wild weather or wild animals than a person who is feral.

ADVICE FROM FREE CAMPERS

Dave, an experienced caravanner from Expandas Downunder, says: “We used the Camps 7 book as our primary source of info during our trip, followed by word of mouth from other travellers we talked to at campsites we stayed at - we would usually end up comparing notes over drinks. Info centres were useful in towns but we found chatting to the locals at the pub and shops yielded better info on those hidden fishing & camping spots. At Port Augusta I wouldn’t stay anywhere but a caravan park and Alice Springs it was caravan parks also; it gets a bit rough at night.”

Bushman, a forum moderator on Expandas Downunder recommends: “Camps Australia Wide 6/7, word of mouth, reviews in mags/books and apps if you have them. Generally try to get to camp by mid-afternoon so you can check the campsite out and if you don’t like it or feel uneasy you still have time to move on.”

Notso, a forum contributor suggests: “Treat the locals as you would like to be treated yourself, listen to first-hand accounts from people who have experience in where you plan to travel and if concerned, camp where there are others around.”

ONLINE SOURCES OF INFORMATION

Forums

The Caravan & Motorhome forum has thousands of active members and experts: www.candm.com.au/forum

ExplorOz: www.exploroz.com

Expandas Downunder: www.expandasdownunder.com

Facebook Page

Visit www.facebook.com/caravanandmotorhome.

Or search for Free Choice Camping, Free Camping Australia, or Free Camping VIC.