Saturday, Dec 07, 2024 at 01:37
Absolutely you can! Theres no shortage of free/low cost camps but the issue is being able to get in/availability - the number of RVs touring is astounding so you need to get smart if you want to improve your chances of finding the good camps that arent packed out.
First, youll find many listed in the
ExplorOz Traveller app and you can see precise details on the map of the location.
We seem to have no trouble finding spots on the day we arrive. We have been touring fulltime around Australia for the past 12 months and we have a bit of a system that works for us. Each state is different but the same principles to easily finding availability at free or low cost camps apply:
1. Avoid the coast
2. Avoid being within a 2 hour radius of a city from Fri - Sunday or long weekends or school holidays
3. Avoid being in a region during its peak season
4.
Check site availability on National Park websites to get a gauge of popularity and look for less popular locations. We rarely book sight unseen and then if we like it and have no service we setup Starlink and book it on arrival.
5. Avoid camps with bitumen access
6. Seek State Forests and 4wd tracks
7. Avoid the locations people promote/recommend
8. Plan your route using
EOTopo maps and steer clear of main roads, become familiar with the colour of shaded map areas indicating
state forest and explore alternate routes through those areas.
Obviously if you dont tow a big van its so much easier to use the above principles.
Personally, we never stay in towns and rarely know where we’re headed in the next 2 hours and have no problems. You will always find a
camp in state forests and whilst National Parks need online booking they are only $7.25pp/night in Qld, and $6.30 - $24 pn in NSW plus some have no nightly fee but just have a $6 booking fee and theres tons of them. Hardly exhorbitant!!
In 2022-2023 we did a lot of remote WA in both the north and south but also the whole central Australia (and again did central WA/NT this year. Those regions offer tons of free bush camps along the dirt highways and minor tracks but most of the coastal camps and high profile locations need booking
well in advance eg
Kimberley, Karijini,
Ningaloo, Dirk Hartog,
Esperance beaches BUT there are hundreds of awesome free camps in the Wheatbelt esp at great spots like the many
granite rocks.
We’ve just spent Aug - Dec in Qld and northern NSW initially chasing waterfalls in the wet tropics then exploring the Great Dividing Range taking as much unsealed routes as we could and we have mostly been camping in National Parks that offer decent hikes. Theres hardly been anyone around and these are indeed low cost camps. Earlier this year we did 3 monthsTAS almost completely free and unplanned, and all free in Vic and usually no one at the sites we’ve chosen or only 2-3.
We will be in Tas again in Jan & Feb, then March in Vic, prob April in SA and feel confident in finding free or low cost camps as we roam.
Heres a photo of a recent
free camp we stumbled upon a few nights ago in the
Barrington Tops region (
state forest).
Free camp
And heres another not far out of Armidale.
Free camp
AnswerID:
646902
Follow Up By: ExplorOz - David & Michelle - Sunday, Dec 08, 2024 at 09:26
Sunday, Dec 08, 2024 at 09:26
I should clarify that many of the
showgrounds, and Rv stops and station stays now charge MORE than what we consider “low cost” and a LOT more than National Parks. Take for example $35 at many
showgrounds, and also council or water corp operated dams - vs $7.25per adult ($14.50) per couple at a Qld NP. Also most of the Hipcamp listed private properties are charging far too much - $50pn is not unusual ($25pp) and often you dont get power and water for that so they are at the price of a Discovery Park!
Also, look carefully at the real cost of NSW NP camping whilst SOME do indeed require a park entry fee charge on top of camping fees we have not yet been to any of these as many of the remote/less popular spots are free.
FollowupID:
927652
Follow Up By: Member - Cuppa - Tuesday, Dec 17, 2024 at 16:02
Tuesday, Dec 17, 2024 at 16:02
Very pleased (& a bit relieved) although not overly surprised at what you've posted David & Michelle.
Sounds like things are still pretty much as we've always found them, but having been 'off the
road' since June '23, and reading various internet sources it would be easy to get the impression that the opportunities for
free camping have dwindled enormously, & possibly they have for the hordes who follow the
well beaten track. However for slow travellers like us, with a preference for bush & off the beaten track it still sounds just fine.
I have regularly read recommendations for Hipcamps, which have sounded appealing, but I agree they charge far too much & were it not for your prior warning I would have been shocked to roll up at some
showgrounds only to be asked for more than $10pp/pn.
FollowupID:
927758