The rights and wrongs of offering camping areas exclusively for the use of self-contained vehicles has sparked fierce debate in grey nomad circles. Veteran travellers Gazza and Shazza Walker have seen the good, the bad and the ugly of life on the road. Here, they share their insight:
“I guess there are grubs no matter where you go. Yes, there are those in big rigs that leave a mess but, in our experience, having travelled over the years by motorcycle and swag, 4WD and tent, campervan, car and caravan, and now self-contained motorhome, the mess left behind by those too bloody lazy to walk 15 or 20 yards in to the scrub, dig a hole for their ablutions and bury it, is by far the most disgusting.
“There were places on Cape York 25 years ago where people camped on the banks of any of the pristine rivers on the Cape York Development Rd, or anywhere for that matter, and left little stinking fly-covered piles of their dung, with accompanying paper, so close to where they camped, the stink must have been hard to sleep with. And then throw in a couple of well-filled disposable nappies for good measure! And the numbers of these little ‘land mines’ were mind boggling in places.
“Our kids from about six years old, knew to take the fold-up shovel and toilet roll, walk well into the bush, dig do and bury, then put a little stick in the dirt to mark it. And, even to this day, we are truly amazed at the rubbish and ‘land mines’ left at some roadside park-ups, just 10 or 15 feet in to the bush from where they parked … and still too lazy to bury it, and some even emptying toilet cassettes straight on the ground!
“So, when you see this in so many places, you can understand why the self-contained rules are being used at least as an attempt to mitigate the problem somewhat. I do feel for those that are doing the right thing, as we used to, but how else can the ‘grubs’ be kept at bay?
“And the cost to put in toilets of any kind, with the Work, Health & Safety legislation that is increasingly restrictive, is significant. Then, there is the upkeep etc. But there is also a cost to police the self-contained policies.
“We chose to go self contained for our own convenience but, most certainly, don’t consider those that aren’t a “lesser traveller”! Also these days, you might have to walk for miles to get the privacy to ‘dig, do and bury’!
“What is the answer? Buggered if I know! We too go by the adage “leave only footprints” … but unfortunately, the grubs don’t!”
