How can grey nomads commit to being in a certain place thousands of kilometres away months in advance when they don’t even want to plan where they’re going to spend the next night? Australia is not alone in facing these issues.

In the US state of California, a bill has just been introduced that would financially punish people who haven’t cancelled and then don’t show up at their reserved campsite, and it would also bar consistent no-shows from being able to make future reservations.

And in Montana, assemblyman Steve Gunderson has launched legislation in the state legislature which also aims to put the spontaneity back into the camping experience. It would see 20% of camping spots kept away from online booking and left exclusively for first-come, first-served ‘walk-in’ users.

“One cannot just load up the family into a vehicle anymore We want to be free and just head out as the sites are almost non-existent due to full-to-capacity campsites,” Mr Gunderson told the Grey Nomads. “Those sites that have online reservations typically will be reserved, but the sites are open and unused due to no shows!”

‘Fully booked’ alerts are frustrating … especially when those ‘booked’ sites are ‘no shows’.
PIC: Cizza

Australian grey nomads like Nigel Shotton, who strongly dislikes online booking, says it’s time steps were taken here to help spontaneous campers.

He says national parks should always have about 30% of sites left for ‘just-turn-up’ campers; that the booking system should only be used during peak holiday periods; that camp hosts or park rangers should always be on site to manage campgrounds; and that any booking system should accurately reflect all site sizes, accessibility and availability.

“National parks are owned by the people for the people, and the parks services were set up to provide a service to the people, and to manage the resources and environment for the people,” Mr Shotton said. “National parks or conservation parks should not be treated in the same vein as a hotel … but this is what many of the parks booking systems are trying to achieve.”

It’s now many years since online bookings for national park campsites were introduced … and it’s been a steep learning curve for all concerned.

National parks authorities now acknowledge that the systems first put in place had their share of imperfections. However, they say they have since largely ironed out the wrinkles. Translation. Online booking is here to stay.

The NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) says its ‘booking system has been a success’ and that, outside of peak season, availability was not an issue.

“NPWS is continuing to explore avenues for ensuring booked sites are used,” a spokesperson said. “Visitors who cancel get a partial refund or can transfer the money paid to a future date up to the date of arrival … people who don’t turn up, forego the fees paid.”

The Queensland Department of Environment and Science (DES) said that it was looking at upgrading its system again.

“There is always room for improvement,” DES said.

While research showed 85% of users were satisfied with its online booking, DES said it knew there were still issues.

“Sometimes changes occur in people’s travel plans and booked sites might go unoccupied,” a spokesperson said. “However, our legislation provides that if a customer has paid for camping, they have a valid permit, whether they attend the camping area or not.”

The National Parks and Wildlife Service South Australia says it continues to improve its system and visitors can now make changes to their own booking online.

“There is a fantastic community of people enjoying national parks experiences and we encourage everyone who has a booking to be mindful of others and cancel if they can’t attend,” a spokesperson said. “It’s great to see most campers do this.”

The authority said it currently had no plans to reserve any camping spots for spontaneous travellers, or to ban people who persistently book campsites and then don’t show up.

Mark Knower, Parks Victoria Senior Manager Marketing and Customer Experience, told the Grey Nomads that its new booking system was a hit.

“We think it is much easier to search for availability and choose a campground that suits your needs,” he said. “But there are always ways to improve and we’d welcome any feedback your readers have.”

WA’s Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions’ (DBCA) said upgrades made last June had made it easier for campers to cancel their bookings, although it acknowledged some people who had paid in full were still not turning up.

“While refinements to the upgraded system are still being made, it is expected the changes to Park Stay WA will reduce the number of bookings that are made but go unused,” a DBCA spokesperson said.

• Do you think the national park campsite booking system has improved? Do you think there is a better way of doing things? Comment below.