While it’s fair to say that the majority of long-term travellers are bitterly opposed to the advent of the ‘online booking for campsites’ era, there appears to be no realistic prospect that the new systems will be rolled back in any significant way.
With complaints ranging from a surge in ‘ghost bookings’ which has left ‘booked-out’ campsites largely empty to a mourning of the loss of spontaneity, those who line up against widespread online bookings feel they have a strong case.
Veteran camper Kay Kinlyside, who has been taking extended trips in tents, camper trailers, and now in an off-road van for 45 years, says the situation has gone too far.
“Pre booking is not an option for us because we travel to very remote areas where road and weather conditions can vary our travel plans by days at times,” she said.
Kay is a big fan of remote camping ... but not of the online booking system!
Like many, she feels that the old first-come-first-served, cash-in-a-box system was much better.
“I do understand though that there are travellers that are ‘less honest’ and abuse the system,” she said. “And I suppose that is one of the reasons this unwieldy, dysfunctional booking system exists.”
Kay says that online booking is the enemy of spontaneity, and that with remote travel there is the real likelihood that plans change due to road/weather/mechanical issues and – when you are in places where there is zero mobile coverage – you are unable to alter your booking.
“We have seen ‘fully booked’ camp areas empty except for us,” she said. “And we have also arrived at our booked site to find it occupied, as well as being overcharged by the online pre-booking system.”
On another occasion, Kay says she found her allocated site was for a tent instead of for the camper trailer they were travelling with.
“We used another site not knowing whether it had been booked by another traveller,” she said.
While Kay says she has always been happy to pay for even basic campsites, the complexities involved in online booking make it not worth the hassle … and she’s voting with her caravan.
“We now avoid camping in national parks and state parks that have this system in place,” she said. “Now we use either free camps or station stays.”
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If enough of us get behind it im sure this ridiculous system has to change
Another foolish system thought up by Public Servants in their plush office in Sydney just to say they are doing their job. First in best dressed is the go!
Unfortunately its all about money & making sure people are using n.p’s. I’ve found the system to work sometimes then not at others. Internet isnt always available. Booking ahead isn’t always feasible & only getting a partial refund if cancelled within 30 days is so not fair. It’s also not regulated if you book a site then to find someone else is in that site when you arrive. Or that sites have been booked but not used. Go back to the old system & have someone come once per day to check
Completely agree with the article regarding the farcical on line booking ‘system’. We too now refuse to camp in National Parks due to the inflexibility, inconvenience, frustration and the removal of freedom to choose.
Of course the system is part of the longer term aim of the Greenies and National Parks, which is to lock the general public out of them completely.
I don’t really go for that conspiracy theory.
Putting on the tinfoil cap…
Ghost bookings are caused by nomads refusing to pay a deposit so it opens the door for fake bookings. Unfortunately cant have it both ways. 14 months on the road and we love on line booking. We can plan so far ahead. Ghost booking are the camps problem to sort out they losing the income
But remember, they are not losing any income with a ghost booking
The online booking system is a very flawed system and suits only the authorities but not the people who want to use the camps .I won’t camp where online booking is required
Sadly I think it is here to stay unless huge numbers stop going. But with the big influxe of new travellers across Australia and the declining numbers of gray Nomads the writing is on the wall. Also it is a great way to reduce range staff .
It’s up to all of us to exert that change. I have now stopped visiting National Parks anywhere in Oz. If it was put in place to help us, it would be more acceptable, but, Brian Williams, I think you have hit it on the head. Less staff to organise, train and pay
Like the other comments express, the system simply “DOES NOT WORK”, it won’t change unless everyone unite and demand we go back to the old system, not perfect but hey, better than this piece of sh.te. l don’t think the authorities give a f…k
I agree with my dislike of booking sites but there is another issue to consider. If you are a family heading off to a spot for the holidays you HAVE to know you have a spot. You cannot free base it with a load of kids and this is a real need that has to be met. My solution is to have only say 75% “bookable” on line with 25% available on spec with a first come first served basis. Payment to be online. Having honesty boxes is too much of a security risk. This presupposes reliable internet.
This is a good suggestion.
I agree, the freedom to park in a National Park should be a national right and I think the system suggested with 75% bookable and 25% flexible on spec would be more suitable.
I have never used the system. But surely you should lose your fees. Make people pay in advance with low refund amounts.
Its a total waste of time complaining.
Things will never get back to the good old days when you just turned up & camped for free in any National Park in Australia.
Thankfully we travelled extensively from the mid 1970’s & enjoyed the freedom. LOL.
We’re glad that we didn’t wait until retirement to do it.
Touring with a bus we need to see the sites like many others with big rigs so
the booking system is out for us, descriptions are lacking for 12mtr that doesn’t bend in the middle around post and rail sites.
we never book sites anywhere as we just go with the flow and only a general direction of travel that can change
I’m not so concerned about the booking system – I’m more concerned about the recent NSW NPWS proposal to radically increase camping fees. If anything can make me boycott national parks it’s that.
Like others we no longer even attempt to book, if we arrive at a compsite and there are empty sites we plop in one and then look online for unbooked sites, if there are none then we utilise the day use area for overnight stops or simply move on to a free camp or roadside stop. we can do this with a motrhome as there is little to do when stopping but appreciate it doesn’t work for families and long stayers.
Was going to stay at a council caravan park in Wilcannia but had a qr code thing that was a booking code. I know nothing about how to use that so rang a number and was told I had to use the code so I went somewhere else, the park was near empty, why not have a caretaker come to collect fee. I don’t like being told by a computer if I can stay or not
Totally agree Jo.
Do away with advanced booking, or make it Ïf not there by 5 P.M. the sight is lost” Advance bookings can only be made of one day in advance, with nil return on a 1/3 deposit. I have known friends who plan a trip and book all the sights for that trip. On return they only used 3/4 of the sight and the rest went to ghosting sights. This made me angry but they don’t seem to see anything wrong with it as Other People do it to was their answer to the problem.
Tried it a couple of times and have to agree with the article, off course the system does not work it has been developed by our Government with no thought about the users and internet availability. Please go back to old system it worked.
This is a new challenge for those who live spontaneously, Gost booking, well for me that is simple, pay in advance, you are going to pay anyway, so what is the problem?
For me the issue is spontaneity. I’m not advocating the one can Camp anywhere, however if you turn up and it’s fully occupied,then it’s probably a holiday season, if you are travelling and it’s a small camping area, then it could be possible to stay one night outside the Park. A suitable pull over area could be provided.
What’s the problem with our Park organisations, no longer public friendly?
Is this an issue for areas close to major cities where townies want to get away over a long weekend and popular spots?
Happy Travels
Charlie
I have trouble while we are on the road with out phone and internet coverage, and we have two different phone providers, at the end, we just drive on.
All online bookings should be paid for in full. Refund only if you cancel 48 hours before the arrival date.
Maybe locations with internet service, number plate recognition on arrival, if you don’t turn up before the end of the day all additional days cancelled with no refund.
I don’t mind the system. Sure it might lack spontaneity but it also means you can arrive at a campsite knowing you have a spot. At popular places like Cape Range near Exmouth there would be a huge queue of people waiting to see if space was becoming available. Often one wouldn’t and that long wait was in vain and you were stranded. Now you know you have a spot and the camp hosts keep everything in order. One great change they have made is to give a refund if you can’t make it and you advise them in advance.
Dislike the pre booking – with a passion! There has to be better alternatives including a mixture of say pre book and first in best dressed! Some penalty needs to be found for those who ghost book.
The ghost booking issue can be partly solved as your booking is linked to your car rego. If you don’t turn up but haven’t cancelled, the system can flag your rego no (membership) & you’re then automatically on a banned list for future bookings for 6 months. If you do it twice, ban for 12 months & then permanently. Message would soon spread & most people would do the right thing.
Definetly. Other than NT system, all other state systems are useless for online booking.
I was always happy with the old envelope system. We avoid national parks with the log on system
Same here Geoff!
We too will be voting with our van. These parks are no longer an option for us for all and more of the reasons given by so many others.
On line never worked for me. Telephone direct the best way.
yes rethink it, not everyone can afford Starlink to be connected, remote areas have no phone service and you simply cant book ahead, and sometimes you simply don’t know where you will end up at the end of the day, you get tired or sick, you stop. This system doesnt allow for that