The recent decision by WA’s Shire of Ravensthorpe Council to plan towards relocating its free camping area in the popular spot of Hopetoun has certainly sparked a strong reaction from grey nomads.
Many say they will no longer stop there, and will instead stock up in provisions at Esperance some 200 kilometres away.
And similar pledges have been made about other towns which no longer encourage budget camping.
The issue has, of course, reignited the wider debate about what – if any – benefits hosting a free, or budget campsite delivers to local communities … and whether free campers really do ‘earn their keep’ by opening their wallets at local businesses like pubs, cafes, shops, and fuel outlets.
The free camping spot at Mendooran is a short stroll away from the pub and the cafe.
A number of grey nomads weighing in on the issue via Grey Nomad channels say the proof of the pudding is in the spending receipts.
Nicholas said the big free camp on the Gywdir River within walking distance of the NSW town of Bingara was a great example of what can be done.
“They ask travellers to put receipts of what they spent in a box at the local IGA,” he said. “We spoke to the butcher and he said 30% of his sales is from travellers … he said ‘if l didn’t have that l wouldn’t be able to employ my apprentice’.”
And Rell said the docket bin at IGA was so jammed full when she was there that the lady at the counter said just toss the dockets in the garbage.
Similarly, Paul said that at the RV donation park on the outskirts of the SA town of Peterborough, there is a container for visitors to put their purchase receipts in so the town can evaluate the benefit of providing the park.
And Tracey said it was similar deal at Yongala, 10 kilometres from Peterborough.
“They often have nice messages on the receipts,” she said. “And, as a bonus, Yongala also has toilets.”
Veteran grey nomad, Mark, is one of the many grey nomads who raves about the free camping spot in the inland NSW town of Mendooran.
“I really appreciate what they provide there,” he said. “And, of course, we stroll up to the pub for a meal, and we also have a coffee in the café in the mornings … it’s the least we can do.”
And it’s also not just about what you spend … it’s about being part of the community.
Sherl says free or cheap stops can just be so much fun, too. She recalls one stop in partciular from a few years ago.
“We stayed next to the Bouldy Pub in Bouldercombe, Queensland, and they were having a small music festival,” she said. “We had a meal, and drinks and lots of entertainment … and ended up staying two nights.”
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We always support local small businesses wherever we stay. If we stay in a low cost camp, we stay longer, spend more.
Of course they do, plain bloody common sense. But Like John Laws said, “Common Sense is remarkably uncommon”.
Where do these Council Idiots think people get their breakfast cereal from? Harvesting it by jumping over a fence?
To be fair, the councils are responsible for mess and sewage —- so, there’s two sides to this. Councils and locals should be talking to each other
That doesn’t mean everyone should be penalised for the crime of others.
Find the culprit and deal with those offenders
They did a similar thing od collecting receipts of local purchases t our favourite free camp in Kandamga QLD, about 20 min south/west of Gympie… they got so many receipts, the local council actually put in paved areas’to -ark at, as well as an amazing fire pit with seats all around it for all to enjoy… definitely worth putting in your receipts, we stop there at least once every 2 months or so
Fabulous
If you stay t Norseman free camp you will a box to put your receipts in, they have also sectioned areas for you to park in. Do not tell me this system doesn’t work because you will cop a gob full from me.
Had the privilege of staying a Hopetoun free camp area, lovely spot. Spent money in the town, takeaway groceries, paid entry national park and brought from the local Market at the time. Then travelled to Ravensthorpe and spent more money in their town. Fuel for car and ourselves.Would love to go back to Houptoun . But if they can’t scratch our back we are not going to scratch theirs as the saying goes. If we stay at a free or low cost camp always spend at the least, at one business in that place.
Well said!!
If you’re are too tight to pay for camping I very much doubt you’ll pay the exorbitant prices for groceries at the IGA.
It’s not about being too tight to pay for camping but some like the less built up destinations and be able to use their own set ups and rock up in their own time. Everyone has to eat so why not spend in iga even if it’s a small amount!
I don’t think ‘tight’ has got anything to do with it. It’s expensive paying for a powered site, even for a non-powered tent site! And you’re staying in your own accommodations. But you need that toilet paper, bread, butter and milk. Regardless of the price.
Most people are purchasing all those items in the bigger towns at the cheaper woollies and Coles.,
We have found IGA so much better than coles in Kununurra
Not so. I routinely use free camps which are often in small country towns (eg Manila NSW) and I deliberately buy groceries there to demonstrate appreciation for the town. So do other travellers I know personally.
It’s not about being tight, most van parks charge more than a weeks rent on a house and that’s for a unpowered camp site.
If you stay in free or low-cost places you then have the money to spend else where. Everyone has to eat and drink and buy fuel.
When you’re on a budget, these places are a god send, so people are more than happy to give back to the community.
It’s all about giving back to the people with big hearts, and shouldn’t be about greed.
Not true, the quality of IGA food is far superior to other supermarkets.Lot less waste.
What a load of BS…..we seek cheaper stays so we can spend in towns. that allows us to support small businesses.
It’s not about being tight but if you have a self contained vehicle with toilet, shower etc and you are travelling and just want to stay overnight or few hours rest why would you want to stay at a caravan park
This oft used excuse that free camps encourage people to spend is a bit of a falsehood. Let’s be honest if you’ve run out of diesel, food, spares parts etc you will spend in a town irrespective of if it has a free camp or not.
I am all in favour of low cost (not free as someone has to pay and nothing in life is free) camping but please don’t use the excuse that you will bypass towns without free camps because that is simply not true
Generally we plan ahead so hence we pull up and spend our money where WE choose!!
The more things that are free..is a return to how life used to be.. ethical and just. It is true…a big eff you comes into people’s minds including me, if you charge for accommodation such as camping. I’ll deliberately stealth camp and won’t give a cent to the town who decides to make life difficult by charging low or high fees for camping
Agree, if you can buy some coffees, have a meal at the pub, surely, as you say, a contribution to the maintenance of the area is valid. Also agree that fees could be say $10-20 per site
I have many times, im not paying 45 dollars a night, I’m off grid,
If caravan parks are charging that much a night for a camp site they are ripping people off and that’s why we all free camp in our self contained vans, don’t need power, toilets & showers etc!!
But you need a dump point
Good point – when we hired a camper in the USA a few years ago we usually had to pay to use dump points. We didn’t mind paying every few days as we were self-contained and mainly free camping.
And where do you get your water
You bring it with you
I’ve been traveling Australia in my motorhome for 3 years and haven’t needed a dump point once. I have a composting toilet. There are several on the market and with 2 people using it I only empty it every about 3 – 4 weeks. Absolutely no odours during the period of use, only need to change the coconut fibre composting medium because the container fills up with the extra solids deposited. Dump contained in a plastic bag in land fill dump. At that stage it’s only dry earth, can be distributed out in the bush or under trees away from any waterway on crops or orchards.
So where do you dump that waste when you do need to dump????
I agree with you Andrew if I need fuel or food I will stop to get it but nothing is free some body has to clean the loo or take the rubbish away the rate payers should not be expected to pay for me so a small charge is not being wrong say $10-$15 / nite
How much would pay someone to clean your toilet and empty your bins. If it was a job what would their pay rates be
, it is not legal to camp anywhere in New South Wales (NSW), Australia. You may encounter places that explicitly state that no camping is allowed, but common areas where camping is permitted include designated campgrounds, most national parks, state forests, and on some private lands. It is essential to respect local regulations and obtain any necessary permits before camping. Random or dispersed camping is not always allowed, and you should always follow the Leave No Trace principles to minimize your impact on the environment.
Exactly.
True
Andrew, you are wrong….I plan a trip around free camping and where I stay is where I fuel up and shop if I need to. Smaller towns with no free camping…we drive through. Have spoken to lots of campers, they have the same idea
Thats so selfish. Small towns should put up Toll Booths for people like you who want to drive through their lovely little towns and benefit from the town being there but not give from their pockets
George, to help your understanding, towns and their roads and parks are funded by a combination of local rates and state and federal governments. Arterial roads are funded primarily by state government who also give grants for parks etc. This means that travelers have already paid indirectly by way of taxes. A return to tolls for travellers is a return to feudalism and would therefore apply to every town that everyone, (including you) passes through. This would be a massive construction of free movement.
Really Brad, – ‘Toll Booths’, how immature. You are definitely one of those antagonistic types. This is not about money being spent in ‘your’ town, but rather the fees being charged by the shire/councils. Unless you are one of the council workers and on their payroll, you are better off supporting the majority, or keeping your thoughts and opinions to yourself. Yes, Grey Nomads have paid their taxes on their earnings, but many have left their homes to their children (banks do not make it easy for the younger generation to set up their own home.
It has been said many times over, – the shires/councils, need to set measures in place to control the mess, abuse of facilities, and disgusting natural toileting standards, that seem to be prevalent with foreigners that hire mini busses/ camper vans, and travelling on a ‘shoestring’ budget. I am a retiree and Nomad, and seen more of that crap than you ever will. Sorry, i am not judging you, as i do not know you or your circumstances, maybe you are a camper/traveller. BUT, your message predicts that you are not.
I will and do bypass a town if it’s not RV friendly Spending well over a $100 a night on food & drinks butcher supper market cafe’s ect I know very few dockets actually get put in the box provided
Rubbish its true,if you think that we will stop if there’s nothing in it for us and pay double for groceries etc Andrew get off the moonshine,we will take that town off the list easy,you be generous we,ll be generous back,no camp fees we,ll support the high prices for groceries,that’s fair.we won’t stop if you want to sting us both ways,get smart
Yeah, but if you stay in a town, rather than just pass through it, the chances are higher that you WILL need deisel, food, spares etc. That’s simple mathematics.
You’ve missed the point Andrew, I will not run out of diesel, in fact I would never run out of diesel or anything else for that matter. Do you know why Andrew? I plan ahead and I will now plan to miss these towns. The towns that don’t want me to stay at I will no longer support. End of story.
Sorry, but we avoid spending at the towns that show us they don’t want us. A small fee is acceptable but we don’t expect to pay very much at all for use of a toilet and a patch of grass. Town (including our own) provide toilets and parks and bbq facilities for tourists and locals, why should it make any difference just because we park on a patch of grass somewhere overnight ?
It’s not a case of encouraging people to spend it’s a case of welcoming them to our town and if they spend here that is wonderful and obviously a lot of them do. And it’s also obvious but a lot of them are more than happy to support the small businesses in a small country town. And if you read the article the small businesses say that sometimes up to 30% of their business is because of campers
On a recent 10 week trip around VIC SA NSW, we made particular efforts to visit and stay in small towns and spend our money there. We loved being able to contribute and talking to the locals in the process was quite enriching.
Many of these “struggling small towns” have a thriving farming community surrounding them, they don’t need travellers to support them.
They may seem deserted when you arrive but come Saturday night they rock with locals.
The farmers and graziers often don’t support their local communities. They truck things in from cities or larger towns.
But they’re not free loaders though
You would be so wrong.
If we free camp we eat out if we pay camp we eat in cheers
And I do the same.
Same here!
Same. If we’re not paying for accommodation we tend to spend more on eating out, coffees etc.
Why wouldn’t you support a town where free or low cost camping is. These towns need the support of travellers by spending money on their towns. It’s a win win situation for all.
Hi,
We just spent 7 days in Isisford Queensland, we went there from Bairnsdale for the yearly Isisford fishing comp. Which sadly was cancelled to rain.
We stayed in the local caravan park behind the pub.
We bought meals in the pub most nights souvenirs, fuel from the bulk pump, booze from the pub, food from the local store.
Then we went to Longreach and stayed there for a week, stayed at Apex Park and spent similarly amounts there.
I believe that my Partner is on a holiday also, when we can buy Dinner, we do.
The Pharmacy was particularly pleased to see us and our prescriptions, My Partner and I are on 14 tablets, combined.
Yes Siree, we old Grey Nomads pay our way.
What a pity the Shires don’t!
Yes we might be grey but we support where needed! Totally agree comment regarding the chemists
We also paid our way with the all the taxes we paid over our long working life!
We certainly do support the local businesses when we are able to use a free camp.
We are self sufficient so why should we pay $ for a piece of dirt.
When we need to have a bigger clean up we go into a caravan park and of course pay $ but free camps give us the opportunity to holiday longer.
So spot on “Good old common sense”, from someone who grew up in Baradine NSW!!
Not thaaat far from Mendooran ,,,,,
We absolutely support the towns by buying something. Trips would have to be cut short if we had to pay caravan park rates every night. We generally do a mix of free camp & caravan patks. Free camps often more scenic & friendlier
We often stay at free camps and always visit the town and make a point of filling up fuel, shop at the local bakery, butcher and of course visit the pub. If I know I need to shop for a gift or particular item I’ll wait until we free camp to do it.
I’ve been a graynoman for the last 4 years, I always stay in small country town with free camp sites around Australia , and away supported the pub’s and the local stores
In return, the must I would pay if I have too is 10 dollars a night,
We always spend in town when we free camp and if supplied leave our receipts. Fuel, food. Meal, baker etc. If we stay in Caravan Parks we tend to not go out.
Yes, our first thought when we pull into a free camping site is, ‘lets go support the local community and buy our needs here’. So it’s been anything from meals and coffee, to haircuts, meat, groceries, hardware goods, the list goes on. Plus the benefit of talking with the local community, we love the conversations about themselves and their town. We always try to leave a good impression of ourselves and we sincerely consider that we respect our free camping site and leave it as clean or cleaner than when we arrived. We love the people and the free camping sites we have visited.
This comment reflects our views perfectly. We travelled from WA to S A recently and were amazed at the low cost and free facilities available for travellers. Pay it forward is our philosophy and we try to make our purchases in support.
Without free camping in towns they would become ghost towns.we grey nomads spend money to help them survive and also enjoy what they have to offer.
Our towns would not become ghost towns without you. Please rein in your misconceptions about your importance to the local economy which would do just fine without the occasional elderly couple spending $20 at the bakery while occupying 6 car parks for.half the day.
Well said, a big thumbs up from me.
I agree about the parking yes if it’s in a place where long vehicles could park in a more appropriate place so the locals can still do what they have to do and do ark where they usually
I have travelled on the road all round Australia since 2013 as well as worked in roadhouses
I spoken to butchers who are selling china and even groceries to keep the doors open
We want it to work for everyone
Some towns charge $10 for a stay of 3 nights
That way you walk spend enjoy and support local businesses and actually build good ongoing friendships
I cannot rent a house they are too expensive I’m on a age pension which I’m grateful for and $30 overnight us not sustainable if my vehicle breaks down it’s getting fixed in the nearest town and I’m so grateful I can I pay cash and overall it’s been a great experience which even $20 a night is stretching it but $20 for 3 nights is doable
We aren’t trying to get rich if another’s back just trying live life as we all are aren’t we,?
Let’s work together in a way that helps everyone
The tourist Park in Emerald charges $10 for unpowered you can use camp kitchen choose where you park .
It’s wisdom as they have their parks open all year round and you lived being there
Some people spend money, some don’t. You need to buy fuel and food regardless of whether a free camp is provided or not.
Some are eating the mutton stew they bought from home and fuelling from the jerry cans they filled in the cities.
I love free and donation camps, but I don’t expect it as my right.
I don’t consider it a right but I do think that if a site has been free since it started then it changed to either being closed and they push the caravan parks in that town it’s taken away the choice we had ..
That’s what I don’t understand as there are plenty of people esp my friends they won’t stay anywhere unless it’s in a caravan park
I’ve never like caravan parks because 1 ) they charge more than I think I’m getting
2) you get told where to park
3) if your neighbour talks to loud or plays their kind of music because.of closeness I have to hear it
4) in most free camps you can park where ever and most people are friendly want to say hi and in my opinion are just that much more friendlier .you can have camp fire sing along etc
I just can’t say that caravan parks have been that much fun and I have to pay for it
The vanparks association is the major protagonist towards freecamps. “We pay our rates and can’t compete with freecamps . . .”
Councils tend to agree and look at closing the freecamps nearby. They don’t understand the self-contained modern vans and the common dislike of crammed-up vanparks. Different for families with kids.
Wake up councils before you do irrepairable damage to your general community!!
We are constant campers (caravan) love cheap and free camping. We can often be seen at the rear of the local pub where we wine and dine shop local. Our $$ stays local . Most major caravan parks are owned or run by overseas companies and just rip people off this includes NRMA parks as well as our own National Parks.
If we as caravan travellers can save one small business in a country town we done our bit
Most major caravan parks are owned or run by overseas companies? Will bet my house v your van, thats not true.
Absolutely, traveller’s contribute to communities we stay in. Low cost Donation and free camps have to have an impact on local businesses and communities. Such a pity to remove them. Perhaps the powers that be need to discuss issues with locals. Not just be takeover merchants. So many people travelling such a boost to small towns. After recent floods so many government campaigns to get people out travelling and bring their spending to communities trying to recover. Let us travel and support these people who need to feel valued and make a viable living. Most travellers do the right thing, remove rubbish and clean up after themselves and wha others have left behind.
Keep Australia accessable and beautiful for everyone to enjoy.
A few years back we revisited Hervey Bay the plan was to camp the knight and stock up next day we pulled in at free camp in Howard the terms were buy in town take reicets to tourist information to get stamped, so we went to apple tree Creek and spent our money in Childers Hervey Bay has a reputation of ani tourist ,just leave money and get out
From Tassie, we appreciate any reduction in camping costs and always support whichever town we stay in. By the time we get to the mainland costs are already high but that doesn’t mean we scrimp at local towns.
Most of us travel Australia because we love this country, the communities & the people in them. Hubby & I free camp or use small towns to stop over. So many of us don’t need power, water or amenities. We spread our spending among the local butcher, bakery, IGA (or locally owned), fruit & veg, cafe & pub. If we’re travelling from A to B & want a toilet stop we always buy something from the locals as thanks for the convenience. The camps asking for receipts as proof of spending are brilliant & I add a note of where we’re from or name a nice salesperson.
As big as Roma, Qld is – their bowling club only remains open due to the free off grid camping they allow in their carpark. When we ate there they said over 80% of their trade was with us campers.
Councils who discourage us only make their communities pay the price.
We travelled full time for three years and over 120000kms and did a lot of free camping, with only two of us we would shop at the local stores every few days and often have meal and drinks at the local pub. However we did see a lot of “free campers” stealth camping, exceeding time limits, leaving a horrible mess behind and only buying the bare minimum in small towns until they could get to larger towns to go to the big supermarkets and liquor outlets, these are the ones that ruin it for others.
It appears that most of the rubbish left at free camps does not come from Grey nomads, but from internationals who hire small campervans and leave mess’s and rubbish when they leave, or free camp where they should not be. When we free camp we always clean up before we leave, and when travelling always support small towns, no matter whether they have free camp or not. You cannot blame some of the councils for closing some free camps because it costs them thousands of dollars per year to pick up after some pigs.
Richard and Gruz are close to the mark.
We have covered all corners of this great land (full time) numerous times and in particular since covid. Since the return of the backpacker movement and an increase in certain nationals we have noticed a marked increase of rubbish at all camp/rest stops. As we are full time on the road and avoid cities we fully support the small communities both in spending and working when assistance is required. We target RV friendly towns. The myth that the small town doesn’t need the grey nomad is totally off the mark. It is very simple, individuals need to use common sense but unfortunately common sense is not common.
Although we have not been able to get away for a few years we well remember the Kimba Recreation Grounds’ free camp. Not only was there access to ablutions facilities (small fee) but for a gold coin donation, a minibus was available to take folk into town to the hotel for the evening meal, meaning we didn’t need to up-stumps and perhap lose our camp spot. It also returned us to camp after a night tour around the town, viewing some artwork/silos, lit up.
Prior to setting ourselves up we had been to the laundromat, spent quite a bit at the gift shop and bought groceries. Will gladly visit and spend where we can camp.
When we travel we free camp each night Point a to b. When we get to the nearest town to the free camp we buy our supplies just before we set up camp for the night. Common sense says those towns with a free camp reap the rewards.
Firstly we love the free or donation parks around Australia. But being the devils advocate here. Is it about what the users spend or is it about the clean-ups of the sites when people don’t do the right thing. I doubt it’s the grey nomad’s who are to blame
Like many other Nomad’s we love freedom camping and definitely spend more of our budget in these towns. Another great town is Cohuna 60ks west of Echuca which has an awesome free camp.
I have travelled our beautiful land for the past 25 yrson and off ,being self contained caravan parks can offer me nothing I need, but I can and do give back to the towns where I free camp as I need fuel, I must eat, as well as visit attractions, markets buy gifts repairs to my vehicle etc . Remember ,life is a two way street
We are there now at RV park right in centre of beautiful little town, fab amenities, friendly locals, loving it.
So disappointed in Ravensthorpe council’s decision to shut down free camping at Hopetoun. We are completely off-grid and can camp on any river etc but we choose to stay walking distance to town so that we can go to the pub for dinner, have a couple of glasses of wine and walk home. Next day I go to the local butcher because I love country meat and the local baker for yummy baked goods (also IGA for other groceries,).
Travelled West Coast doing this a couple of years ago .. put receipts in bin if one was available or just said thankyou with a big smile to businesses.
Ravensthorpe council are killing a golden goose
Hi don’t know if you know but council has done a survey there recently and asked the locals who said the love the freedom campers coming so they have opened 48 hour one I think also worked something out with the caravan park and said that they are going to open more not less free camps in the area.
Google it I read it all today if I could post what was written by the council if post it here but I can’t
But people complained and got it changed for real
I have lived in a small country town in WA where my folks owned small general store. Now here’s the flip side of the coin. A large portion of the locals would wait until they went to Perth or Geraldton and do a big shop up. The locals are contributing a lot to the demise of the small cafe and pubs etc.
My wife and I love getting off the beaten tracks and spend most of our cost of living in some of the friendliest towns with locals sharing great stories and history of the miniature towns they live in. Every quarter of society has a fair contribution to make from big business to the grey nomad. The locals earn the bread they eat but when we travel, we put the butter on the bread and maybe a bit of jam too.
Always spend money and meet the locals
Yes we do support the towns we stay in. Most of traveling is of around 250 – 300km in a day which we find relaxing, plus we get in at a free camp with a choice of position by being early. If not in a town where we camp, we will always fuel up at the nearest town to our stop as most times it is only just outside or in town. This is why more towns need to provide free camping for all, so money is spent in support of their economy, with tourism and supplies.
People are so entitled, they expect everything for nothing
Drive giant suv and don’t care about what they ate doing to the world
hmmm just took a good look around, someone must have stolen my giant SUV cos I can’t find it anywhere.
Dear Helen, If the town doesn’t show an RV friendly sign. We don’t stop there, go onto next one that is friendly and purchase our diesel, petrol, oil car servicing, food and pub eats
Liquors to go and shop browsing. In Cairns last year serviced my 200 Toyota 4×4 for $1000. Dollars, All the time didn’t manage to muck up any road or tracks.
It’s Councils and people like you who are sending RVers to the next town.
Ring Tibboburra Council. Ask them what they think of the Trakmaster Caravan Club (SES, Kinder, Elderly Cits, et al, last time they put us up FOR nothing, The two weekly expenditure for 120-130 vans was about 50 to 60.00 thousand dollars.
Some weeks after that we passed the A-van caravan club in longreach. The one on main road into town near the airoplane and saw 400 A Vans (small ones). There was no parking spots so we went onto next RV friendly town. Their other parks were also full.I can’t speak on behalf of either RV clubs but ask for Lorraine Patterson club treasurer Trakmaster C.C Club.
Good luck for the future of your dyeing town.
Des Butt (ex member of Trakmaster club. (Vic.)
Retd. Vicpol member.
Merci bon deua
We’re into our 8th year living and travelling in our self contained caravan. We love small towns and appreciate free camping or donation camping as we live on pensions only. We have travelled all over Australia and find country towns welcoming and friendly, some will bend over backwards for you. Weve used mechanics in small towns who have been superior to big companies, and fruit and veges can be fresher than the big supermarkets. We also spend money at the pub which we couldn’t otherwise afford. Butcher’s meat is also fresher. We don’t mind spending a bit more (food is a bit dearer) as it is local as we’re helping the community and it is fresher. Free camping behind a pub can cost more than staying in a cp but value for money is in the meal you have there. We can’t afford to stay in big cps where some caretakers are quite officious and unfriendly so please Country towns keep up the good work.
Are council’s, stupid people or what every dollar of income in this cost of living crisis counts and the knock on effect of extra income even from grey nomads is a gift, so stop knocking them they have earned their right for something free after paying a Lifetime of paying taxes.
You really should look at a more detailed historical and economic analysis.
Retires arre the wealthiest group in the country and historically speaking have paid less taxes than any subsequent generation and currently receive the lions share of tax breaks on superannuation, negative gearing and capital gains tax concessions.
There has never been such a privileges generation which is still benefiting from government largesse at the expense of the young.
Please don’t play the tired old violin about having paid taxes all your lives and deserving free things, you’ve had a magic carpet ride all through life.
Yep, totally agree. I’m a bit over hearing people moan about how they’ve paid taxes their whole working life so should get this or benefit from that. I’ve even had friends insisting they deserve the pension because they’ve paid tax. Not how it works! Taxes cover services. Hospitals, roads, bin collection etc. It’s not super!! I also agree my generation had it easier than what my kids generation currently face.
Councils are obsessed with closing down free camp sites, when the local businesses start laying off staff, or in some cases, close thier doors because of falling tourism..You know who to blame for the delema!
There are free camp sites, Thousands of them!, all over the Country, and always will be, weather Councils or Caravan Parks like it or not!
I think the Councils should bear this in mind!
Iff we can’t camp there for free, we will simply camp somewhere else for free!..And take our Tourist money to that location.
It’s as simple as that!
Mulgeldie Hotel near Monto invited caravanners to park free on its block. Benefits both ways as those free camping went into the pub especially for meals (which were excellent).
in quite a few instances where free camping or show ground camping has been discontinued it has turned out that some people on the council have vested interested in a local caravan park.
of course travellers support the local businesses, we need supplies etc and an evening out at a nice cafe or local pub.
Wake up councils… smell the coffee … or lack thereof because you drove the business away.
The best form of advertising publicity is by word of mouth so not only do towns gain some income from coffees meals and goods purchased but also the word is spread about the good and the bad as well Please consider this well
There is a lot of Grey nomads that do help support the local towns but the majority do not and as well A lot leave these camp sites in a mess.
There is some places where yes the majority do spend some money but you must look at each situation on its own merits and how much that situation works for that town.
As well due to the economy the way it is people just don’t have the spare cash like they use to so there goes that money that a lot of the time would be spent on small villages.
Councils are so corrupt and greedy that they’ll stoop to this level in a desperate effort to get money by “forcing” travellers to pay for their stay, rather than support and provide free camping sites for those that want/need to use them. By “not doing so” people will just pass on by and ma y businesses will suffer as a consequence.
Businesses should consider applying pressure on these particular corrupt and greedy councils.
Councils are neither corrupt nor greedy: payments from camping fees do not line councillors pockets.
Caravans camping for free bring very very little to country towns other than fuel purchases and limited spend on groceries, congestion on roads, occupying 6 or more parking spaces at beaches, supermarkets and elsewhere to the detriment of the local community while using ratepayer subsidised services such as RV dump points and public toilets.
People posting here loudly proclaiming how much money they spend seem to be protesting too much.
I live in a major tourist destination and frankly we would be better off without the caravan crowd, they spend almost nothing and demand free everything at our expense whilst using all our facilities and crowding out locals,
Please feel free to bypass my town and go take your minimal spending elsewhere.
OK. Which town? Then we know to avoid it
Caravan park owners are pressing cou cils to close FREE camping sites because they say they are losing money….we know their insurance is high…BUT…their parks are nearly always FULL.
Why should the rate payers in the town have to pay for your life style ?
Cath you have it all wrong. At Hebel last week there were 100 vans there, great day for Hebel
Cath Eyers without our patronage does it occur to you you may well not have your convenient little businesses in the town or your grandkids don’t have a job at the chemist, supermarket, hairdresser, doctors, garage, hardware & too many other small business to name.
We have to eat, buy fuel, certainly visit the chemist, have car service or repairs get haircuts & on n on it goes…… not all one sided!
Would it cost less for delivery of supplies to your town if caravaner’s /grey nomads didn’t stop ?
You’re missing the point. Last time I went away, on my way home I stopped at a free camp, then went into town, Seymour in Victoria, had breakfast at a local Cafe, if I stayed at a caravan park, I’d cook my own, then got fuel, LPG & petrol, well over $100 combined.
Then went to local supermarket and spent about $60. All up almost $200 in that town. If I stayed at the caravan park, and I don’t because they are pricing themselves out of Grey Nomads, I wouldn’t have gone to the Cafe, the supermarket, and probably got fuel down on the highway.
So to say we are “Entitled”, you need to take a good hard look at yourself. In one town the local butcher said he gets 30% of his customers from travellers, if it wasn’t for that, he wouldn’t be able to afford his apprentice.
So we not only buy, we help employment in these towns. So get off your high horse and think about the businesses which profit from us
Free camps
Visited WA in 2015 & noticed so many “no camping” signs. Very different to many other States that encourage free campers because their patronage & spending help local businesses
WA makes so much money out of mining a country that belongs to all they don’t need you. Their loss.
We free camp at Moonta South Australia, every lunchtime we either visit the bakery or a Cafe. Dinner is most often at the pub, we shop in the main street and we bring all our overseas and interstate friends to all of the tourist sites. We are fully self sufficient and enjoy the peace free camping gives us.
We always support the area pub meals groceries and my wife always needs something else on the road 6 months off the year in NZ