What is wild camping?

Wild Camping in Australia, seriously…….. what the hell is this all about? When I first heard the term I conceived this view of tents being covered in snow from avalanches or being blown off the side of a mountain. The tent would successfully sail to the ground some 10,000 feet below. Like in the movie Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. I even thought you might have to defend your tent against a raging pack of lions in the national parks of Kenya.
 
Now, I’m not sure if some one is pulling my leg but apparently “Wild Camping in Australia” is where you set up your tent and don’t ask permission. OMG……. how daring and f*&king dangerous is that? I can see my ancestral swaggies of old rolling in their hedge side graves. “What the hell happened to these people, did the LGBTQ+ community win the war on culture and we’ve all had gender realignment surgery or worse was it some sort of latte sipping, vegan greenie making policy now (0hh, that actually happens)?”

The swaggie way

The idea of wild camping in Australia should appeal to every red blooded swaggie, and biker for that matter. I have come to realise that not everybody feels comfortable stopping and rolling out their swag just anywhere. This is known as “Camping Anxiety”. If you don’t get a grip on this anxiety you will miss out on cheap accommodation and some of the best camping spots in the country.
 
 

The final journey camping at St Helens

Can I camp for the night?

Can you just pull up and pitch your tent on the side of the road? The answer is yes, but there are some important considerations. Is it personal property (let’s face it would you like someone camping in your back yard??), is it safe and do I really just want to stop anywhere?
 
 

If you pull up at a rest area you are usually not permitted to camp there. Now, the definition of camping in relation to rest areas is not really well defined. Most advice from the Internet seems to suggest that you are not allowed to stay more than 20 hours. It doesn’t say you can’t pitch a tent. Rest areas are designed to help you overcome fatigue so pitching a tent and taking a nap should be positively applauded for the said person’s responsible behaviour.

Caravans but not tents
Caravans yes tents no??

Why should such a differentiation exist?

There is a difference between a tent and a caravan when it comes to stopping for the night at a rest area. This is probably due to some narrow thinking council bylaw preventing swaggies and vagrants back in 1860. This is strange because because the majority of people walking the tracks back then were swaggies and vagrants….just saying.  But it would be unAustralian to not ignore the said council if you are tied.

Discrimination towards tents

Interestingly you are allowed to sleep in a van, motor home or other self contained vehicle or even your car?? WTF… talk about discrimination. Having slept in my car a few times these are downright unintelligent rules.

Staying alive

If you are tired, stop, sleep and continue safely. As I don’t have a caravan and I prefer to sleep in a tent with room to stretch out. My camping has certain limitations. However, as Australia is such a big country with long distances to travel having the ability to pull over and set up a camp for the night is a way of keeping yourself safe. Any camping beside the road fits within the definition of “Wild Camping”. You can not ask for or will you ever get permission to pitch your tent in the majority of places.
 
In my view wild camping in Australia is really just the Australian way, it was something that itinerant workers and swaggies have done from the early 1840’s. While I don’t recommend you break the rules, I would feel much safer knowing my fellow travellers were having a good night sleep in their tent, than driving fatigued and making an error of judgement. Especially if I was coming along on the other side of the road. There are both pros and cons with Wild Camping in Australia, these include:

Cons

  1. Noisy
  2. Uneven ground
  3. Away from tourist areas
  4. Cars coming and going all night
  5. Over powered security lights
  6. Potentially woken up by police in the middle of the night
  7. No shower

Pros

  1. Cheap
  2. Don’t have to give car rego and sign paper work
  3. Often near towns
  4. Generally good amenities
  5. Local history
  6. Support town bakery in the morning
  7. Plenty of space.
Planning ahead and selecting the right spot
When I decided to undertake a road trip from Townsville to the Sunshine Coast Australia, about 1300 kilometres. I wanted to reduce my expenses by wild camping. In planning my trip I found a number of books that outlined rest areas with the potential for wild camping. I also consulted with the web site WikiCamps Wiki Camps Australia. The first thing I did was to work out how long I intend to drive in a day. Once I had an estimate of this, I looked around for sites within that geographic space. There are numerous rest areas all around Australia, many of them have well maintained toilet facilities and tables and chairs for making your coffee and eating lunch.

Camping considerations

Sleeping on the side of the road in a rest area is not the most comfortable way to get a good nights sleep. If you carefully plan the location and select an appropriate site you can minimise the discomfort. Ensuing you have the right equipment will help you wake refreshed and ready to continue your drive safely.
Comfort and gear selection
So what do you need to wild camp? After your discounted your reliable vehicle you will need a tent. I have a Black Wolf Wasp UL2 (two person) tent, it is made of awesome material and keeps the rain off me, it also has a very small foot print and has space age aluminium poles (super strong). I will also take a “Swag”, see my post on which is best a Swag or a Tent Swag or Tent/.

Should I take a stretcher?

Another consideration is a hiking stretcher, rest areas don’t alway have flat grassy paddocks and a stretcher will keep you off the ground. A stretcher will help you even out the bumps, which even the best self inflating mat won’t do. You also need a good sleeping bag preferably one that is rated to negative five degrees centigrade and an insulated hiking mattress and pillow to prevent any cold coming up through the ground.
 
Choosing a site
There are ways to improve your wild camping experience. These include parking my ute or bike as a buffer to the road. Finding an out of the way spot in a small gully, which blocks sound waves. Being conscious that a tent pitched where traffic is moving around you has inherent risks. The most prominent of which is being squashed by a car arriving late at night. To offset this risk I will park my ute or bike as a barrier and put my tent between say a table or fence.
 
Rest Area Camping
Camping safely
 
A number of years ago my wife and I travelled through the Kimberley in northern west Australia. Rather than pay for sites we followed the grey nomads. The grey nomads tend to know where the good free sites are. So if you are travelling and not sure where to “Wild Camp” or if you just want some security. Consider stopping and talking to some Grey Nomads. They know where you can and can’t stop and they are often willing to share a good yarn.
 

Security

If I have to camp alone in a dark rest area, I will try and find the most secluded and less visible part of the area, I’ll look for trees that block a person’s access to my site and use my car as a buffer. Let’s face it, you are better to be hidden than in full view. I also carry a small but powerful LED torch. If you wake to someone walking around you camp spot or a car pulls up next to you, remain calm and be confident (easier said than done). Evaluate the situation, formulate a plan and act. Don’t wait to be polite, you can do that once you are in a secure place.

Don’t under estimate a good torch

The torch can be both weapon (if it’s one of those big aluminium ones) and a great deterrent, most torches used for security are high powered (400+ Lumens) and have a button on the back to enable you to flash it in someones eyes. This will paralyse the person for a few seconds giving you valuable time to get to your car or re-evaluate the situation. When I was in my twenties, I did Judo and used to teach self defence. My advice was always, that the best defence is not to put yourself in a situation where you needed to defend yourself. In other words, be aware of your situation and if you feel uncomfortable move on or sleep in your car.
 

Is there really a risk?

In saying this about security, it is important to recognise that I have not heard of someone getting attacked in a rest area. Most people are travelling and not interested in driving out of town to hunt or rob someone. My mother travelled extensively in her 60’s across Australia as a grey nomad and not once did she encounter any problems. Wild Camping in Australia is a way of life, providing you take precautions and have the right mindset it can open up the country for you to explore.
 

Final Note – Keep it clean

Clean up after you. I have come across places in the most beautiful settings that have been destroyed by people acting as animals. Human waste and toilet paper has not be properly disposed of, or rubbish taken away. If you are wild camping the trick is to ensure no one knows that you have been there. Don’t cut down trees or make big fires and clean your site before you leave. If you absolute have no choice and need to go to the toilet. Make sure it is buried deep and far from where others might want to camp.

 
Good luck with your wild camping and safe travels.
 
 
Digital Swaggie🙂

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Gary is a travel writer, educator, training specialist and part time adventurer. When not paddling rivers, diving on the Great Barrier Reef or riding down some dusty outback track on his trusted KLR650 "Emu" he likes to explore historical areas and look for the back story.

3 comments

  1. I’m in Cairns and getting a xr190 honda ready to travel with ,it’s light ,durable ,does a 100 if needed, besides tent mat and sleeping bag, would u take , is a chair necessary? Tyre ?

    1. Hi Marcel
      The gear selection will depend on where you’re going and how long you intend to go for. consider taking a small stove or a Jetboil, I have a review of these in my gear review section. Also look at the following blog on chairs https://digitalswaggie.com.au/gear-review-camp-chairs-helinox-vs-outrak/
      You will need a spoon and/or spork and a knife, cup bowl and some cooking gear.I take spare tubes for front and back although you can probably get away with just a front one and at a pinch use it for the back. Obviously your clothes, a first aid kit and a head torch. Don’t forget your personal hygiene gear. Most of all take a pillow, possibly one of those sea to summit ones.

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