How to avoid expensive caravan parks

I am completely knocked out by the price some caravan parks charge for camping.

I remember a few years ago, we were down in the south-west of Western Australia and a beachside caravan park wanted $50 a night for a bare plot of land, with no power. We stayed one night and then went looking for a cheaper option.

Now it seems that fifty bucks isn’t out of the ordinary, and people have been telling me that many beachside camping grounds want to charge more than $90 a night for a plot of dirt for you to throw down your swag, erect a tent or set up the camper. Power is generally included for that price (wow, how generous!) and if you have a caravan and an air conditioner, some places will charge you more for the privilege.

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This free camp in central Queensland is a beauty

Plus, if you are more than just a couple and have a couple of kids in tow, generally over the age of five or so, then the price goes up again. I can’t help but think it’s a bloody rip off!

I would rather stay at a free camp and spend my money on a meal and a couple of beers at a nearby pub

In some places, WA in particular, councils make it hard for those who want to free camp, insisting they stay in expensive caravan parks or elsewhere.

Meanwhile, national parks across the country are increasing their camping fees and making spots that were once free now a paying proposition. Their excuse is they have improved facilities – whether that is access, putting in a dunny or a fireplace, or putting up fencing and designated camp spots. I’m not sure if all those are ‘improvements’!

Then the powers that be wonder why many people are opting for ‘free camps’ or are pushing a bit deeper into the scrub and grabbing a bush camp. At the same time, councils are complaining of people pulling up in their ’vans and campers and parking overnight in beachside car parks and the like. They complain and fine people, but most do little to alleviate the problem.

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Some communities offer reasonable camping prices

Some small communities do have a proactive policy and have designated ‘free camps’ in their communities, allowing people to stay for a couple of nights. A few facilities are close to shops and pubs, with the idea that hopefully the wandering traveller will spend some of their hard-earned money in their village or town.

I love the idea. I would rather stay at such places and spend what a caravan park charges for a night on a meal and a couple of beers at a nearby pub, buy a few veggies in the local general store and have a coffee in the town’s café; rather than give it to some organisation that thinks they have the right to dictate where people stay and then have the audacity to charge a king’s ransom for a plot of earth for the night.

So, do yourself a favour and give the expensive caravan parks the flick. There are heaps of guides and websites dedicated to the ‘free camp’ brigade.

Check out WikiCamps, or Camps Australia Wide, and the Facebook pages Free Camping around Australia, Low Cost & Free Camping Australia Wide or Country Pub Camping, for a heap of ideas.

*Originally published March 10, 2022