Free camps!

The best thing about free camps…is that they always (almost always!) come with a view!

For the past 7 nights we have been free camping from Buladelah, to Port Macquarie, Coffs Harbour, beautiful Sandy Beach and then a night in New Italy!

Sometimes free camping means hopping from place to place, trying to find a park that isn’t flooded (like Buladelah was!) that is flat, with the right angle for our solar panels, the right angle for air flow through the hatch, but not so that the rain (if it rains!) will come in. These kind of free camps always have the best view. They’re the ones we find tucked away in all the best spots! Sandy Beach was a recent favourite. A sleepy little town with a beach front parking area. Basic amenities (like a cold beach shower!) a great little hippie feel café over the road, white white sand as far as the eye can see and a lovely little community of like minded people parked up for a night or 2.

These sort of camps give us the freedom to explore, without rules. To relax and take it all in. Sunrise beach walks, shell foraging, running over sand dunes to discover whatever is one the other side, admiring the intricate “crab art” from their digging, ocean swims, cold outdoor showers (to conserve solar power!) and star gazing at night through the hatch. Really getting back to basics, where the biggest decision we have to make – is which cake from the bakery to eat first! We are always very respectful of the area we are visiting and ensure the only thing we take is photos and the only thing we leave is a footprint.

One thing we have found is that the locals in a lot of towns really frown upon free campers, to the point where some have left signs up in parking areas telling them exactly what they think! We have also witnessed first hand the kind of “freedom thinkers” they are referring to. The rented vans, overseas backpacker types, loud music, loads of booze, toilet paper left behind and generally disrespectful behaviour. These are the type of travellers that have unfortunately forced the local councils to sign 98% of car parking areas as “no camping/overnight staying” which has made free camps very few and far between. There are certainly days where we have driven around and around looking for somewhere we can stop for the night where we aren’t breaking the law and where we feel comfortable that we won’t upset the locals. These kind of “free camps” are definitely one nighters and we are usually up at sunrise and off to the next place.

Then there’s the rest stops off the highways! Well they are a whole other level of free camping! Oh my goodness. Some we have found to be almost like you are pulled over in the emergency lane, so we quickly get going again. Others like New Italy are really great. A huge parking area, loads of other campers, a café and museum. A really cool inland stop over. The next night just out of Ballina was a little more interesting! A large truck stop…with a refrigerated truck that unfortunately arrived at around 1:00am and left the generator on ALL NIGHT. These kind of stops definitely make us appreciate the other free camps we have stumbled across!

After 7 nights, we’ve checked into a van park to give the batteries a good mains power charge, have a nice hot shower and do all the domestic things like washing! This is the reality of vanlife! It’s all about balance. A week on the road, free camping, getting back to basics and at times, days without a shower (depending on solar charge). Then a few nights of living with more creature comforts. Changing over to electric cooking, plugging into a power point, switching the lighting to mains rather than solar or battery. We change our living depending on the conditions. Once again, it’s all about adapting. Keeps us on our toes!

Next free camp challenge – Byron Bay!!

JT xo