Frequently Asked Questions

 

Statistics show some 350,000 rigs on Australian roads. Based on statistics and personal experience, you will find you will run into fellow nomads at most bush camps, especially if you travel according to seasons. Many bush camps (free camps) can actually be more popular than paid camps, and not only for the reason of being free. The camp may offer million dollar views, the option to enjoy a campfire, and limited restrictions on pets.

Long stretches of road, such as the Nullabor, you will meet fellow nomads enjoying the free camps. And why not? Who could say no to a camp overlooking the Great Australian Bight, inclusive of migrating Southern Right Whales if you pick the season right?

Some camps may charge a small fee to cover caretaker costs. In return, sometimes you get facilities and/or firewood.

Between free camps, there are generally roadhouses that offer toilets and showers for a small fee.

Of course, with free camps, you will need to be self sufficient. Make sure you have plenty of water on board in case you plan to stay a little longer, and a source of power if you need lights, refrigeration, etc.

Please keep your camp clean, so as not to ruin it for fellow travellers. And if using a generator, be responsible and show common courtesy.

 

The majority of nomads head north for the winter and south for the summer. There are obviously variations to allow for the wildflowers in the west, migration of certain wildlife, or simply an event of interest (eg. goat races at Lightning Ridge during Easter).

A wet season in the tropics can be an interesting, wonderful experience (beware the 'mango madness'). On the other extreme, winter in Tasmania may be the preferred temperature for some. There is no rule of thumb for travelling Australia, just whatever suits the individual.

If you plan to stick to the bitumen, and are happy to be held up for possibly a short period of time, then do not feel obligated to travel according to the seasons. If you travel across the top of Australia during the wet, there is the possibility that a river will flood temporarily, restricting you from moving on at leisure (eg. the Victoria River - NT, is known to flood during a good wet season). There is also the possibility of a town flooding, causing evacuation. For these scenarios, there is always plenty of warning, and the ABC news keeps you well informed.

However, if you go on an offroad adventure during a wet season (eg. Cape York), there is a significant chance you could be held up for a week or three. Just make sure there is plenty of tucker and water on board.

There are a few things to consider, however, such as cyclones. Once again, the ABC news keeps you well informed and in cyclone areas, caravan parks supply shackles to chain your caravan down, and cyclone affected towns supply cyclone shelters. Your insurance most likely will not cover cyclone damage, and we doubt you will like to experience one.

Nomading off season also has the bonus of cheaper rates. You will still bump into nomads enjoying the 'quiet' time of year.

 

12 volt

Our local autoelectrician set up the following:

The Landcruiser had 2 batteries. A main battery to run the vehicle. A second battery was installed to provide power to Engel fridges and a winch. Our autoelectrician used screw-type stainless steel marine plugs to connect the fridges. Through a voltage sensing battery isolator, protected by a circuit breaker, the main battery kicked in when the second battery was low. The voltage sensor would not let the main battery drain, therefore, the main battery was always able to start the motor. When the motor was running, the main battery would also charge the secondary battery.

When Towing

Modern caravans may already be set up with a battery bank (12 volt setup) that charges from your vehicle via the connection plug. For us, our auto electrician ran a wire through the plug to a battery setup that was put together to charge whilst towing. We found, when being self sufficient, the 12 volt setup in the caravan would run the lights and 12 volt television (Orion) for 4-5 days. We only left our caravan fridge on 12 volt whilst towing. Do not leave your fridge on 12 volt for long periods so as not to drain your battery.

Generator

We did a lot of legwork and ended up with a Honda 2KVA generator which we could not fault. For a cost of $2,000.00, we got more than our moneys worth out of this quiet, fuel efficient generator. The 2KVA is capable of running air conditioning, microwave and electric frying pan (not all at once). A 1KVA would be ample to run lights, refrigerations and TV's only. Even now at home (Central Coast, NSW) with the recent June long weekend storms, our generator was doing the rounds of the neighbourhood keeping tropical fish, shopping and beer fridges alive.

Gas

Our caravans 3 way fridge, cooktop and oven ran on gas. Whenever self sufficient, cooking and having the fridge on gas, we found a 9kg gas bottle lasted approx. 30 days. That averages a dollar a day. Flicking a switch also had the gas heat up the hot water system for the shower (it took approx. 3 minutes to heat sufficiently). I never heated water for washing dishes via the hot water system, instead I boiled the kettle on the cooktop so as not to waste water or gas. We had a separate small gas bottle for outdoor cooking as well.

Solar

In all honesty, our 75 watt panel was more a novelty than a necessity (boys with their toys). The panel was an older version that needed no shade interference and was hooked to the secondary battery of the Landcruiser to keep the 'beer' Engel fridge topped up. See Solar and Generator for further information.

 

The ultimate benefit of having a suitable generator and/or a well designed solar power system, is having the freedom to choose where and for how long you wish to stay. There are many free camps around Australia that are 'location, location', so to be self-sufficient means you get to enjoy such beautiful campsites. Plus not all caravan parks provide power 24/7. Such parks run on generators themselves and usually turn their power off just as you are about to settle into a good movie on TV. Some nomads will get over missing a good movie (especially now DVD's are so available), however those with special needs, such as sleep apnea machines, are best to be prepared with back up power. There is always the possibility of blackouts wherever you camp.

Generators

A 1000 watt generator will be ample for camping. 1000 watts will run lights, refrigeration and televisions. Approximately 2.5 litres will run for 10 hours on Eco-throttle.

A 2000 watt generator is more suitable for caravans and motorhomes that wish to run all the above plus air conditioning, electric frying pan or microwave (but not all at once). Approximately 5 litres will run for 15 hours on Eco-throttle.

Depending on your requirements, quality generators (eg. Honda) feature a microcomputer-controlled sinewave inverter that guarantees commercial-quality electricity - making it ideal for use with frequency sensitive electrical equipment such as computers.

Quality generators also features an Eco-throttle, which adjusts the engine speed to meet the load demand. This increases fuel economy whilst also reducing noise as the engine is not required to run at full capacity unnecessarily.

Solar Panels

A solar panel is basically a battery charger. P.V. cells are composed of silicon wafers. Under certain conditions, the suns rays cause electrons from silicon atoms to be released and become available to move as an electric current.

If solar panels are considered as a battery charger, then the larger capacity (size) of the battery bank, the larger the solar panel array will be required. The capacity of the battery bank is determined by the loads (lights + appliances) required, and usually calculated in Amp hours. Determine what it is you need power, for then contact your local solar distributor to help you with what suits your individual needs.

Amorphous solar panels on vehicles are more shade tolerant, flexible, and cost effective than mono crystalline or poly crystalline panels.

 

Your everyday mobile phone will be sufficient to travel Australia with.

Technology is jumping ahead in leaps and bounds, with mobile phones that download music, plays Foxtel, takes photos and video footage, reads BigBlogs, sends and receives emails and photos, provides Sensis search, Citysearch and even maps! Wow! Whatever happened to a phone that simply went "ring.....ring"?

The Next G network cover the most populated areas of Australia, so there will be times on remote stretches of road or remote towns where there will be no coverage.

There is the satellite phone option, however higher rates occur. This will be up to the individual depending on how often they plan to be in an extremely remote situation.

Mobile UHF and CB radios are great to travel with. They generally offer 4-5kms range and 30 hours operating time on a fully charged battery. A set of 2 handsets, complete with charger, are available at approximately $100.00. For a small outlay they are handy for the following situations:

Simply to eavesdrop on other conversations, warning you of what may be ahead. When arriving in a town, ask for directions or where the cheapest fuel may be. Allows husband and wife team to communicate without the various confusing hand signals when reversing into a camping site.

Great for tag-alongs.

Did you know that UHF CB channel 5 is the primary emergency channel and channel 35 is also a government allocated emergency channel? Operating on these channels, unless it is an emergency, is illegal and penalties can apply. For further information visit: Crest Australia.

Caravanning channel: 18

Truckies channel: 40

 

The caravan had a three-way refrigerator. Three way meaning it ran on gas, 12 volt (battery) or 240 volt (electricity). The beauty of having gas as an option meant bush camping was no drama. We found a 9kg bottle would last approximately 30 days running the fridge and gas cooktop. That averages $1.00 per day.

On the back of our Toyota Landcruiser ute, we had a 60 and 40 litre Engel fridge.

Quite often we would home base the caravan and set off on a 4WD or remote adventure, using a tent for accommodation. For that purpose, having a form of refrigeration was necessary. Also, quite often our fortnightly/monthly food shopping involved huge distances, so refrigeration within the vehicle for us became a necessity again.

The caravan fridge had a very small freezer, however we kept all other refrigeration on fridge only. We would ask butchers to cryvac our meat into meal sizes, as cryvacced meat does not need freezing. The bonus of having meat cryvacced meant it would last for months. Freezers use more power than fridges, so for bush camps, this system is definitely more efficient and user friendly. Also, there isn't the drama of defrosting food, therefore being obligated to eat it.

There is the option of buying your own cryvac machine, however, alot of butchers are quite happy to cryvac without further charge.

 

Yes, you can, however you will be limited to where you can take them.

National Parks do not allow pets. Even though your miniature chihahua 'Fluffy' may not be the type to attack a kangaroo, National Parks keep domestic animals out because the urine 'Fluffy' leaves behind can change the alkaline or acidity of the soil, therefore encouraging unwanted flora to thrive. The smell of a domestic animal will also deter wildlife.

Individual caravan parks will have their own rules, so it is best to phone ahead if unsure. Caravan parks that allow pets usually ask for a bond, which is refunded if your pet abides by the rules. Some caravan parks even cater for pets with pet services such as a hydrowash.

For destinations where you are unable to visit with your pet, there is always the option of boarding kennels and catteries.

 

The cost of travelling Australia is entirely up to the individuals idea of travel. Here are a few points to consider:

When fuel was $1.00 per litre in major cities, it was near double in remote areas (eg. Gibb River Road, the Kimberleys, WA). Fuel consumption from driving around with the groceries will be alot different to towing. Certain conditions, such as headwinds, will consume more fuel again. Caravan parks average at $25.00 per night (2007) and usually offer the 7th night free. During school and public holidays prices may go up significantly. Off season, prices generally goes down.

There are a lot of free camps around Australia that offer a great location. Some free camps are so nice, you may never move on. We have met people that live in them permanently.

Council caravan parks are generally cheaper, and some allow pets.

There are obviously tours and adventures you would love to go on, so allow them in your expenditure.

Food prices fluctuate, but they do at home anyway.

At the end of the day, if you never ever go, you never ever know. Or shall we say, the experience is priceless. Or how about, we come into the world bare-assed, and we leave bare-assed. Enough nomadic ponderings for now.

 

Camp cooking not only is enjoyable, sociable and saves on gas or power, it creates an ambience that only a woodfire out in the open can offer. Plus it is very simple. Not much different to cooking at home, except you may have the pleasure of collecting firewood in undesirable temperatures whilst anticipating meeting your very first centipede or scorpion in the process. No, in all honesty, it is truly worth it and part of the Australian outback experience.

From billy tea, damper and scones to roasts, stews and casseroles, camp cooking is as diverse as your kitchen at home. Not to mention jaffles, soups, cakes, potato bakes, foil wrapped meals, pickles and chutneys and the good old Aussie barbecuing . . . the list will go on and on. All you need are a few basic tools:

Shovel (for handling your hot coals)

Camp oven (cast iron being the most popular)

Jaffle iron (great for putting leftovers between bread)

Barbecue plate (typical Aussie diet of snags, chops, steak, bacon & eggs, etc)

Pot (mashed spuds, pasta, boiled veges, etc)

A billy, pot or kettle (gotta have that morning cuppa)

Camp oven irons or hooks

Tongs, barbie scraper and oven mits

For camp oven cooking, once you have created a lovely fire in a safe designated area, wait for the timber to burn down into coals. Place coals aside and place empty camp oven on the coals. Preheat oven to brown meat or to prevent dough based meals from sticking (damper). Place your meal inside and place more coals on the lid. If the wind is fanning your coals creating a hotspot, dig a hole slightly larger than your camp oven, place coals in the bottom of the hole, then place your camp oven inside.

After a couple of attempts regulating your heat by adding or removing coals, you will find camp oven cooking quite enjoyable. Before you know it, you will be the Camp Oven King or Queen, swapping and tasting fellow nomads recipes.

 

Fishing may or may not play a part in your travels, however, fishing in an aluminium boat (tinny) or off a bank does not necessarily mean fishing is just fishing.

This may be where you have the pleasure of watching Australia's magnificent wildlife in action. Scenes as exciting as watching a salt water crocodile land the metre plus barramundi you always dreamed of catching, sharks chasing schools of fish. Eagles, kites and other birds hunting their natural diet on the water. Or whales, dolphins, turtles and dugongs coming up for a breath of air.

And of course fishing does not limit you to catching fish. Fishing includes catching crabs, crayfish, yabbies, abalone, oysters and obviously saves you from the expense of buying them (eg. abalone @ $160.00 per kilo).

Hunting also offers a diet of wild pig, kangaroo, goat, rabbit, buffalo, bentang cattle, and if extremely hungry, camel. Obviously a shooters licence is required for hunting, and permission from landowners and farmers if on private land. Depending where you are and what the 'nuisance' animal is, you could get involved in a programme culling feral animals for station owners.

There are many fishing guides and hunting safaris available to accommodate individual tastes. Plus hire boats for those who don't wish to BYO tinny.

Note: Every state and territory in Australia has different rules and regulations, so it is best to find out beforehand so you dont cop a hefty fine. In some states you need to purchase a licence. Do your homework.

For those who love their fishing, please only take what you need and leave something for another day.

Department of Fisheries website