If you love the outdoors, prefer the quieter camping grounds, enjoy the wildlife, a great view, don't like spending money and want to be away for AS LONG AS POSSIBLE, then you're going to love free camping. There are loads of beautiful free camps in Australia. Some have time restrictions of 24hrs, some 72hrs and some allow you to camp there for months on end! Free camping will massively reduce your overall expenses. If you can set up and stay put for a week or two or more, without having to start the car, without having to run to the shops, you will be saving yourself a lot of money. Commercial caravan parks can cost a fortune and it adds up pretty fast, even a $20 a night camp might sound cheap, but when you're on a budget, you'd probably rather spend the money on tourist attractions in the local town or National Park rather than pay to park your van and sleep in it. There are endless accessories you can buy for your van, your car and your basic camping gear if you're 'tenting it' so much so that it can be really confusing when first starting out. You could be for ever buying more things and before you know it, you've spent thousands. If you want to set yourself up for those free camps, there are a few basics you'll need to survive.
WATER, FOOD, GAS & POWER. It's that simple! ou can't physically survive without water, you won't last much longer without food, you'll need need some sort of energy supply to run the fridge, stove, BBQ or Ziggy and you'll need a power for your electrics such as 12v fans, your phone, laptop, tablet and to charge your camera.
WATER
You'll need to be able to get your water from the supply source to your set up. You won't want to pack up, hitch up the van, go get your water, come back and set up again! You have to be able to get your water supply to your set up. Caravans come with a minimum 50L water tank, but 50L will only last you a few days, and that's if you're water smart, after that, you'll need to re-fill your tank. Some people have fitted tanks to their vehicle with taps and pumps, some use 10L or 20L drums or a water jerry, some use water bladders. These water bladders save room as they're made from a softer material and they can hold up to 20L. Another option, you can get extra water tanks fitted to your van, but these will still run out eventually. If you're concerned about your towing weight, stick with the water jerry or a portable tank of some kind. It's amazing how much you can restrict your water usage if you put your mind to it. The tank on our van (sold now) was 50L, that'd last us 4-5 days depending!
WATER SAVING TIPS ...
- Baby wipes
for yourself, your spills and your dishes that aren't too dirty.
- Seperate drinking water
We buy filtered drinking water 10L containers, you can buy them cheap and you can re-use them if the water is decent enough to drink. We've had our fair share of bare water! Another tip, carry cordial if you don't like yuck tasting water ... you're bound to come across it, particularly in the Outback!
- Quick showers
If showering, you know the drill, soak yourself, turn it off, lather up, turn it on and rinse off! Do all your other business outside the shower - shaving etc.
- Minimise wash up
Paper plates are great for this, you can burn them on the camp fire instead of washing up or building up rubbish (which is a whole other topic).
- Think smart and use whats around you
If there are any fresh water holes, rivers, dams etc, use them for your shower water supply. You can buy a water pump from camping stores for around $30, or you can do it the old fashioned way with a rope and bucket. We have a gas instantaneous hot water shower, it has good pressure and gets nice and hot on those cold winter nights. We also have a $20 solar shower that we often use in the warmer weather for a quick and easy rinse off. You can even use a bucket behind you to Cath your water to re use if you're short on supply.
FOOD
We all love food! I must say, eating on the road is a little different to eating at home. Sometimes you've just got to get what you can at what ever shop, road-house, corner store or supermarket is available. They're not all Woolworths, IGA Coles or even Aldi! Your supply is going to be limited at times, specially in remote areas where they rely on a barge or truck to deliver the supplies, and thats only when the road conditions are good enough to pass! In some places, you'd have to shop the night of or day after the delivery for your fresh produce, after that, you'd be lucky to get a few spuds or an onion! This is the reality of #camplife in Australia.
Some helpful hints;
- Go Fishing!
YES ... Get out there and catch your dinner!!! Fish with rods, spear fish, dive or use nets to catch yourself bait, yabbies, mud crab or use your bare hands to collect cockles, razor fish and mussels. Hunting and gathering your own food will save you meney, keep you fit and healthy, keep you busy and the kids entertained. The original Australians lived of this Lind for tens and thousands of years, learn what you can and can't eat, learn about our natural food supplies and more importantly, get out there and have some fun!
- Packing
Pack well so you can fit a lot of non perishables in. Seal what you can in snap lock bags, they take up less room than tuppaware, but use container when you have to. This will stop mice, cock-roaches and ants from getting in. Cryovac food packaging is highly recommended. Your butcher will do this for you for a small extra charge. It will keep your food much longer that basic packaging.
- Stock up
The more you stock up while you can, the more you'l have for when you do get suck without a supply. you will also save your money. Some remote places charge $7 for a can of baked beans!!!!!!! And you can forget the fresh food at places like that. Fruit and veg is off the scale and all your meat will be frozen already.
- Storage
A good cold fridge or freezer will obviously help keep your supply for longer. Make sure this is all up and running properly if its new before you put your food in! Caravan fridges can take a while to cool down.
POWER
A power supply in your van will enable you to run your electrics - 12v, and 240v if you have an inverter. 12v and 240v can allow you to run things such as fans, lights, and electronic devices. If you're wanting to use 240v, you will need an inverter. You'll need a deep cycle battery or two and a solar panel to charge them. You can also get a dual battery set up on your car with a DC to DC charger to charge your auxiliary battery in your vehicle. An Anderson plug can connect to you van to charge caravan battery while on the road.
It isn't vital that you have power, but you will have lights, charged cameras and fans on those hot nights.
GAS
Gas will supply you with energy to cook with and keep your fridge cold. It can be used for hot showers too. Most vans will have a 9kg gas bottle, we recommend having two 9kg bottles so that you never run out. This way, you can swap the empty with the full and get the empty re- filled at your next service stop. We also carry a 4kg gas bottle for out outdoor cooking and shower.
Now you've got the basics to head off-grid, enjoy the free camps, the bush, the beach or even the desert. Australia is a tough country, get out there and see it for yourself!
