Australia's a nation of campers - we always have been. We have the space to do it, and a beautiful country. Yet things have changed so much in the last few years, since COVID especially. A combination of social media promoting van life, reluctance to travel overseas, cheap camping equipment and an increased population means it's not as easy to camp as it used to be.

Two newsworthy camping issues have been raised this summer, both branches of the same tree. One is ghost camping, and the other is site reservation in national parks and in free camping areas, not just in Victoria, but all over the mainland, and now they're even thinking of bringing a similiar system to Tasmania. It certainly created some debate.

Free camp at Marrawah - a first in, best dressed type scenario.

The Problems

First of all, ghost camping is when people set up cheap tents or even a caravan in a camping spot and leave it there whilst they are elsewhere, thus reserving the best spot whilst they're still doing Christmas celebrations or whatever it is they are doing. Cheap equipment means they don't care if it's stolen. It's unfair because other people who are there can't utilise this unused spot.

Secondly, the reservation system is broken, and has been for a long time. Basically it's an online booking system where you reserve a spot. Because it's only $15 and it's a rigmarole to cancel, often people turn up at the camp site to find no one there, but are unsure whether to take the empty spot as they may rock up at some time during the evening. There's been stories of people blocking out weekends just in case they camp, which is unfair for people who might like to camp last minute or a travelling through on a road trip. I've been camping 30 years in this country and I hate reserving sites - I like to check the vibe first, and often I don't know how long I'll stay in a particular spot.

There's other stories too that because it's so cheap, people will reserve the spots on either side of them so they get more room without the chance of someone they don't like next to them. With caravan sites cost $80 a night, spending $45 on three sites to stretch out isn't a lot of money.

Then, of course, there's people who stay all summer, overstaying the limit because they just switch names or car rego, the people that light fires and don't put them out, and the people that leave rubbish behind, the people who play loud music til late, and so on.

The Solution

I've thought about this so much and this is how I'd fix it. Firstly, Parks Victoria or whatever state we're in has to have physical rangers that go around and check sites and bookings. Whether this funding comes from government or increased fees, it has to happen. They have to be given the power to fine people or kick people off site for doing the wrong thing. We always had rangers coming around to check but now we never do - and it's very hard to police as citizens as you risk your own safety.

Furthermore, local police should and must do the rounds of nearby camping sites to deal with unruly campers. It's just unsafe sometimes - people get drunk and abusive and raz around on dirtbikes and even drive over tents when people are sleeping in them. We've had an experience where we were threatened to be beaten up for no reason other than we weren't from round there. There seems to be no consequence for such poor behaviour anymore.

Secondly, the booking system can change in a number of ways:

a) Go back to the locked box and pen and paper that you fill out on arrival, rather than from a distance. First in, best dressed.
b) If bookings must be online, you must state your arrival time and departure time. If you don't arrive by that time, the site is immediately freed for someone else to book.
c) A half half system - half can be online bookings (you must state arrival time as per above) and half are for those who turn up on the day looking for a camp.

Those that behave badly, for example, have drunken parties with loud music til 3 am, leave rubbish, light fires on total fire ban days or other kind of poor behaviour risk losing their right to camp at all. Might sound militant, but until you've been in that kind of situation you don't understand how it can totally ruin the camping experience.

A Hip Camp like this one is a good solution - it may cost you $20 a night but they're usually quieter as they're privately owned and usage monitored. Behave badly and you're less likely to be able to Hip Camp again.

Some people do argue that it's hard to plan a holiday with kids if you can't reserve a spot, but I'm rather discompassionate in this regard. The whole time we were away we only met one nice camping family with kids who didn't run through your camp, scream from dawn til midnight, kick the footy into your tent or generally run amok. I don't see how kids should be an exception to the rule in any regard.

I think a lot of these government decisions are made by people who don't camp themselves. The inanity of the reservation system is just bureaucracy being f**kwits. I wish I could go back twenty years to when no one lived van life and all went to Bali for holidays so that we could enjoy the bush and ocean again with hardly anyone around, but that's not likely, so we need a system that works for everyone.