Freecamping is Really About Community

Freecamping is really about Community and I have long held the opinion that any and all towns worthy of their name should have a rest area, or freecamp, freely available to travellers, as they once historically did in Australia. The history of the evolution of the provision of camps for the traveller goes right back to the very first days of the colony when Governor Phillip set up camp on the shores of Botany Bay… then found a better spot and moved to Sydney Cove. Free camping is not only about the travelling community, but also about the communities the travellers move into. Even Governor Phillip recognised this in his endeavour to build a relationship with the locals. But it is something that today has been lost to the demons of commerce.

Travel Aus’ for Just 99c

Available for the greatly reduced price of 99c for a short time are the collated stories of ‘Discovering Australia & Her Lore’ in ebook.

The stories of travelling Aus’ 2013-14 will be available from 20^th April for one week only at this price which is 75% discount. Just follow the links.

The 2015 ebook edition following your adventure through Australia will be available from 19^th May, for one week only at 99c, or available at other times for the normal price of US$3.99.

Full of Australian tales, and the travelling experience of a wandering lifestyle, you can experience the richness of life on the wallaby.

Come join us in an adventure. You will also find a ‘download for free’ ebook reader available at Amazon, for your computer or tablet.
Discover Australia and Her Ancient Lore.

The Sundowner’s of Today’s World

In years gone past the Australian Sundowner was a wanderer who arrived at dusk seeking work, usually the promise of work and in turn was given a meal. However when the sun rose the next day the promise of work never eventuated as the bloke had usually moved on during the early dawn. Or… another meaning was for the 5pm happy hour drinks.

15 Things I’ve learnt as a Grey Nomad

1. Blessed are the Chiller Bags

These handy zippered bags are the best thing since sliced bread. They are cheap as chips, readily available and great for storage and all manner of things. We store our seasonal clothes (out of season) in these and use them for dirty clothes. We prefer them to plastic when shopping or picnicking and they are great for holding ropes, cables and the like.

2. Companionship is Precious

Blogging, Travelling and all that Biz

With the new year comes the time to organise and reflect on the year past. I’m deep into this now, organising my writing and busy editing past posts. I’ve been blogging and writing publicly now for a few years and I’ve been with WordPress for about 18 months. I must admit I find the WordPress site the easiest to negotiate… even when they occasionally get it pear shaped with the date stamp thing as with one or two past blog. There simply is no better, or easier way to stay in contact with family, friends and my readers, as well as those great adventurers who you meet constantly on the road. Like souls and others who are living the dream and holding life by its horns as they tour the country.

My latest project has been to gather up my postings into some order, mostly for my elderly Mum who is wanting to read these and can’t manage a computer. Hence…  I have released a anthology of my blogs in a pricey full colour print and a cheap large e-book both with many full colour pic’s. It has been an interesting exercise for me.

The Journey – Adapting to Freecamping

The journey in freecamping has some wonderful adventures. The people on a whole are great and we often find ourselves chatting merrily away as unawares one hour… then two… then sometimes three slip by before you look up and realise you were going to be moving on today but once more … the pleasure of swapping stories with like travellers caught up with you once again. It is a good thing we don’t have a tight timeline.

There are also other joys … slipping along a waterway in the unsinkable ship .. our trusty kayak and simply just enjoying the view and experience. You can find water monitors along the way and the odd snake, as with yesterday, who we disturbed making a meal of a frog. The ducks, water birds and even wild geese can be wonderfully entertaining and I have discovered a new interest in birdlife. Even the pups have learnt not to chase the wildlife unless it gets just that smidge too close to them. The wildlife can be spectacular and the campfires memorable, memories which stay with you to be recalled at later times.

Freecamping Travelling Stock Routes TSR

The world of Travelling Stock Routes are a gem in our history and heritage. Not always listed in the freecampers bible – Camps Australia Wide -they are truly special places that we should all fight to protect and maintain. They are also an important part of the public free camping network in Australia. I love freecamping in these very special places as they usually provide sure water and when you are on the road full time freecamping, to enjoy the joys of wild places and the natural delights of our country, they truly are a wonderful public resource throughout Australia. You should also remember when camped at these locations that you must leave area’s free for the wildlife and grazing cattle to reach water as this is their primary purpose. Don’t be surprised if the camp site is suddenly overrun with a grazing mob!

These old routes, known today as TSR’s, are those which the cattle drovers once drove their stock along on the way to market regularly and they are still in use today. They were known and celebrated watering and resting places for the stock and they are also a touch of our history active and valued in this present day.

What perhaps many don’t realize though is that they were also often the routes taken by the old traditional Aboriginal tribal groups of another era. Places where a group would rest and enjoy the same things, these which we enjoy today. Places, often of corroboree and initiations too, places of family and gathering in times of drought and trouble.

Oldies at Large – Man on the Loose

We have left the cool of the hinterland country a day or two early and for reasons that I hadn’t though would bother us. It’s hotter down here on the coastal skirt of land but what has bought us down from the heavens is a date with a mate, though a day or two earlier than we first planned which was unexpected.

The weather in the bush on the plateau was cool to delightful but here on the coastal fringe it is bordering on summer muggy, which you notice after such pleasant days as we had in the forest.

What caused us to leave early was the arrival of a group of bl**dy men who set up camp in the middle of everyone. Redneck males are a pain… and there seems to be more of these single male rednecks about lately too. They seem to all be around 40-65yrs, many with substance abuse problems or suffering the consequence of this or that. All are living a lonely life or a life on the lone.

Food for Thought – Wild Snacks

Bush foods, those delightful snacks that nature provided truly about all about us but you need to understand what it is you are eating if you don’t wish to end up at the doc’s explaining just what it is you have done to yourself.

I am on a mission! I have a want to learn all about the foods in nature’s supermarket, which abounds all about us. It is a slow and careful process of course as it should be, try to learn from those around you if you can. As a child I could never understand why it was that anyone would plant so many trees in parks and the like, mostly ornamental. Why not plant nature’s fruits and foods that could feed the hungry and homeless souls in this world, a free bounty for all and sundry from hungry kids to those less flush with funds?

Oldies at Large – Life Around Camp

Like all things you soon fall into a pattern for life around a new camp and so it has happened around our first big camp. Our pattern is not entirely new to us, but it holds certain elements that bring us a huge amount of entertainment. The pups of course offer their own entertainments and travelling with dogs has some huge advantages and a couple of quaint disadvantages too.

I have told you about Tuppi, my little miniature poodle once or twice. She is my companion, my friend and my guardian. Our other pup, Scotty Dog, is strictly speaking not ours. He belongs to the Baby Boy (our 3^rd son) but while maintaining his loyalties to his owner and master has attached himself to hubby. This created a dilemma for us all when we decided it was time to ‘hit the track’.