WHEN Itravel in remo
Australia, I sometimes
the impression that our
outback brethren really
know how to look after
overlanders. While tow
may be hard to come
and their populations
are small, many local
communities seem to go
out of their way to make
our time on the road as
enjoyable as possible.
Take the number of 2
to allow weary travellers a break for free. Then
there are the high quality information boards at
many points of significance. There are also Visitor
Information Centres staffed with friendly people,
even on weekends in towns with a total population
would be hard-pressed to fill a soccer team.
ng advantage of the appeal of Australia to
g European backpackers, the service industry
emote areas is brimming with enthusiastic
ng foreign workers happy for the chance to
erience the ‘real Australia’ in some way-out-of-
-way places. Sure, some of the retail prices are
t high here and there, but with road haulage
ccount for, and a tourist season dictated by
her Nature’s strange sense of humour, it’s
ly surprising.
o it’s a wonder why some of us overlanders
t return this hard work with a little more
tesy. It’s an issue that becomes increasingly
ous the more time you spend on the road.
recent trip, my concern was initially piqued
ng a conversation with a park ranger who
med me that 70 per cent of people who
at campsites in State managed reserves
t pay their camp fees. It was reinforced
e several occasions I had to pull my six-
old aside from a walking trail to avoid
ched up toilet paper. When I found myself
ing her from phallic-shaped graffiti on
wall near a culturally significant site, IOut on the road, it's
important to return
thefavourofthe
locals, and treat the
places you visit like
your own.
gan to wonder what’s
oing on in some people's
ads.
And what impression was
t by the woman I saw in
e Gulf Country washing
clothes in a river? If
luting the river wasn’t
oblem enough, she
s doing it in a riverbed
ngside a dozen other
avans and campers
hin 50m of a patch of
higher ground specifically designated by the local
council for ‘low impact camping.’ I can tell you the
local shop owner I chatted to wasn’t impressed. He
told me the council had spent the last eight years
trying to get campers out of the riverbank, to no
avail. This was despite the effort and money spent
in providing clean toilet facilities, a dump point
and barbecue areas at the alternate campsite.
Obviously it was more important to these people
to stumble out of their vans into the water, and
they didn’t really give a damn what impact their
actions might have on anyone, or anything else
around them.
It’s hard to find an excuse for this sort of
behaviour. And it can certainly give all of us a bad
name in the communities that we pass through.
Knowing this, I try not to judge too quickly the
grumpy demeanour of someone making coffee
behind a counter who’s facing a procession of
caffeine-deficient drivers, all expecting to be
served with the efficiency of an institute trained
barista. If I had to put up with demanding self-
centred tourists day-after-day, I reckon I’d be hard
pressed to retain my sense of humour too.
While none of us can be expected to do the right
thing 100 per cent of the time, we’ve probably
all got a bit of room for improvement. Just this
morning I was at a small commercial campsite
where the sign on the back of the shower doors
said “Please treat this place as if it were your own”.
I reckon there’s a message in that for all of us.CTASHE'LL BE RIGHT
Words^ and Pics^ KATH HEIMAN
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caeHighly populated campsites can easily become
ruined if people don't do their partReturn the favour to our outback
hosts by looking after your campsiteote
get
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e4 ho restareasavailablegof
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car
with
hihTake notice of where low impact
camping areas are