Thread: Online pre-booking system to camp in national parks

DiscoMick, good point about the post offices. We were in Cape York in late 2015 and you could book ahead from Moreton Telegraph Station. Not sure if it was an official set up but made life easier.

In a year travelling we probably had 75:25 NP type camps:caravan parks. Of the 75% we probably had about a dozen days without neighbours, so many people about nowadays.

I just did a search on the Silent Grove camground at Bell Gorge as a random sample of the Gibb River Road camping arrangements- no booking system at this stage thankfully. This kind of system would be a nightmare in the Kimberley, travelling the Gibb you really need flexibility as you will find there are places that you want to stay longer than you had planned and there are places that you will want to move on from the minute you arrive.
The camground at Bell Gorge had a really good system for selecting a campsite. There are a number of secluded sites along the creek, and there is a tag for each site on a hook at the main info board. If the tag is there, you take the tag and go and camp. If the tags are all gone, then the sites are all occupied and you go and find yourself some space in the main campground with the riffraff. We've never been lucky enough to snag a river campsite (last time we were there they were all closed due to flood damage) but certainly couldn't argue with the fairness of the system.
The other thing about camping in the Kimberley- at least in the camps along the Gibb- is that you just have to accept that it is not going to be private, secluded camping. There will be LOTS of neighbours, many with different ideas of what camping is all about. From long-haired youths who want to sit up playing guitar and smoking dope til all hours to old-enough-to-know-better fisho types who want to run their generators 24/7 in the no-generator areas to middle-aged Europeans who will wake you up at 5am washing their breakfast dishes. There are very few places where you can bush camp as it is mostly private property.

The creek side sites at Silent Grove are no longer operating. Camping is at the main big site only 😢😢😢.

I agree that the new/newish system for booking is creating lots of concern and much money is not going to the various NP authorities--their fault really.
We have experienced the same in Murray -Sunset NP areas in Vic when deciding to camp at the last minute but no service etc so no pay!
Have also had the reply --call back in business hours!
Also should not bag out grey nomads as we will all be there eventually but not all of them do internet /phone banking so what do they do--guess they don't pay.
Think a rethink is required by those desk boffins!
Needs to be brought up with the various State authorities/minister.
Alan

The SA parks site does not know how to add up!
I booked a walk in site in Deep Creek (eagle waterhole).Walkers are $8 / night each. The booking website tried to charge me $26 for a group of 3 people.
In the end I booked for 3 indiviual people (3 seperate bookings) and it saved me $2.......

I do not like the pe-book system - it takes the spontaneity out of a touring trip.
I have never had the problem of not being able to find a vacant campsite in the last 25years of camping.......
Regards,
Scott

No one has mentioned using wireless dongles in this thread, and it seems most are trying to use just mobile phones.
Were unsuccessful attempts made to attract satellite coverage to make a booking?
Just so you know, I agree that the system sucks. It appears that internet booking systems masters, imply everyone uses Telstra which is not the case and useless in many places anyway.

Originally Posted by Grahame Roberts

No one has mentioned using wireless dongles in this thread, and it seems most are trying to use just mobile phones.
Were unsuccessful attempts made to attract satellite coverage to make a booking?
Just so you know, I agree that the system sucks. It appears that internet booking systems masters, imply everyone uses Telstra which is not the case and useless in many places anyway.

Wireless dongles/ Attract satellite coverage??? I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about I'm afraid. Also I don't think I should need particular hardware or skills in any particular field in order to camp in a national park. 'Just mobile phones' should be more than enough.

Just shows we need many more mobile phone towers. For example, why shouldn't every NP have a mobile tower? It's a major safety factor and could save lives if people are lost, break down or are injured. Rural residents have just as much right to a mobile phone/internet service as us pampered city residents, I reckon. It is certainly technically feasible to cover the entire continent with a mobile signal - other countries do it. The money exists, but all that is stopping us is that the powers that be have decided to spend the money in other ways. Priorities should be changed to make this happen, I say.