23-05-2025
'Simple' solution to major camping issue as price hikes threaten Aussie tradition
Aussies in the country's most populous state could soon face skyrocketing costs to camp as authorities grapple with solutions to ghost camping — a major problem that leaves campgrounds empty despite being booked online.
However, an experienced camper who works in the industry believes the best solution would be a simple one. Heatley Gilmore has been a camper for 30 years and runs a camping app that helps Aussies locate free campsites around the country. In response to NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) proposing to increase campground costs, which could lead to campers paying up to nine times more for campsites, Heatley told Yahoo News this isn't the way to address ghost camping.
"Nothing will change unless they change the way they manage the customer and the way they manage the booking," he said. "If they don't change anything there, it doesn't matter if they put an extra $20 on the booking, it's not going to change it."
The NPWS wants to discourage campers from booking more sites than they need, by increasing the price of in-demand sites and incentivising cancellations. Up to 80 per cent of campground fees will be returned to the camper if they cancel at least three days before the booking commences, and up to 50 per cent for cancellations made after this time. Full refunds will not be provided to avoid people booking more sites, then cancelling late.
However, Heatley believes the answer lies in an automated system that sends more messages to the campers at set intervals, constantly reminding them of their booking and giving them an easy way to opt out if there is a change of plan. It would involve text and email notifications being sent to the camper and an easy yes or no confirmation to cancel, instantly making the campsite available again online if a cancellation occurs.
Campers currently receive one or two email reminders before their booking, with the emails often including details about the check-in procedure and campground regulations. However, peppering reminders to campers could make all the difference, Heatley believes.
"The reality is people just forget... If they implemented an automated system it would achieve what they needed to achieve. The majority of people will do the right thing... it couldn't be any simpler than that."
Yahoo News has reported on many campers who have experienced negative experiences due to the ghost camping issue. Jade Payne told Yahoo last year "it's impacted our whole trip" as she travelled around the country with her husband and four children. Another couple who travel full-time in their caravan told Yahoo News they are constantly meeting people across the country who struggle to secure campsites.
"There's a lot of people that just miss out on bookings even though the campgrounds are empty... it's not getting any better," Miriam Mace said.
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State-governed national parks are adopting different approaches to tackling the issue, with Queensland leading the charge with the strictest regulations after introducing a $322 fine last year to campers who don't show up to honour their campsite bookings.
Aussie adventurer and avid camper Mike Atkinson, also known as Outback Mike, has been a prominent voice in the national discussion and accused national parks of simply trying to make "heaps of money" off the recent surge in camping popularity. He has pushed for the booking systems to be dropped completely and instead bring back the first come, first serve approach in place before the Covid-19 pandemic.
"By raising fees, they have just blocked out probably the poorest people in Australia from accessing national parks. It's the one thing they should have access to," he said. "Ditch the booking system."
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