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Seems to be happening more, book online,  only a couple sites available yet at the camp ground there  is virtually nobody on sites.
I've read reports in Web sites, Social media groups, and have heard first hand from friends.
Are there booking, paying a deposit, 'Just in case?'
What are others experiences with this?
Oh, Happy New Year,

You don't use magic to disappear, ya use a 4x4 & Swag.

I reckon, that a system where you pay a substantial deposit, then scan a token on-site and be refunded your deposit less camping the site fees would work. Whether government contracted IT could create such a solution is debateable. The proliferation of Starlink conections could also make it feasible to go back to a turn up and pay ststem. I would have thought the cost for national parks to set up a booking hotspot, via a solar powered Starlink dish would be trivial compared with other costs. Unfortunately either are probably beyond the will and wit of government.

Hi,
   Back in the '60s I had friends come back from the USA with tales of woe about their National Parks; queues of cars taking days to clear, campsites removing hot water from showers to discourage campers, paid and ticketed times to walk some trails - it was unbelievable at the time .
It all seems like a nightmare coming true now, private cabins, paid guides, booking systems, (no lotteries in Tasmania, - yet).
Facilities have not kept up with population growth.
Cheers

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The land of the fair go went somewhere back down the track-
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/other/nsw-trail-closed-for-cultural-reasons-faces-long-delay-in-reopening/ar-AA1TovGV (https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/other/nsw-trail-closed-for-cultural-reasons-faces-long-delay-in-reopening/ar-AA1TovGV)

G'day, I am in a sense guilty of "ghost booking " . I have a favourite fishing water hole that I like to go to at least once a year . We as a family have been going there for over 40 years , 5 generations of my family in that time have camped/fished this waterhole . There is 3 camping sites on this waterhole and is very hard to actually book a site , mainly due to people booking sites but not actually turning up . I have in the past had to book and camp at other waterholes , but have driven in my favourite site to do some daytime bank fishing only to find that although all the 3 sites have been booked out for weeks/months there is no evidence that anyone has camped there for some time.
I now when I can , go into the Qld Nat Parks booking site and go through the bookings at this water hole looking for a time where I can book all three sites for a period of time months ahead. Yes I am an arsehole but I always have others who come along for the trip and that makes up the numbers , we may all setup on one site but there is 2, 3 or more lots of people attending this trip , I add those extra people onto the camping permit , pay the extra dollars required per person/per night , so there may be no camp on the other 2 sites , but there is names attached to the permit for that site and dollars have been paid. Cheers and beers duggie

Quote from: duggie on January 10, 2026, 08:35:51 AMYes I am an arsehole

Hehehe, at least you admitted it..

Hey Duggie, I am prepared to offer forgiveness for your arseholedness if you provide the GPS co ordinates of your fishing spot.I am in Vic so unlikely to push you off it (very often) oh and I won't tell anyone. :-*

We have suffered with this as well while up on the Cape a few years ago at several waterholes/rivers. Fortunately it didn't worry us too much as there were alternative sites that we booked instead, unlike Duggie who doesn't get that option. It is still disappointing to see campsites not being utilised properly though.

We have also suffered from the reverse as well. We have a particular site in the Flinders Ranges that we like to book, and twice out of our last three visits, we have arrived to find someone camped on 'our' spot. The first time the other couple were just backing onto the site when we arrived, and after a polite conversation they reluctantly moved to another spot and then refused to talk to us for the rest of their stay. The second time another couple had obviously had been set up for days with a big outfit and were leaving the next morning, so we camped on the next site and moved onto 'our' site when they left. The only issue was that my better half worried for the rest of the day that someone else was going to show up to claim the site we had squatted on. All good though.

Both are annoying, but I would sooner have the first than the second.

Thankfully, it hasn't to us yet, but it will one day.
I've been told by friends who travelled to The Cape, that it was common & also having others camped on your booked site, leaving them nowhere camp.

You don't use magic to disappear, ya use a 4x4 & Swag.

Quote from: Hairs on January 11, 2026, 09:57:02 AMthat it was common & also having others camped on your booked site, leaving them nowhere camp.

As I have already stated , I am an arsehole . I have in the past came to a site booked by myself and found someone else setting up or has set up up in my booked site . I have sat back out of the way and allowed these people to complete their set up and on the odd occassion even watched them grab a beer and relax befor walking up to them with my permit in hand and requesting them to pack up their camp and vacate my booked and paid for site . Have as yet, never recieved death threats , but if looks were daggers I have been mentally stabbed to death on several occations. Normally they have reluctantly packed up and moved on , whith the threat of going to the rangers with photos has always moved on those who have chosen to argue

I Ghost Camp regularly. Find a place I like to camp well hidden from the track and setup, sit back and enjoy.

Dan.

Quote from: duggie on January 11, 2026, 10:50:43 AMAs I have already stated , I am an arsehole . I have in the past came to a site booked by myself and found someone else setting up or has set up up in my booked site . I have sat back out of the way and allowed these people to complete their set up and on the odd occassion even watched them grab a beer and relax befor walking up to them with my permit in hand and requesting them to pack up their camp and vacate my booked and paid for site . Have as yet, never recieved death threats , but if looks were daggers I have been mentally stabbed to death on several occations. Normally they have reluctantly packed up and moved on , whith the threat of going to the rangers with photos has always moved on those who have chosen to argue

Love it!  :cup:  :laugh:  :laugh:

Foo

We've had the same, with people on the wrong sites, in actual caravan parks! :o

Never been a problem, as when we've spoken to the office, they've just said Pick any spot you like! ::) We've then taken a better spot than the one we were down for! 8)  ;D