Overnight camps

It is such good news that the land behind Balhannah Oval may soon be available for overnight caravan stays.

My family and I regularly travel with our caravan, and are avid “free campers” – people who avoid caravan parks and just want a simple spot to stop for the night for a low fee, or free.

There are thousands more like us out there – we camp for the simplicity and quiet and enjoy seeing different regions.

We do not like being in a line of other caravans, in a busy caravan park with little space and often a lot of noise, so we avoid areas where there are no other options.

We stay at showgrounds, in paddocks, around ovals, in ruined outback towns, even once at an old uranium mine, and everywhere we go we are putting dollars into the local economy in return.

It doesn’t take business away from caravan parks, campers like us just don’t go to areas without free/low cost sites.

It is very noticeable that the Hills is lacking in such options though, and I often see people comment on social media that they avoid the area because of this.

As a Hahndorf resident, I’ve been frustrated at the lack of such facilities because this is so obviously a significant source of revenue for the area.

It also means that we get a few caravaners even stopping for the day, as parking is so hard for them and they want more than one day here.

I really hope that other great spots like the back of Mylor Oval follow suit and offer low cost or free camping.

Can I suggest that Balhannah Oval put a box up for people to leave receipts from local purchases, as is the case in some other camps, so that they can quantify the benefit that this facility will bring?

Louise Trinkle, Hahndorf