Guides4 min read
Beach driving: tides, pressures and salt water
Why the tide timetable outranks everything else, what soft sand actually demands from a driver, and the washing-down step people skip.
Touring notes from the Australian bush
Gum & Canvas
Field notes on camping and four-wheel driving in Australia. Route logs, campsite records, and gear tested against the country it is used in.
Photo by JAMO B · wikimedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
Featured route
Crossing the Simpson Desert
Around 1,100 parallel dunes between Mount Dare and Birdsville, the most committing mainstream desert crossing in Australia, and entirely a dry-season proposition.
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Guides4 min read
Fire restrictions and campfires: how the rules actually work
Fire danger ratings, declared fire periods and total fire bans are three different things, and knowing which one applies decides whether you can light a fire tonight.
Guides5 min read
Finding 4WD tracks: where they are and how to read them before you drive
How track classification works, who manages what, and the assessment habits that separate a good day out from an expensive recovery.
Guides4 min read
Free camping in Australia: how it actually works
What counts as free camping, where it is genuinely permitted, and the rules that catch people out before the fine does.
Guides4 min read
Free camping in New South Wales
How NSW splits between paid national parks, free state forest and council rest areas, and why the park pass question matters more here than anywhere else.
Guides4 min read
Free camping in Queensland
The state with the most generous council camping and the strictest national park booking system, plus the crocodile line that changes how you camp.