Hubby and I have just come home from a couple of weeks wandering around the countryside. When we go camping, we just pack the tent and go where the wind blows us - in this case, most of the time it was a fairly stiff wind!

We generally don't "do" tourist parks, unless there is no alternative, but prefer campsites where there are few - if any - people, as we can get closer to the natural environment, and meet the local critters. (Okay, not all of them are ones we'd prefer to meet, but that's just part of the fun.)

Over the years, the developing theme for these "bush-bashes" has been to discover and record sites where communities thrived, particularly in Victoria, mainly because of my pet project on early postal towns in this state.

On this trip we went over some familiar territory, revisiting some of our favourite campsites, as well as discovering a few new ones. We were saddened to learn that a few of the campsites are now closed to the public, because of the misuse of the area by so-called "nature lovers" who left their litter everywhere (including shotgun cartridges).

Some of these sites are on public land (National Parks, etc) and some on private land, but I'll bet my gran'mas bootees that those who choose to spoil these areas will be yelling the loudest when these campsites are gone forever.

We've made a practice of cleaning up the old debris on our sites over the years, and were lucky enough to be allowed onto a couple, on private property, where we've become known, along with a few other campers who do the same thing.

I just wonder how much longer we'll be able to do our camping trips before there are no natural sites left, and we're all herded into the artificial 'Tourist Parks'. Don't get me wrong - these joints have their place, and I know not everyone enjoys "roughing it", but for my money you might as well book into a motel room and stare at four walls. No thanks.

Whinge over for now :)