Sharing Your Campsite With Wildlife

From curious dingoes in the Northern Territory to plagues of flies in Western Australia, we learnt a lot about sharing our campsite with wildlife and insects while travelling the country.
Store food and rubbish securely
We kept food in plastic tubs within our tow rig, and stored food scraps in a thick rubbish bag on the back of our 4WD. This tip is extremely important in areas where dingoes are prevalent, as they are attracted into camps by food scraps and smells. Even inside fenced camping areas, rubbish and food can attract wildlife that can become a nuisance or dangerous.

Lighting
The colour of lighting can help keep insects away. We replaced the caravan globes with yellow-hued ones, which we found weren’t as attractive to bugs.
Carry a torch at night
Carrying a torch at night is important for safety. There had been sightings of snakes in and around the toilet block during our stay at Karijini National Park in WA, so we were encouraged to carry a torch at night to see what we were standing on. Wear long pants and covered shoes for added protection.
Wear protective clothing
If you are prone to mosquito bites, cover up with long pants and shirts at night. No matter how many mosquito coils we burned, we still managed to get plenty of itchy bites.
Invest in natural insect repellent
When we arrived in Kalbarri, also in WA, there were plagues of flies due to a cyclone that had sent them south to drier areas. While we armed ourselves with fly nets, our true saviour was ‘Natures Botanical’ – a cream made from rosemary and cedar wood essential oils with an olive oil base. Dab a small amount around your ears, nostrils and eyes to deter flies from landing on your face.

For us, sharing our campsite with wildlife was all part and parcel of the Australian camping experience. So rather than get annoyed about pesky flies or roaming dingos, we applied these simple tips to keep ourselves comfortable and enjoy a harmonious holiday in the great outdoors.
In their next article for Without A Hitch, the Young Nomads discuss their packing requirements for long distance touring.
Drew and Court are a Melbourne couple who are travelling around Australia for 10 months. They’re writing about their experiences for Without a Hitch, giving us the real story of life on the road.
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