camp ground etiquette

Introduction

most people want to go camping to get away, engage with nature, get as good as sleep as possible and have minimal problems and many enjoy their time away from other people while others like to take the opportunity to connect with other campers

in short:
- RESPECT others
  - minimise noise (especially at night)
    - don't get drunk
      - your sleep will be adversely affected and you are much more likely to snore loudly
      - you are more likely to become loud and aggressive
      - you are more likely to injure yourself or others (eg. falling into a fire)
    - turn off loud music at a reasonable time
    - do not use power generators when others are around
    - do not use chainsaws near camp sites
    - do not use noisy dirt bikes near camp sites
    - moderate your childrens behavior
    - don't take dogs that tend to bark a lot
  - respect their privacy
    - do not walk into other camper's sites without their consent unless it is an emergency to help them
    - ensure you tell your kids not to walk or ride bikes into other occupied camp sites and this includes care using torches at night such as looking for wombats
    - ensure your pets are not straying into other tent sites
    - don't have your car headlights aimed at their tent
    - give others space
    - many prefer to sleep naked - it's your responsibility as parents to keep your kids away from them and let them enjoy being at one with nature and as long as they are doing this discretely they should be allowed to do so without people making a fuss of it
  - respect their assumed rights
    - most camp grounds have a first in, first served policy such as those who arrive first get to choose their camp site first, and many doing so also reserve sites for their friends or family - these people should do so in a reasonable manner
    - obviously do not commit criminal offences such as theft even though camp grounds are inherently less secure environments which invite theft and some campers do leave chairs or table on vacant sites to reserve them
- LEAVE NO TRACE
  - see https://lnt.org/learn/7-principles
  - clean up after yourself
  - avoid fire scars
  - do not contaminate waterways with toileting or non-biodegradable soaps
- BE KIND but don't be intrusive
  - offer help but understand some will prefer to not accept it at that time
- BE PATIENT and TOLERANT
  - some campers will snore loudly and its usually not their fault (unless they got drunk) - be prepared and bring your ear plugs or noise cancelling headphones
  - avoid getting upset, agitated or aggressive but do make polite communication of reasonable requests of others if their behaviour is impacting others
- DO NOT CAUSE HARM TO OTHERS
  - dogs should be on a leash at ALL times in camp grounds even if they are your security means
    - I have been bitten by a dog not on a leash at a camp ground and been harassed by many others as I am sure many other campers and their children have been
    - dog bites can leave permanent harm and risk a civil law case against the owner for many thousands of dollars remuneration - it is not worth the risk!
    - dogs off a leash risk issues with other dogs and with wildlife as well as potentially harassing farm animals, plus they are at their own risk of snake bite or ticks
    - I have had to save a stranger's pup when it slipped into a firepit - luckily I was right next to it and it came to no harm
  - take great care driving in camp grounds
    - people tend not to be as alert as usual when chilling out and often children and swags will be hard to see - kids have been killed by those reversing a caravan
- DO NOT FEED WILDLIFE including birds
  - this is generally bad for their health and tends to make them aggressive to people at meal times when they don't get food and creates unwanted behaviours