A viral TikTok touching on the phenomenon known as “ghost camping” — in which folks leave empty caravans in a location to call dibs on that spot — has sparked online debate on whether or not it’s appropriate during the holiday season.
Ciaran Shields (@no_place_to_go_) sent the internet into a tizzy after capturing ghost campers at a popular spot along the Murray River, alongside the New South Wales-Victoria border.
“Do you like the idea of people taking up prime camping spots, leaving their vans one to two months out from Christmas so they can have the prime spots for the festive season?” Shields wrote in the caption of the TikTok, which now has more than 530.1K views.
Instantly, folks came bounding over to the comments with their two cents, many disagreeing with the idea of ghost camping at a popular spot ahead of the holidays.
“People like this are the reason camping spots get privatised and cost a fortune to book,” one person wrote.
“All I’m hearing is people are leaving free vans lying around,” commented another.
“They look abandoned to me. Call the council and get them towed,” penned a third.
Speaking to ABC News, Shields revealed that he’d never experienced or faced “ghost camping” before, despite travelling Australia since 2024.
“We used to live in the South West of WA and have been travelling around in our converted school bus since March 2024,” he told the publication.
“We have never seen anything like this on our travels before or around our hometown in WA, for that matter.
“But judging by the comments, it happens here quite regularly for Christmas and Easter.”
Is ghost camping legal?
Per ABC News, a spokesperson for Parks Victoria — which manages that particular campsite known as Davis Beach — said ghost camping was common during peak holiday seasons.
“The maximum time someone can camp at one of the Murray River Reserve sites, like Davis Beach, is six weeks,” the spokesperson said.
“If people encounter issues with behaviour or facilities at one of our campsites, they can report them.”
Honestly, the whole concept of ghost camping reminds me of those folks who run down to pools at 5am to ‘reserve’ sunbeds. It’s giving greedy!!!
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