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camping security

Introduction

the main security risk whilst camping is petty thefts and break and enter into caravans or tents
- there will always be those who seek to take advantage of vulnerability or opportunity for theft and complacency of campers is a major contributor to risk of petty theft
- some motivated thieves known to police had detailed knowledge of various makes of caravans and knew how to enter a van where people were asleep without making the van rock. Caravans are easy targets for break and enter - door locks are often minimalistic while areas of canvas or vinyl can be slashed with a knife. A determined professional caravan thief will probably be able to steal your van no matter what security systems you put in place, but they will deter most others.

Theft of caravans or in caravan parks

caravans within caravan parks appear to be safer than caravans parked in other areas such as roadside stops or at private residences, even so, caravan parks in town centres are more likely to experience trespass by, and petty theft, by groups of teenagers especially over summer school holidays. Camp sites more at risk are those along park boundaries especially in urban parks or parks near highways without security fences, security lighting and boom gates for entrance/exit. This is particularly so if there is a nearby hotel or a place nearby where local teenagers can congregate such as a public car park. Some towns around Australia have particular high rates of theft and break and enter from local teenagers such as Tennant Creek in NT. Although uncommon in Australia, caravans can also be easily stolen by towing away hence one should consider using hitch locks to prevent this.
petty theft in caravan parks is relatively common and tends to include clothing from clotheslines or washing machines, alcohol and food from eskies, bicycles, surf-boards, wetsuits, fishing rods and other sporting equipment, mobile phones, laptop computers, wallets and handbags, generators, tools, barbeques and gas bottles.¹⁾
use common sense and situational awareness to minimise risks and if a campground does not feel safe, perhaps choose another

How to minimise theft

some general tips to reduce theft:
- don't taking unnecessary valuables on camp trips
  - if you are just going for a few nights, leave your laptops at home (your smartphone should suffice)
  - only take enough emergency cash plus perhaps only one credit card or none at all if you wont be needing petrol or food
  - don't take jewellery or watches - they are generally useless on a camping trip
  - only take the camera gear you think you will really use
- perhaps choose a camp site that is not too close to a major thoroughfare as the more who walk past (or worse, through your tent site), the greater the opportunities to be tempted to steal
- avoid isolated camp sites as these are too readily open to theft when unattended
- do not leave valuables in tents or under the awning but in locked cars out of sight
- ensure bikes are locked
- get to know your neighbours and hopefully you will look out for each other
- note that car break-ins or car theft are more likely:
  - where cars are needed to be left overnight unattended when hiking to a camp site, especially if relatively close to urban areas when locals know this is a regular occurrence
  - where items of value such as smartphones, iPads, laptops, etc are visible
  - the car is left unlocked
  - car keys left near the car or a spare set in the car (your vehicle may not be insured if you leave a set of keys in a safety lock on the outside of your car while you surf!)
  - older cars without modern security features
  - in remote camp sites where no one else is around
- use hitch locks on caravans or trailers to prevent them being towed away
- consider a security system such as Witi on your caravan which can lock the brakes, etc

security cameras whilst camping - probably don't bother!

an obvious security camera or dash cam while camping may not deter thieves as they may just decide that is their target and do a smash and grab thereby taking all the evidence
motion detection using PIR technology does NOT work when the camera is behind glass such as a windscreen!
- you could set it to continuously record all night but this will drain your battery
if you decide to use a camera, take care NOT to invade the privacy of other campers!

these are generally not worthwhile unless you are leaving a caravan unattended for long periods in which case you could go for a full van security system with immediate uploads of events to the internet
- obviously this not only requires constant power but also 4G mobile internet capability and subscription
- there are many 4G outdoor security cameras available but they may not discourage determined thieves and risk being vandalised or stolen
one could be tempted to use a trailcam or a security camera but these are generally obvious and the thief just needs to steal the trailcam as well to remove the evidence which will be on the mSD card
a home security WiFi camera will require a power source and often will ONLY work if there is a constant WiFi router connection (your phone's personal hotspot may not work with many devices and these devices are often designed to stop recording once WiFi connection is lost)
- a tip to allow your iPhone to act as the WiFi source when camping for some cameras is to change the name of your iPhone to the SSID of your home's WiFi where you originally set up the WiFi camera, then set your personal hotspot on your iPhone to on and change the password to the password of your home WiFi - however this does not work on many WiFi security cameras and for these you may need to resort to an old 4G hotspot for Wifi only (uses about 0.5-0.6W for WiFi only)
- see also: security cameras
a vehicle dash cam might be of limited use if you aim it at your tent and it is designed to work when the car is not running via an auxiliary battery but it may not be adequately visible to act as a deterrent

"intruder alarms"

these may be something you want if you are paranoid and can't sleep, but getting woken up when there is a thief may increase your personal safety risks if you then confront them
your best hope in being woken up is that it is a false alarm caused by an animal, and if it is a would be thief then shining a bright torch might suffice to end with them running - but there is no guarantee this will happen as not only have you confronted them but you have now identified them so hopefully they have a de-escalation strategy such as “I was looking for my dog” rather than feeling the need to kill you - you might need to suggest an excuse for them to de-escalate it “Oh, it's only you, did you get lost in the dark?”
infrared motion detectors
- these are line of sight and often have false alarms due to vegetation moving as well as animals
radar motion detectors
- have the advantage over infrared motion detectors in that they can be used behind glass windscreens or hidden behind tree trunks but have many false alarms such as rain, wind moving objects
- see radar and radar motion detector sensors for campers
some prefer to take a dog
- dogs are not permitted in National Parks and must be on leads at most other parks
- can provide security but do run other risks - illegal attacks on other campers or their dogs, snake bites, attacks by wild dogs in alpine areas.

self defence against attackers

thankfully, you should rarely if ever need to defend yourself against an attacker whilst camping or hiking
in Australia, you cannot use weapons legally for self defence and having a weapon may just escalate the level of violence and it may actually be used against you
your best defences are preventive and avoidance:
- situational awareness
- removing yourself from risky situations early
- avoid having items of value on display which may encourage theft whilst you are sleeping
- de-escalating aggression events
- avoid unnecessary confrontations
- have an escape option available

if camping solo away from other campers, take two chairs to make it look like you are with someone, and consider a second decoy tent
if hiking alone, consider stealth camping for solo woman hikers

self defence:
- you can defend yourself or others such as in a home invasion, for stopping unlawful detention, and protecting property but only using force that you genuinely believe is necessary and that is a reasonable response in the circumstances as you perceive them - once the attacker has retreated or the threat is contained, you cannot keep attacking them.
- if you kill an attacker and it is deemed that action is not reasonable, you may be charged with manslaughter
- if you seriously injure an attacker and it is deemed that action is not reasonable, in addition to criminal action against you, the attacker may also be able to take civil action to sue for damages
- the action is more likely to be deemed unreasonable if you chase, continue to strike, or use a weapon after the danger has passed as this may be deemed “excessive force”
- you would also probably be liable for the actions of your dog
- that said, in the extremely rare circumstance if a person were to enter your tent at night with a knife and perceived intent to attack you, this would most likely be seen as a a very serious situation and if you could not escape then it would probably be deemed reasonable to be able to defend yourself with whatever means you had access to nearby (although using a “weapon” would open up risk of a weapons crime against you) however, it still does not justify revenge, chasing, or continuing once the attacker is no longer an immediate threat - instead, you should get to safety and phone Police on 000 when you can get mobile coverage
in Australia, State laws generally do NOT allow use of weapons for self-defence²⁾
- weapons cannot be carried, possessed, or used to hurt people or to defend yourself, and that “lawful excuse of self-defence” does not include self-defence for weapons offences - grabbing a knife, bat, or similar object solely to arm yourself can create a separate legal problem for you, even if your aim is protection
in Victoria, weapons fall under various categories:
- firearms - you must have a licence to possess one and follow the strict laws relating to them
  - this is not the USA - there is no Constitutional right to bear arms and you can't legally go around shooting people for whatever reason, even in self defence.
- prohibited weapons - you are NOT permitted to possess these
  - swords, crossbows, imitation firearms, martial arts weapons, daggers, certain knives (such as flick knives, non-metal knives excl. cutlery), articles designed to conceal weapons, body armour, capsicum spray devices, acoustic anti-personnel devices, taser, stun gun, extendable baton, dart guns, metal whips or cat o nine tails, slingshots, knuckle duster, flail, laser pointer > 1mW, mace, studded or weighted glove
  - as of 2025 in Victoria, it presumably also includes machetes or knives with blades longer than 20cm (unless it is a kitchen knife).
- controlled weapons - can be possessed, carried and used for legitimate purposes
  - knives that are not prohibited; spear guns, etc
- dangerous articles must not be carried in public places without lawful excuse (NB. self-defence is not a lawful excuse)
  - any item carried with the intention of being used as a weapon such as a baseball bat or tools

major crimes at camp grounds or whilst hiking

fortunately major crime at camp grounds or on bush walks by persons unknown to the victim is a very uncommon problem in Australia³⁾
- you are far more likely to be die getting lost, or be injured in accidents or assaulted by acquaintances, family or friends, or in urban areas, than by a stranger in a campground or whilst hiking but it has rarely occurred, recent examples include:
  - 2001: British tourists Joanne Lees and Peter Falconio were assaulted near Barrow Creek, Northern Territory by Bradley John Murdoch and Murdoch was charged with Falconio's murder.
  - Mar 2020: retiree couple murdered after a significant argument whilst camping in the very remote Wonnangatta region, Victoria - alleged murderer was eventually charged in Nov 2021 and found guilty
  - 2021: 4yr old girl abducted from her separate tent in a camp ground in Canarvon, WA - after some weeks she was fortunately found alive
  - Sept 2023, 47yr old woman stabs husband to death whilst “she was sleeping” at camp in Mt Disappointment, Vic - charges dropped on a defence of “parasomnia”
  - 30th Dec 2023, a woman sleeping in a car with another female traveler on a WA beach car park near Esperance was allegedly sexually assaulted by someone who opened the car door then fled away ⁴⁾
  - Feb 2024, a 51yr old woman who took regular 14km runs in the bush near Ballarat went missing and has never been found although a man has been charged
  - 2026, a solo female hiker who walked a 215km multi-day hike was temporarily stalked by a man near Lake Daylesford / Daylesford township but no criminal offence occurred but it still caused major anxiety and it appears this same man had stalked a lady in a Daylesford grocery store and another in the main street of Daylesford - man has been charged under civil law ⁵⁾ - predators tend to be close to towns - 75% of women and 45% of men state they feel unsafe walking alone at night in urban areas
  - Mar 2026: 26yr old man kills a 33yr old man with axe at campground in NSW following an argument with a 26yr old women and the 33yr old all who knew each other it seems
  - Mar 2026: 43-year-old Daniel Mark Kilkeary allegedly stabbed and killed a man in his 50s believed to be known to each other at Woolbrook camp site near Tamworth following an altercation ⁶⁾