ATL according to CheapCharts, just in time for summer.
One-off purchase (not a subscription).
Have never used it before but heard good things about it.
For those who have used it, share your experience below!
EDIT: Learnt from comments that the original app developer sold the app to a caravan park chain in 2021 and the app isn't as good anymore. Some commenters disagree, so ymmv.
How does it compare to other free apps - Hipcamp, Anycamp?
Can't speak for the others but I used it to plan a drive across Australia and it was flawless at every stop.
Hipcamp is mostly paid sites, limited number.
Anycamps seem to have all hidden gems, but the app hasn't been updated in a long while (I think the Android version doesn't even run on new devices). Upside, the website still works :)
Thanks for the Anycamp App tip. Installing it on my trusty old Pixel 3XL and seems to be working.
Wouldn't use it if it is free now. Used to be great with free camps - now it's all advertising paid camps
I travelled all over Australia pre covid, this app was a godsend. So rich in crowdsourced info. There are substantial areas where free camps are the only decent option. This app was amazing.
A few years ago, the family that built this app sold it to the caravan park entity "G'day Parks", at which point they just purged so much data. You definitely won't find any free camps remotely close to G'day caravan parks.
The app is probably worth getting for $1… But it's a shell of its former self. Still ok when you're far from civilisation.
Thanks for sharing this. Had no idea. Very sad.
Oh no, this used to be the best (and I paid for the original). I wonder if anyone salvaged the crowdsourced info? So many people contributed tips
ah, feck! it always happens sooner or later I guess..
Same. It was so good back then.
Sadly, it seems true. The $0.99 is more damage control for the new owners than a bargain. What a shame, used to be the go-to app.
But are there better alternatives? Genuinely interested.
They had a camping checklist in the app too that they've since removed
I have this app. It's very handy to find public toilets and showers if you are travelling.
Your tax money already paid for that.
https://www.health.gov.au/resources/apps-and-tools/national-…
https://toiletmap.gov.au/
One of the reason why OzB is great place to be. Cheers.
Thanks I'm down in the dumps 💩 now.
would be good if the tax payer option had a way to post reviews etc
The "tax payer option" locates public toilets not camping grounds. I don't think I would want it clogged up with reviews, the pop-ups with all the key information are already excellent and quick to scan.
I’ve used it a number of times while travelling or just around town, and found it really helpful. The coverage is comprehensive and most information is accurate. While governments don’t always get things right, I view this as money well spent.
Toilet reviews? I'm imagining something like:
💩 out of 💩💩💩💩💩
Every surface was sticky. Every wall covered in permanent marker and/or brown smears. Flickering mood lightining and septic odour gives this place the genuine public loo ambiance.
This is a good resource. Thanks for sharing!
Yes but having a few options is good as i found both dont have all toilets listed.
Both of these actually dont list 100s of toilets paid for by non government though these organisations certainly dont want increased use as they are cleaned solely by volunteers.
They could shut if become public knowledge maybe thats why their not listed.
It's very handy to find public toilets
George Costanza knows where all the toilets are too
Great app, paid $10 years ago. Still very happy with it. Bargain at $0.99.
Was worth it back then, now it's been gutted. Great if you are looking for a G'Day holiday park, otherwise it's lost it's value.
Yeah I just had another look. My old account has been deleted. Strange. Looks like it's had some major changes. Was a great app a few years back so it's be interesting to drill into it and see if there is any value for free camping.
When it was purchased by "G'Day Park", they removed a lot of the competition from the database. (ie: Free Camps near a G'Day Park).
It's not all their fault, Australia Wide has had a crackdown on "Free Camping" so that's another reason it looks scares compared to years back.
You are right, still an interesting app with a lot of data.
@UltimateAI: Still a lot of useful functionality though. It's very useful for trip planning, routing, and fuel budgeting. It's a worthwhile tool in the roadtrip arsenal so long as you're aware of the limitations. Definitely worth the $1…
A lot of angry users on Android ( Google Play store)
Eshitification as usual.
Did buy this for 99 cents to try out.
I believe you meant to say 'enshitification'?
Or maybe e-shitification?
I sorted reviews on the App Store by recent and now I’ve decided against it.
Not worth it anymore. They ruined it.
They completely (profanity) it up, wouldn't give them money.. old app was perfection
Decent app for the few times ive needed it. No brainer at 99c
Even though there were a lot of negative reviews I bought this app to see why people were saying not to get it even for just 99 cents.
We have friends who use this app and love it. I've been using Polarsteps to track our trips but it uses up a lot of phone battery and makes my phone run hot so giving this a go as a way to track our trips. Anyone else using anything different to map their travels?
Love this app - use it all the time for camping trips. Absolute steal at 99c. Even at $10 it’s great value.
Use CamperMate instead.
Thanks, will have a look
What are the pros?
Free, often updated
Cheers, this is exactly what I need.
Everyone seems to be hating the app but is anyone recommending a anither one that is as great as the old wiki camps was.
Don't think one exists yet?
Nothing comes close to the old one.
Camps: Camping Australia Wide is getting there.
Offline maps available too.
I paid $10 for this app ~18 months ago because everyone talked about how great it was.
It's less useful than Google Maps imo.
It might be worth $1 but definitely not the $10 I paid. I haven't even been bothered to reinstall it when I travel.
Yes the old version was better in some ways, but there's still a lot of useful functionality and information in the current version. Don't listen to the haters - it's very much worth the 99c if you're planning on doing a big road trip. IMHO it's worth it for the automatic route planning alone. To get the most out of it, make sure you set up your own filters.
i’ve been using the android app for five years. I definitely got my money worth out of that.I think it’s still worth getting, especially for this price one dollar, it runs like a dog on my old budget android device, but on my new iPhone I just took a look and it seems quite zippy.
I imagine the historical reviews will stay there, so it’s just one of many tools you can use to research a campsite. It’s more targeted than Google reviews so I like that it’s camper and caravan specific.
It’s also handy for parks Victoria campsites because people often give specific reviews of individual sites
I’m gonna continue using it until something better it comes along
As someone who runs a private Campground this is still the best app to find us on so would definitely recommend it.
It's just sad what they did to Wikicamps :(
I did 3 big-laps when it was a good app, it was so useful… I was in the middle of my 4th lap when G'day took over and they instantly crippled it, they forced an update which wiped everyone's offline data and their servers couldn't handle the traffic for everyone redownloading it all, I spent 4 months on the road trying to get the offline data downloaded and never succeeded… Then my 5th lap on the new version, ugh, it's just not user friendly anymore, the interface sucks, you cant see details at a glance like you could on the old version, most unofficial camps have been removed, all free camps anywhere near their expensive parks have been removed, it just sucks…
I still use it a little to find water or dump points but I curse G'Day/Discovery every time I use it, and I'll never stay at one of their park again…
It’s a bit of pain, but if you have the original app and haven’t updated it, don’t. You can dodge the forced upgrade pop up by going off and online to load things in the background. It’s annoying, but closer to how things used to be.
Just go into flight mode before loading it.
I used it regularly, mainly pre-owner change. It was great, well worth the once-off fee. Agree with the other commenters, it's gone down hill dramatically.
I think $0.99 for access to the reviews (I still use this a lot to decide which specific campsite to get when booking) is good value. Also, anything off the main track still seems to have a fairly decent selection of camp grounds to choose from.
I don't tend to use free camps, so I can't really comment on that aspect of the app.
Used to be good. Had a windows version which was excellent to plan trips on a big screen.
Hope someone will bring out a new Wiki Camps app that doesn't have the conflict of ownership that this one now has. Try & avoid G'day Parks as a matter of principle.
Great app, couldn't live without it. We travel a lot (12 months was the last trip - mostly free camping around the country), and this is a go to when looking for the next place to stay. The reviews and photos are an excellent info source (remote locations might have reviews from a year ago, but still useful). Most negative comments stem from functionality issues post-buy out by G'day Parks. Whilst not as good as the original app, it still does the job. As for the idea that G'day Parks has some insidious strategy to steer you away from free camps or competitor parks near their locations - I'm yet to see the evidence (it certainly hasn't been our experience). We also use Hipcamp and very occasionally used to pull out the Camps Australia book (no longer though). Whoever said Google Maps is better - probably isn't using wikicamps like most people use it.
Thanks for sharing!
Well I came here to thank the OP from Facebook, then read the update and the comments! LOL
Oh well, 99 cents is ok.
From Fb? How does that work? Does OzB automatically cross post?
(And cheers! Though yea.. ymmv. Some commenters are still positive.)
Don't listen to the angry old men shouting at clouds.
The App was rewritten from scratch about a year ago and a small % of users have been unable to adapt and continue to post negative comments about it.
I've had the app for years and this app is still easily the best free camping app in Australia, it's full of free camps and has many paid camps / caravan parks etc.
I have the android version, but for 0.99 I'm gonna put it in the old iPad
Thanks! This is good info.
![[iOS] WikiCamps Australia $0.99 (Was $9.99) @ Apple App Store](https://files.ozbargain.com.au/n/48/938648.jpg?h=f1e3cccb)
Have been waiting forever on this! Thanks OP