where to overnight in car

[u/PaperSufficient7485]

hi everyone,
i am visiting a friend in Canberra and unfortunately cannot stay at her place for the night (sharehouse). I am travelling in a van with black out window covers, so can be pretty stealth.

Does anyone know of anywhere i could pull up for one night safely? I can’t seem to find any campgrounds nearby that aren’t ridiculously expensive.

thanks in advance!

[u/Holiday_Caregiver535]

Can’t pull up in her driveway or in visitor parking at their complex?

[u/XixaxSpatula → u/Holiday_Caregiver535]

Do this. I doubt anyone will notice one night especially with a stealth camping van. More so in the suburbs, not like this is Byron Bay.

[u/Bali_Dog]

The carpark at Civic Pool.

And pop into the complex for toilet and a shower (and a few laps?) to start your morning. Been a while since i checked but is about $6 for a casual visit.

Loads of cafes nearby for breaky.

[u/Cultural-Classic-847 → u/Bali_Dog]

With rents, mortgages & the cost of living being so high, I like it!

[u/XixaxSpatula]

There is a designated free overnight lay over on the highway in from Sydney, just after the border signage and before the Majura Road overpass. Hugh Edwards VC rest area

[u/Ok_Meal4289 → u/XixaxSpatula]

There’s a loo there too

[u/Nomesne → u/XixaxSpatula]

Is that noisy though? Lotsa traffic.

[u/XixaxSpatula → u/Nomesne]

Yeah, but it's free. BYO earplugs or stealth it in a quiet suburban street.

[u/DermottBanana]

There's heaps of places, depending what side of town you're in.

For example, someone here has mentioned the Hugh Edwards rest area near the Federal Hwy entrance to Canberra. But just nearby, you have Hector McIntosh Grove, where the shooting ranges are, and they're quiet during the night, away from traffic, and you've got the 24 hour servo at Eaglehawk available for snacks thru the night if you need them.

Or you could go down to Mitchell, and plenty of the side streets down there are going to be peaceful during the night (ie Kemble Ct, Bailieu Ct, Winchcombe Ct).

Or any of the lookouts - Black Mt, Ainslie, Mt Pleasant.

Or the myriad of abandoned carparks that aren't used at night - for example, on Wendouree Ct near the Carillion.

There's HEAPS.

[u/Nomesne]

The car parks at or around bunnings out at the airport are quiet. I think I’ve seen a few vans out there at night. Can use the bunnings toilet in the morning.

[u/racingskater → u/Nomesne]

The Maccas would be a better bet; they open earlier and later.

[u/IckyBodCraneOperator → u/racingskater]

Why. The maccas will be busier and noisier earlier than Bunnings carparks

[u/racingskater → u/IckyBodCraneOperator]

Well, they're right next to each other, so not really. But I was more thinking about access to toilet.

EDIT: Nevermind, I just noticed that Majura's already on their summer trading hours and opens at 6am on weekdays now, so toilet access is not an issue.

[u/ApteronotusAlbifrons]

Lots of quiet suburban shopping centres have car parks - many with toilets (which may have time restrictions) - free wifi - street lighting for lurkers. Early morning cafes for coffee and/or breakfast

https://toiletmap.gov.au/

https://www.act.gov.au/living-in-the-act/free-public-wi-fi-in-the-act#Find-CBRfree-wi-fi

[u/Background-March9598]

Car parks around Southwell Park is ok.

[u/Valuable_Fix855]

Cotter camp grounds

[u/GSpider78 → u/Valuable_Fix855]

This is a lovely idea. Bit of a drive but wake next to the river, bring some snags in the esky. Your mates will be jealous.
Otherwise I second the idea of your mates driveway or street, Canberra is super quiet not like anyone is gonna call the cops on you

[u/FairDinkumBottleO]

Genuinely think anywhere in Canberra you'll be fine as long as you're not causing a scene or being a weird a cunt.

[u/Gimp_N_Gravy → u/FairDinkumBottleO]

Is beating off being a weird cunt?

[u/Alarmed_Avocado2740 → u/Gimp_N_Gravy]

Not in the van. Doing on your morning walk might cause the trouble they're trying to avoid

[u/Fiztz]

Pretty much anywhere if you're not setting up an obvious camp, just pull up maps on the satellite images and find somewhere convenient 

[u/Ok-Gift9867]

A van on the side of the road for one night is far less obvious than a van in a car park for multiple nights. Park one block over each night and you won't be bothered.

[u/WuTrentClan]

One night? Anywhere, we don’t have cops in Canberra.

[u/Subaudiblehum → u/WuTrentClan]

My ex has been drink drink driving every second night, on average for the 5 years we’ve been here. Never been pulled over or done. So frustrating.

[u/Subaudiblehum → u/[deleted]]

I’m waiting for an opportunity when I know his location at an exact time, at a time when I think he will be drinking, to call and let the police know.
I don’t have nigh hopes the will go and wait for him and actually get him, but I will try.
Problem Is, he’s my ex and I don’t know where he and when.
So you can stop coming at me, I’m not ‘letting it happen’ and kindly piss off with having a go at me.
Any other ideas about how I handle this, feel free to let me know.

[u/Abject-Delay7036 → u/Subaudiblehum]

What pub...for research purposes only 

[u/JuliosvNerds → u/[deleted]]

It’s worth reporting but just so you know ACTP are very unlikely to pull over this person in the word of a disgruntled ex/random.

If they have specific information that someone is drunk at the time of the report - different story.

[u/IPBotRo → u/[deleted]]

you assume the drunk driver is a he?

[u/Fiztz → u/WuTrentClan]

We do, they're probably the best in the country because they focus on actual problems not trying to find ways to compensate for their insufficient/absent male genetalia

[u/WuTrentClan → u/Fiztz]

Sorry I don’t get it. Are you implying I have insufficient/absent male genitalia?

[u/Fiztz → u/WuTrentClan]

Unless you're a cop in Goulburn then no, that's not what I was saying 

[u/ThinTerm1327]

Dickson pool car park has vans stay over night all the time

[u/agent_clone]

So if you want a proper campground a bit out of town you have Anderson VC Rest Area, it has toilet blocks, and it maybe has showers (I can't guarantee this as I think i've only looked at it about once), I can't say how safe/not safe it is but it is free, though i'm not sure how much you'd spend in fuel getting to/from there.

Otherwise in some of the newer suburbs some of the main-ish roads have parallel parking bays (e.g. parts of Anthony Rolfe Avenue, Oodgeroo Avenue, and Nullarbor Avenue are some of the ones I know about/can easily find on google maps).

[u/sensesmaybenumbed]

The cricket oval on Ainsworth st in Phillip on the south side of Yamba drive?

[u/jemist101]

What suburb does your friend live in? We can be more specific with recommendations in that case :) Generally speaking, you're not going to arouse suspicion if you're in the suburbs.

EDIT: there are some specifically 'no overnight parking' signed areas, I feel like this is around Parliamentary Triangle / Lake Burley Griffin. I dear say there's a list somewhere, probably on this subreddit that deals with stealth overnight parking.

[u/ApteronotusAlbifrons → u/jemist101]

I feel like this is around Parliamentary Triangle / Lake Burley Griffin.

The signs went up in response to the cookers who set up camp near the National Library.

It's always been illegal but you used to be able to get away with it if you didn't cause any issues - you'd be asked politely to pack up and leave - but they wouldn't stay to make sure you did...

Then the cookers set up with multiple vehicles and didn't bother with adequate sanitation or garbage and caused a few other issues - so the signposts went up to make it very clear.

https://www.news.com.au/national/nsw-act/news/protesters-face-off-with-police-in-canberra-three-people-arrested/news-story/6676cffaeb50cae1d0d339f64cccd779

[u/DuArVakaren]

How tall is your van? We have visitor parking in our apartment complex in the city centre

[u/TrazMagik]

I once had to setup for a work family Xmas event by the lake near Nara gardens and were greeted by a bunch of guys packing up their cooking gear after breakfast into their vans in the parking lot.

Pretty spectacular spot particularly that time of the morning. Maybe do yourself a solid and follow suit.

[u/amateurgameboi]

Basically all of our local (suburban level) shops have free car parking around them, you might be disturbed depending on where exactly you are, but you can definitely park there for the night. Otherwise, you can park basically anywhere with free parking and be fine in Canberra

[u/hyptex]

There's tree covered visitor parking in my complex that most residents don't even know about lol.

It's super close to the city so DM me because I don't want to post it publicly and have office workers stealing it lol

[u/No_Lynx_Africa]

Any Bunnings carpark will serve you fine.

[u/youngdumbwoke_9111]

Next to lake Gininderra, on the Westfield entrance side, lots of people do it there

[u/plumpturnip]

Share houses I used to live in had randos staying with their friends all the time

[u/Comfortable-Buy-348]

Been in my car in Canberra for 2.5 yrs gungahlin anaconda car park is your best bet

[u/coolbr33z]

Dog Park, Forde, Gungahlin far north and off Horse Park Drive that connects to The Federal Highway.

[u/HecticMuffin]

Watson fair - lots of parking on quiet streets in north Watson. But also just street parking near your mates place?

[u/crankygriffin]

Pull into a church car park. St Margaret’s in Hackett?

[u/ngakang]

Car park in Fyshwick Anytime fitness, been going there for years and always see the most obvious campers parked around the side.

[u/Jackson2615]

Police station carparks?

[u/ZMZDTC]

In front of the us embassy

[u/Hangar48]

Park at a 24 hr gym.

[u/Sheer-imperfection]

North or Southside? I can DM you some Northside parking spots

[u/damojr → u/Sheer-imperfection]

And I can suggest some southside.

[u/GamerRipjaw → u/damojr]

And I can suggest neither

[u/InterestingLuck1653]

Lake Ginninderra

[u/v0iTek]

Red Hill is pretty nice spot

[u/DaSuthNa]

Canberra's suburbs are dotted with nature parks and reserves that have unsealed parking off the road. Nobody would bat an eyelid if a van was parked overnight there.

[u/caughtintrouble]

There's a great quiet spot just out of Queanbeyan called Sparrow Hill. It's dead end at a national park entrance.

[u/heavypetsing]

Look for areas with apartment blocks & lots of other cars parked in the street. It isn't rocket science

[u/whiteycnbr]

In your mates driveway or street parking, no one will tell you to move on.

[u/IcyCap1648]

Canberra train station carpark

[u/bourkaggio]

Honestly your best bet is just out of town at Hall, or the free campgrounds in Queanbeyan

[u/gravityholding]

If it's one night just find some street parking near where your friend lives. There's not really any residential area Canberra that's going to be particularly unsafe. If there's nowhere to park near where your friend is, and you're not going to be too far from Gungahlin, DM and I'll send you the name of a nice quiet safe street with plenty of parking for a night 😊