Bec Harmon
Free Camping & Remote Travel
Based in Broome, WA
Bec travels solo in a Troopcarrier with a camper on the back, chasing empty free camps and dark skies across the top end and the Kimberley. She writes about self-sufficiency: water, solar, staying legal and staying safe a long way from the nearest town.
25 published articles · most recent September 26, 2026
Bec travels solo in a Troopcarrier with a camper on the back, chasing empty free camps and dark skies across the top end and the Kimberley. She writes about self-sufficiency: water, solar, staying legal and staying safe a long way from the nearest town.
Articles by Bec Harmon
- Camping on pastoral leases and Aboriginal land: getting permission rightNot every empty patch of dirt is free to camp on. Here's how I actually work out who owns the ground and how to ask properly before I pull in.
- Time zones and the Big Lap: keeping calls, kids and contracts straightCrossing three time zones with no daylight saving in some and half-hour offsets in others causes more missed calls and confused kids than any tech problem on the road.
- Travelling solo with a dog: the free camp habits that keep both of you safeSolo touring with a dog changes your camp choices, your water sums and your risk tolerance. Here's what actually keeps you both safe out bush.
- DC-DC chargers explained: why your alternator alone won't cut it anymoreModern alternators and lithium batteries don't play nice without a DC-DC charger. Here's what one actually does, how to size it, and where it goes wrong.
- Gulf country from Karumba to Borroloola: a top-end loop worth the fuelA remote Gulf of Carpentaria loop from Karumba to Borroloola, with real numbers on fuel, water and where the phone signal actually stops.
- Fixed bed vs cafe annexe: the layout choice that decides how you'll actually liveFixed bed or cafe annexe? The real trade-off is space at night versus how much daily faffing you're willing to do at every camp.
- Water tanks vs jerry cans: rethinking your off-road van's water setupFixed tanks feel like the obvious answer for water, but jerry cans and bladders often win on remote trips. Here's the real trade-off, with numbers.
- Satellite messengers vs UHF vs sat phone: what actually covers you remoteA Garmin inReach, a UHF radio and a satellite phone all do different jobs. Here's what actually covers you when you're solo and a long way from town.
- The Kimberley coast without a boat: land-based ways to see it properlyYou don't need a charter boat to see the Kimberley coast properly. Here's how to reach the gorges, tides and beaches from the Troopy instead.
- Running a Troopy fridge, water pump and lights off one battery bank: the real numbersA day-by-day power budget for solo touring off one battery bank: what a fridge, water pump, lights and a laptop actually draw, and where the sums fall apart.
- The Tanami Track: a red dirt shortcut most tourers overlookThe Tanami Track links Alice Springs to the Kimberley across 1,000km of red dirt. Here's what it actually takes in fuel, water and nerve.
- Ground clearance and departure angles: reading the numbers before you buyGround clearance and approach/departure angles get quoted in every brochure. Here's what those numbers actually mean once you're loaded and off the bitumen.
- Wheel bearing grease and hub temps: the outback check most people skipA hand on the hub after every fuel stop tells you more than any warranty book. Here's how I check bearing grease and hub heat on remote corrugated roads.
- Solar panel angle and placement: why your fixed roof panels aren't the whole storyFixed roof solar is convenient but loses serious output in winter and under trees. Here's the maths on angle, shading and when a folding panel earns its keep.
- Corrugations will beat your rig before the track does: how to actually drive themCorrugations shake rigs apart more than any water crossing. Here's the speed, pressure and loading approach that actually saves you money.
- Travelling solo with a dog: the free camp habits that keep both of you safeSolo touring with a dog changes how you pick camps, manage heat and handle emergencies. Here's what nine seasons in the Troopy taught me.
- The pre-Kimberley service checklist a workshop won't do for youA standard caravan service misses the things that actually strand you on the Gibb or the Anne Beadell. Here's the checklist I run before every remote lap.
- The Dampier Peninsula: a Kimberley detour most tourers rush pastCape Leveque Road off the Gibb turns a Kimberley lap into something richer. Here's how I'd plan the detour, water and all.
- Reading a free camp before you commit: the signs that tell you to stay or goA practical way to read a free camp in the first ten minutes, before you've unhitched or dropped the camper, so you don't end up stuck, bogged or moved on after dark.
- Working remotely on the road: what actually works out bushReal numbers on signal, power and camp choice for anyone trying to work remotely from free camps in the outback and the Kimberley.
- How to read a 4WD water crossing before you commitA dry-season creek looks harmless until it isn't. Here's how I actually assess a crossing before I put the Troopy and camper into it.
- Choosing a free camp when you're travelling soloA Troopy-and-camper solo traveller's method for picking safe, legal free camps — timing, ground, solar, signal and reading the room.
- How to choose which direction to do the Big Lap (and why it matters more than you think)Clockwise or anticlockwise — the direction you drive the Big Lap shapes your seasons, your budget and your whole experience on the road.
- Free Camping in Australia: The Rules, State by StateFree camping rules across QLD, NSW, VIC, SA, WA, NT and TAS: rest areas, national parks, self-contained rules and honest talk on council crackdowns.
- Walks Worth Unhitching For: Trails Near Great CampsThe best walking trails for caravanners, each near a great camp, from St Mary Peak to Karijini gorges, with water and season advice.
