Airbnb for the Great Outdoors

FARMERS across the Sunshine Coast are hiring out their patch of grass in a set up that’s billed as “Airbnb for the great outdoors”.

James and Prue Woodford started Youcamp.com in 2013 with their own property in New South Wales.

Now they have more than 5000 camp sites listed across 400 properties and the number continues to grow.

The Sunshine Coast is “one of the most popular areas”.

Mr Woodford said there were about “150 properties listed within a 100 kilometre radius on the Sunshine Coast”.

The idea is similar to Airbnb in that property owners list their outdoor space on the website for people to book to come and pitch their tent on.

“We call it Airbnb for the great outdoors,” he said.

Mr Woodford said the Sunshine Coast was proving to be very successful as there had been a “big issue with people staying in public places illegally”.

“The councils had been grappling to find ways to give a solution,” he said.

“This works and it benefits landholders as they are making extra cash.”

He hoped it would branch out even further where home-owners might rent out their driveway for self-contained travellers.

“A lot of travellers are in fully self-contained campers that and all they are looking for is a safe place to park,” he said.

“We would love to see more of those kind of properties become available.”

Source
Sunshine Coast Daily

Please note: In some areas there are many legal, logistical and social barriers to opening up camping on private land. Some councils are currently opposed to the concept until new further research into the concept has been completed. To this end YouCamp is looking for support to grow theis landsharing community and fund a “Youcamp Ambassador”, who will prepare a national report about private land campsites. Go to Indiegogo for more information