This write up comes from a place of, recent experience. In the not-so-distant past, we were not quitters! We'd pack the trailer up rail, hail or shine (literally!) It's a conflicting decision when you're faced with "we've booked, but should we go?"
Together we've dealt with our fair share of bad weather while camping, I would even call you brave to book a trip with us now because lately the rain seems to turn up every time we've got a trip planned. But I have early memories of camping with my parents, visions of dad running out in his jocks belting down tent pegs, fixing flapping annex walls mid-storm in the middle of the night. One particular trip, mum was the one running out (most likely with more clothes on) battening down the hatches as dad had set us up and gone back to work (the first and last time I think!) From memory it felt like we were inside a washing machine in the caravan during that storm.
More recently, back in 2021 we had made a last minute decision to camp at Double Island Point, just for the night so we only took the swags. We spent a magic afternoon at Rainbow Beach and set up camp late afternoon. Not long after dinner we could see some lightning to the south and thought "that's the storm heading for home" so without phone reception, assumed we were fine. If you know Teewah Beach, the storm approached from behind the dunes (in the opposite direction to what was predicted a few hours earlier when we'd checked the BOM) so we couldn't see it until we were in it. Well, we were NOT fine and shortly after endured a big storm. Our swags were blowing over, kids screaming, car awning breaking and the only choice we had was to pack up mid storm. I chucked our screaming kids into the car, and helped hubby strap the swags to the roof. We were drenched, covered in sand and decided to race the high tide down the beach to get home. There was camping gear all over the beach from everyone's camps. We had no cash for the barge but thankfully they let us on (no doubt seeing the drenched unrolled swags flapping on the roof). That night I said if there is ever a storm predicted in the south east, we will not be camping!
So that brings me to these decisions we must make when the weather turns bad... Most likely you've booked in, paid at least a deposit, maybe even done the Camp shopping and started packing. (Is there anything worse than having to unpack from a trip you never went on? Well maybe, but I can tell you from recent experience it's not enjoyable!)
So what to do when the weather turns bad? You can't always avoid bad weather but you can minimise your chances.
Keep an eye on the weather
Stating the obvious here but use your weather apps. We use the BOM (or the bureau as we are now told) for forecasts & up to date radar vision, Seabreeze (for wind direction & speed) and we also follow Higgins Storm Chasing on Facebook, for accurate reports.
Consider Safety
Chat with anyone you are going away with and see how everyone feels about the situation. Are you all set up for worst case scenario? Or will your tent be flying down the beach at midnight? Does the area flood? Will you be protected from the wind?
Make a decision
How long is your trip for, will it only rain for one day or the whole week? Keep cancellation policies in mind, you most likely need to make your decision around 3 days before you're due to arrive at camp
Most caravan parks will offer a credit instead of a refund with short notice cancellations. Usually you pay a deposit when booking then pay the rest upon arrival.
National Park bookings require 3 full days notice to receive a refund otherwise you get nothing back. (eg- If you're booked to arrive on Saturday, you must cancel before midnight on the Tuesday.) You also pay the full fee upfront when booking in a national park.
When the weather turns bad, making these decisions can be tricky as the weather can be so unpredictable. It's not worth the risk driving on flooded roads or enduring wild weather because you couldn't get your deposit back, it's just not worth the hassle, in our opinion. We consider this bad luck a donation to the places we love to visit. Have you ever been caught out camping in bad weather? If anything it makes for an interesting story!
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