It's mid afternoon and you drive into a nice free camp. Where and how do you park? If you are lucky you are the first ones in and have the pick of the spots. If there is a river or creek the banks are usually where you will head, but there are many considerations in picking the right spot especially if you plan to stay a few days.

Firstly safety is of the upmost importance so make sure you end up in a position where you can drive straight out, in the event that you feel unsafe or if an emergency occurs. If in the far north of our great country remember crocodiles can and have come into camp sites so do not set up right on the waters edge.

If it is just a small waterhole and the only one around for miles you will need to consider other wildlife. It is their watering hole and they may either be scared off and therefore be susceptible to dehydration or go the other extreme and disturb your camp site at any hour of the day or night.

Do you want shade or sun? If you have solar you probably do not want shade. If you do want shade be careful of low hanging branches and the possibility of a branch falling on you vehicle.

If it is summer and you want the front or the back of the vehicle facing north so that the broad side of the vehicle is gaining the least exposure to the sun. This small consideration makes a big difference to the internal temperature of the vehicle come late afternoon. If it is winter you will want the opposite with the passenger or drivers side facing north and maximum exposure to the sun.

The position of your fridge is another consideration. If you fridge is not well insulated and does not cope with warmer climates you may want to keep that side of the vehicle out of the sun either in the shade for most of the afternoon or facing south.

Do you have an awning? Do you intend to sit out under the awning? If so you will not want the awning facing directly north with no shade or you will have it so low to provide shade you will not have much room to sit. Also consider most people sit outside for "happy hour" late in the afternoon so you do not want the strong westerly sun pelting down under the awning.

Are you travelling with other vehicles? Use the multiple vehicles to provide shade for the area you will congregate or as wind blocks.

You also want a spot that is as level as possible. Levelling blocks or airbags can be used but nothing beats just driving up to a spot and turning off the engine.

Consider where others are parked. There is nothing worse than picking out a great spot and then have someone come and park right on top of you, when there are many hectares to park on. Be sociable if you like and introduce yourselves but do be considerate of their privacy.

After considering all these facts you will want every camp spot to have a river or creek with level grassy banks and the passenger side of the vehicle facing the river. Obviously this is not possible for every occasion. So just consider all the alternatives to come up with the most suitable position for your vehicle and what is available.

It is a good idea to travel with a compass just to make sure you are orientated to the way you think you are. It is sometimes hard in the middle of the afternoon after driving on winding roads to work out where the sun will set and rise. We have had an experience where we were travelling directly west for many km's. We then turned right and drove about 10km in what we thought was a straight line barring winding around a few trees. We parked and set up camp expecting the sun to set to the left of the bus. Very soon we worked out that the sun was setting in exactly the opposite direction and we had actually somehow driven in a 180 degree loop without knowing it. Even when retracing our steps the next day we could not fathom this complete change of direction.

If you are unlucky and all the prime spots along the river have gone it is worth taking what you can get. This happened to us at a great free camp at Gregory Downs in far north west Queensland. When we arrived early afternoon to this very popular area all spots along the river were taken so we had to park in a very poor site. But come about 8am the next morning a few moved out and we were able to move into a great spot right on the river. It was so nice we ended up staying for a few days. We then noticed this early morning shuffle every day with some moving out and others waiting in the wings to move in straight away.

There will be times where you get it just right and be very comfortable, leading you to decide to stay a few more days. Then there will be the times that you can not get the right orientation/safety/privacy. Enjoy it anyway!