Camping, campsite respect & campfires
Camping
Because of the late night, alcohol and the fact people drive for hours to attend a ball, they need somewhere to crash overnight. The carpark, which is often just an open area around the footy oval, showgrounds or farmer’s paddock, becomes a mini village.
For most balls, just like music festivals, the carpark campsite is an organic process. There might be some direction by the organisers, otherwise people who have gone to the ball before naturally park their vehicles in rows, keeping makeshift roadways clear. They hold spaces for their friends, and set their swags up on the ground in between or around the vehicles, or on the back of their utes.
Some people put up gazebos to sit under or to shelter their swags from the summer sun or winter dew. Some people sleep in their cars, others sleep on top of their 4WDs in roof top tents. Some erect normal tents.
Unfortunately, tents can become a target for trampolining. Why? Who knows? Maybe someone takes a tent as a mark of a non-country person at a ball and they feel the need to mark their territory. Or it just happens to be right next to the thoroughfare when some dickhead gets the sudden urge to shove their mate into it. Chances are, the tent did actually belong to a country person who hasn’t gotten a swag yet, or is sheltering themselves and their mates. So to rip their tent is to rip open their temporary home, which is a real cunt-act. Especially when it rains.
So if you have a tent, try to put it up behind your vehicle, or as far from the main thoroughfare as possible, so it doesn’t trigger a sudden dickhead impulse. You could always put a dirty great spike in it, but if someone gets impaled you won’t have any grounds to stand on, because it will be obvious why you have had it in there. And worst case scenario, you might forget it is still there in the middle of the night and impale yourself. If you fail to pull, and it's blunt enough, well maybe you can have your own fun...
Campsite site respect
It’s an unsaid law to respect other peoples’ campsites. You wouldn’t smash up someone’s house or piss on their bed? And you wouldn’t vomit on their car, steal from their fridge or just generally trash their house and backyard? So don’t mess with their temporary home at the ball. And feel free to call people out, if you see someone playing up.
There is bound to be some wanker with sticky fingers, so lock up your valuables
Saying that, there is bound to be some wanker with sticky fingers, so lock up your valuables in your vehicle when you’re in the ball. Lock away your Eskies and car fridges too, unless you don’t mind someone pinching a few cans. And know that the blokes like to piss between the cars or shine their wheels, so don’t roll around on the ground, especially when it’s dark and you can’t see the wet patches.
Campfires
Winter balls often allow campfires—preferably in barrels to control them. You need to bring your own wood and not go cutting up the ball area’s trees (which will be too green anyway). It can get really cold, so a camp fire is a good way to meet new people, as they are attracted by the warmth and opportunity not to freeze their arses off.
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