When we traveled around Oz for 5yrs back in '99-04 the no camping signs were just a bluff unless the sign had a "by order of Mayor and by law number" physically on the sign itself.
We never received an infringement.
It was certainly the caravan park owners kicking up a stink cause they want you to pay to be in their park not free loading. Over the years the caravan parks got their way, but the CMCA (Caravan and Motorhome Club of Australia) started to talk about the towns (monthly magazine posted to all their members) in which places were non-overnight free camping places and were advising to drive past the town. This caused a bit of stink and over the years a lot of the small towns would offer places for free camping sites (un-powered & no water of course)
As we had a 40foot coach and 18f trailer there was limited places we could find anyway. Most of our camping sites were either boat ramps, information bays just out of town, gravel dumps between towns, town parks, cattle sale yards, industrial areas.
