Another group may arrive later, and if space is at a premium, then site your party's tents accordingly. Even if there's plenty of room, it's nice to have your group together rather than scattered. If tents are poorly sited then later parties may be obliged to camp outside the customary camping area, and this may be something to avoid.

Ideally, tents should have at least a few metres between them to give people space to easily move around. If space is tight, consider sharing sleeping quarters, or at least do a coin toss for good spots so that whoever is stuck with the lumpy sloping ground has won it fair and square. On longer trips, a roster or agreement means a fair outcome for all. Lastly, be mindful of others and avoid loud conversations late at night.

A good example of sleeping conflict is when two bushwalking groups arrive at the same campsite but have two completely different ideas about how they want to spend the night. One is there to catch up on sleep, the other is there to stay up all night to party. If this appears to be the case, chat to the other group to find a compromise. This might be as simple as inviting the quiet group to join the noisy group for a shared dinner.

suffering. Another reason is that the area is at risk from bushfires, and by not having a campfire the risk is less. If campfires are allowed, keep the fire small. If there's plenty of timber a fire may be possible, but only when safe. In general, campfires should be avoided at popular locations and in alpine regions. Use existing fireplaces, and if there are none, dig out a fireplace. Before leaving drown the ashes, scatter them and put the sod back. The grass that is, not the leader.

A good cooking fire has lots of smouldering embers, and a warm fire has lots of fuel and flames. If people are cooking on the fire, check before building it up because sudden changes in temperature can easily burn food and make it hard to remove billies. Conversely, if people are using the fire to keep warm, then putting several billies on the flames won’t keep the fire warm for long. Check with the rest of the group how the fire is being used, and consider splitting it into two sides: a hot built-up side, and a cooler side with embers for cooking.

Most paper rubbish can be safely burnt on a campfire. Due to the release of toxic chemicals, plastic should not be burnt on campfires. Although plastic is burnt in factories, it’s done at a much higher temperature than a campfire, hence producing different and less toxic gases. Any paper put in the fire should be checked

for plastic or foil lining. Foil should never be put in the fire because it does not burn and produces tiny flakes of foil that remain in the fireplace. Tins should be washed well away from water sources, crushed, and carried out.