You let them camp. That makes you the host.
Whether it's mates around a fire for the weekend or paying guests you found through a camping platform, the second you invite people to stay on your land, you take on a host's duty of care. Uneven ground, a dam, a fire that gets away. These are the things that turn a good weekend into a claim, and "they camped at their own risk" is not the shield people assume it is.
Where hosting campers gets exposed
Camping turns your land into a place where people sleep, cook with fire, walk around in the dark, and get near water. Every one of those is a known cause of injury. As the person who said yes, you're the occupier a court looks to when something goes wrong, paid guest or not. All scenarios below are illustrative examples.
The walk to the amenities in the dark
A camper heads to the toilet block after dark, steps off the mown path, and falls hard on rocky ground near the dam that wasn't marked or lit. They break a wrist and claim you failed to make the site safe for people you'd invited to stay.
The campfire that got away
A guest's fire flares up in dry, windy conditions and spreads off your block into a neighbour's paddock, taking out fencing and feed before it's controlled. The neighbour claims for the damage and the clean-up.
The dam that looked inviting
On a hot afternoon a camper swims in your dam and is injured hitting a submerged obstacle. Their family argues you should have warned people off, fenced it, or signed it, and that letting people camp beside open water without doing so was negligent.
The protection campers assume a sign gives them
A sign isn't a shield
The big assumption is that informality removes liability: that because it's free, or because there's a "camp at your own risk" sign at the gate, you're off the hook. Signs and waivers help as risk management, and they're worth having. But they don't extinguish your duty of care as the occupier. A court can still find you should have done more.
The second assumption is that paid camping is somehow uninsurable here. It isn't. Camping is a recognised land-use option when you quote. What matters is that you disclose it, so the cover reflects that people are actually staying on the land.
Common questions
It's just friends camping for free, do I really need cover?
Payment isn't what creates the duty of care; letting people onto your land is. A free weekend and a paid booking carry the same occupier's liability if someone gets hurt.
I list my land on a camping platform for a fee, am I covered?
Camping is an accepted land-use option, paid or not. Disclose it when you quote so the cover reflects it. If it's grown into a large, full-time operation, give us a call and we'll look at it properly.
Do "camp at your own risk" signs protect me?
They help, and you should have them. But they don't remove your legal duty; a court can still find you liable if the site wasn't reasonably safe. Treat signs as one layer, not the whole answer.
What about campfires and total fire bans?
Cover can respond where fire from your land damages a third party. But follow local fire restrictions and total fire bans. Ignoring them could affect a claim.
There's a dam and a creek on the property, is that a problem?
Open water is a known exposure. Disclose it, keep warnings or barriers where you can, and be clear with guests. It doesn't rule you out; it's just something to manage.
Does it cover campers' own gear if it's damaged or stolen?
No. Their belongings are their responsibility. This cover responds to claims made against you by other people for injury or damage.