Campfires are a cultural issue. Everybody believes they have the right to have a fire at a campsite and in some places under the right conditions, the do. Unfortunately people dont follow the rules and ruin it for everyone.
Some people are unaware of the rules and some don't want to know. I work as a Ranger and manage a reasonable forest reserve North East of Melbourne. I can put out dozens of fires on a Sunday afternoon.
Some general rules:
Glass and cans do not burn.If glass was worth anything, I could start glass mines in our campsites and make a killing.
Rubbish breeds rubbish - if a bag of rubbish is left, it will look like a tip site within a week.
Fires cannot legally be left unattended, even though you will need to relight It when you return.
No dogs means all dogs, not just large scary dogs that have a proven biting history.
Green wattles next to the campsite will not burn even though they are conveniently located.
Half bludgeoning a standing tree with an axe in the campsite will do nothing for future shade.
Ladies, if you leave toilet paper next to your tent in the middle of the night, it will do nothing toward the pleasantness of your camp during the day.
Generally if you are camped near other people, throwing aerosol cans in the fire, playing bongos,chainsawing,loud music,aldi generators,testing your diff locks by doing doughnuts, or anything else annoying you can think of will not be appreciated between dusk and dawn if at all.
A good rule of thumb is if it illegal at home, strangely enough it probably is in the bush as well.
