This paper aims to add to the research investigating how home is created from the perspective of those who live outside the norms of a conventional house. This research focuses on those members of the community who live in public spaces in self-built camps in the nearby bush lands surrounding Byron Bay and Brunswick Heads (Australia). This study identified what methods people use to control space and create their own space by cross-analysing the patterns that emerged from a questionnaire and mapping data. The research also used ground-up inquiry to validate the statement that every human experience needs to be understood, with the view that we cannot improve one’s housing conditions without understanding the people who live in those conditions and their values. The study identified some of the challenges and opportunities that face these communities which will need to be addressed in order to respond in a meaningful way in the future.