FUEL COST HITS NORTH Seasonal Caravan travellers parks in stick to grip of the coast change
HIGH fuel prices might be convincing the wandering tribes of grey nomads escaping sub- zero winter temperatures in southern states to stick to the northern coastline rather than venture out in to remote western areas.
This year Karumba, Mt Isa and Richmond have all reported noticeable declines in grey nomad numbers compared to previous years. In Townsville it’s business as usual.
Cindy Norton at Townsville’s 120- site Rowes Bay Caravan Park says the beachfront destination has been full so far for nearly every night of the winter tourism season. The season typically starts any time in April, peaks in late June to early July and starts to wane in September before petering out when hot and humid summer temperatures start to make things uncomfortable in October.
“In fact the season started early for us this year. We were getting busy in May and starting to book out in June,” she said.
Ms Norton said some of the park’s regulars had been dodging freezing southern winters in Townsville for 20 years or more. She said they stayed for anything between four weeks and six months.
Things weren’t as rosy at the Karumba Point Holiday and Tourist Park. Roslyn Smith from the park said “numbers were well and truly down” this year.
She puts the decline down to costs, age and health and low return on investments. Her reasoning is that if baby boomers are not seeing a healthy, annual bulge in their superannuation accounts they will be less inclined to spend money on unnecessary travel.
“The older ones aren’t seeing the return on their investments and the younger ones haven’t got the savings to be able to spend long periods on the road,” she said.
The story was different at the Karumba Point Sunset Caravan Park. Adrian Walsh is in his third year at the park. He said he had a slow start this year, but that numbers were now starting to pick up.
“It’s going really well here now. The more it snows down in the south, the better it is for us up here,” he said.
Colin Oke at the Cardwell Van Park said he had a slow start to the season, but numbers were just starting to pick up.
“We need it to stay good and cold in the south so it chases them up here,” Mr Oke said.
Kelly Dempsey at Townsville’s Big 4 Walkabout Palms caravan park said numbers were just starting to pick up.
“It’s good. I’d say about the same as last year. We’ve got no complaints,” she said.
Lyn Thomas from the Lakeview Caravan Park in the Flinders Highway township of Richmond said numbers were down.
“It was a lot busier year,” Ms Thomas said.
“The tourists that are here are telling me that they are not travelling as far this year due to the cost of fuel.”
Julie Simmons from the Mt Isa Caravan Park said 2018 numbers were well down on 2017.
“It’s down this year. The price of fuel is making a big difference. And there is a lot of free camping. We are not full. It’s a shame,” she said. last CARAVAN Parks will have to adjust their business model in order to meet the demands of a changing market, says Campervan and Motor Home Club of Australia CEO Richard Barwick.
He said there were 650,000 registered recreational vehicles ( RVs) comprising caravans and motorhomes in Australia and that many of them were now fitted out as self- contained, independent units.
He said fuel was an issue in terms of costs, but added that RV tourism visitations were also subject to the whim of what might become a popular new route.
He said the traditional caravan park was becoming a broken model as the market had changed. He said some caravan park operators were recognising this and were responding by replacing caravan sites with cabins and villas.
“They are in some cases turning parks into lifestyle villages,” he said.
He said that instead of charging RV owners who had their own power, water and other utilities $ 30 or more for a powered site, they should be charging much less.
“They are not using park facilities like power and water. You can go back five or six years and self- containment in RVs was not such a big thing, but now it is,” he said.’
“People have solar power now. They have everything they need. This is why free camping is now so popular.”