Ripped Off - Anglesea - Vic

Submitted: Tuesday, Nov 07, 2006 at 18:48

ThreadID: 39227 Views:6635 Replies:11 FollowUps:7

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Wes L

G'day fellow travellers. Interested to know if any of you have experienced this. We went to visit a friend who was staying at the Top Tourist van park in Anglesea, Victoria. Took the kids and their grandparents to see our friends new van and had to pay $14.00 just to visit for a coffee. Were told it included full use of all facilities only to find BBQ's, spas in the pool all operated by dollar coins. After travelling all over Oz we reckon we found one park we'll never go near again. Just for your info fellow travellers.

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Reply By: Mal58 - Tuesday, Nov 07, 2006 at 18:59

Tuesday, Nov 07, 2006 at 18:59

Wes,
I think this is starting to be quite common practice to pay a visitors fee.

I was with my family at a Big4 park this weekend. We had some friends visit. They had to pay $10 to come in to see us.

Mal58

AnswerID: 203575

Follow Up By: Member - Teabag (Queanbeyan) - Tuesday, Nov 07, 2006 at 19:33

Tuesday, Nov 07, 2006 at 19:33

And Caravan Park owners wonder why we want to camp in the bush...Go figure...I have lost patience with Caravan Parks over the years as they are getting more and more condensed and you feel like you are living right on top of each other and they charge $40 odd dollars a night....expensive shower and dump......I prefer the open wide space that the bush has to offer.......Rant over....

FollowupID: 463172

Follow Up By: The Explorer - Tuesday, Nov 07, 2006 at 20:17

Tuesday, Nov 07, 2006 at 20:17

You reckon thats bad !! - all my relatives live in the Perth Zoo. Dont visit much.
Cheers
Greg

I sent one final shout after him to stick to the track, to which he replied “All right,” That was the last ever seen of Gibson - E Giles 23 April 1874

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FollowupID: 463186

Follow Up By: Member - Teabag (Queanbeyan) - Tuesday, Nov 07, 2006 at 20:33

Tuesday, Nov 07, 2006 at 20:33

Mate, most of mine should join them as they are still roaming the Plains of Africa.....Which may not be a bad thing......

FollowupID: 463190

Follow Up By: GaryInOz (Vic) - Tuesday, Nov 07, 2006 at 20:36

Tuesday, Nov 07, 2006 at 20:36

"...You reckon thats bad !! - all my relatives live in the Perth Zoo. Dont visit much.
Cheers
Greg..."

Yeah, last time you visited the keepers wouldn't let you leave....

FollowupID: 463191

Follow Up By: Off-track - Tuesday, Nov 07, 2006 at 22:19

Tuesday, Nov 07, 2006 at 22:19

I reckon I have it worse - some of my rellies live in Adelaide and sometimes we have to go there to visit! :-)

FollowupID: 463217

Reply By: Motherhen - Tuesday, Nov 07, 2006 at 20:01

Tuesday, Nov 07, 2006 at 20:01

I wouldn't like to be running a caravan park unless it was always fairly full for most of the year - perhaps they need to include the extra fees in order to make a profit. Sounds a bit rude to me though, considering they charged extra for the facilities anyway. Glad we snuck into a nice beach for a quiet night with a glorious sunset and sunrise on the water when we were passing the area.

Motherhen

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AnswerID: 203584

Reply By: teabags - Tuesday, Nov 07, 2006 at 20:48

Tuesday, Nov 07, 2006 at 20:48

Like any business there are good and bad. Most caravan parks we have stayed at have been really great and good value, but there's always going to be the rip-off merchants. Don't tar them all with the same brush.
My philosophy: if somebody rips you off tell everybody, but be fair and if someone give you particularly good service, tell everyone.

AnswerID: 203600

Follow Up By: Member - Teabag (Queanbeyan) - Tuesday, Nov 07, 2006 at 20:55

Tuesday, Nov 07, 2006 at 20:55

Did you steal my name.......

FollowupID: 463200

Reply By: Member - Arkay (SA) - Tuesday, Nov 07, 2006 at 21:36

Tuesday, Nov 07, 2006 at 21:36

Is it not possible for ones friends to leave their vehicle parked somewhere outside, and just walk into the caravan park past the office or whatever as if they were "residents" returning from the shops or a local walk (e.g from the pub)? 'Course if it was the latter they would have to wobble a bit to make it look genuine.

AnswerID: 203609

Follow Up By: Mal58 - Wednesday, Nov 08, 2006 at 11:37

Wednesday, Nov 08, 2006 at 11:37

In our case there is no parking outside. The Caravan park did have a day visitors car park previously, but in the last few months put it behind gates. It requires a $10 fee to get in/out.

Any vistors had to be out of the carpark prior to 6.00pm or another fee was payable.

Our visitor drove out just on 6.00 and parked in the "Book in Bay" (which you can't park in if you have a caravan cause you can't fit), and in the five minutes it took to round up the kids to get them in the car, there was a note left under the windscreen to say that they couldn't park there and a fee was payable.

It was a discussion point with quite a few of our Group (that has being going to the same Caravan Park for over 8 years.), about this, and it almost cost the park owners our group bookings (10 sites) for the next Cup Day weekend in 2007.

Cheers,
Mal

FollowupID: 463285

Reply By: ross - Tuesday, Nov 07, 2006 at 22:30

Tuesday, Nov 07, 2006 at 22:30

They are not all the same. The last park I stayed at was the Coalmine Beach caravan park in Walpole WA.
It was scrupiously clean and well run even though it was the xmas holidays and they were full.
Three times a day someone came around and cleaned the park tables and benches,bbq,and the fully equipped kitchen.

When the toilets got blocked a 2am they were fully operational and cleaned by 5am.

I dont remember what I paid but it was very affordable .
It didnt have spas or pools but maybe thats what makes them so expensive to stay in .

AnswerID: 203620

Reply By: Member - steve H (QLD) - Wednesday, Nov 08, 2006 at 08:33

Wednesday, Nov 08, 2006 at 08:33

Wes
My wife and i were involved in a Tourist park prior to moving to Qld and we have never heard of this charge. (we were in SE NSW) . If there is a charge how could they police it ?

steve

AnswerID: 203654

Reply By: Gerhardp1 - Wednesday, Nov 08, 2006 at 09:52

Wednesday, Nov 08, 2006 at 09:52

It may have something to do with the Land Tax park owners in Victoria are slugged with.

The current Govt has increased land tax exponetially over the last years. Increases from $3000 to $100,000 are not uncommon, due to the tax being levied based on what a site would be worth IF FULLY DEVELOPED.

So a Van park that has existed for years at Anglesea is in a prime beachfront location, and would be seriously underdeveloped for the purposes of this tax.

The charge they levy may be needed to try and recoup this Gov't rip-off.

AnswerID: 203666

Reply By: The Landy - Wednesday, Nov 08, 2006 at 13:27

Wednesday, Nov 08, 2006 at 13:27

The soaring land values along coastal Australia, especially prime areas, has spelt the end of the 'caravan park' as many have grown to know them. They aren't designed for the casual overnight visitor that is for sure. Today they are 'resort parks' with fees to match and are multi-million dollar enterprises that would just as soon turn the land into holiday units (if they could).

The argument for 'guest fees' seems to revolve around the concept that your guests can (will) use the facilities that others are paying good money for...therefore we'll charge your guests at the gate for the privilege also.

I can see the argument, whether it is fair depends on whether you are happy to fork out the money for the privilege, but happy to share it with someone else's guests who pay nothing.

AnswerID: 203699

Reply By: Dave Thomson - Wednesday, Nov 08, 2006 at 15:53

Wednesday, Nov 08, 2006 at 15:53

Talking of rip offs, why do we have to pay to get into the royal show , then pay for everything in there again ??? I've asked this question a million times and all you get is , well it's a tradition................... !!! mate it's a RIP OFF and one fine day we might just WAKE UP and dump this tradition {hopefully},
Dave

AnswerID: 203717

Reply By: AdrianLR (VIC) - Wednesday, Nov 08, 2006 at 22:56

Wednesday, Nov 08, 2006 at 22:56

If it's the park between the river & the ocean then we had the same experience a few years back. We'd stayed there for a couple of years and had finally decided that it was run by the Gestapo, prices were exhorbitant and it was getting crowded. Friends asked us to come down to look at an onsite van they wanted to buy. Before the reception desk would give us the keys to the van (on which they would have received a commission upon sale), we had to pay the visitor's fees!!!!! It was well out of peak season so we didn't go to the beach/use the showers etc. Needless to say, we never went back.

Adrian

AnswerID: 203812

Reply By: Bware (Tweed Valley) - Wednesday, Nov 08, 2006 at 23:37

Wednesday, Nov 08, 2006 at 23:37

Sounds like the way of the future, unfortunately. HOMOGENISED TRAVEL - You may want to stop overnight without a booking - $50. Why? You have use of a pool and spa, cafe on site, beachfront location, games room etc. "But it's already dark and I have to be out by 10am - I wont use these facilities". "You have use of a pool and spa, cafe on site......."

Once a few places do it, it will become common practice.

Travel is going through some major changes; Everyone wants a buck and to get that buck someone else has to spend it. "How do I make them spend it?". This is the philosophy of our times. I wont go into possible alternatives; my philosophy is off topic

AnswerID: 203818