Rosehill Caravan Camping Show nightmare!

Lost Husbands!! They were runaways.. It gets busy there, they could be lost all day LOL!! Michael

Boy what a contradiction for me to your experience as I also went to the Rosehill caravan and camping show today. I left home at 8.45am, arrived at parking at 9.30am. Only minimal delays from James Ruse Drive to Grand Ave (looked more of a problem for the other drivers not going to the show) and had no problem or delay getting a park.

Walked up to the entrance expecting long queues but found only 1 family at ticket window and we walked straight thru with our pre-purchased from internet. Was a real pleasant experience when compared to the last few years i have been. I go every year and none have been this easy.

I made a comment to the fact there were very few people there this year (today anyway) and put it down to the weather - the rain - as being the reason most must have stayed away. Yes there were people inside, but nowhere near as many as past years and i think there was more inside at the times the rain came bucketing down which may have turned you off. But there was no real queues for food or toilets or displays like all other years. There was only one queue for those stamps in the passports you get for entry for the show prize. That was at the "number 1" stamp, and was due to the stamp breaking, and only about 10 people in that line. (I think the stamps were experiencing difficulty from being out in the rain). We even got a seat any time we wanted one, + even got one easily when Tania Kernaghan was playing at 2pm. when people were still eating lunch.

I walked around whole thing with my 11 year old son and didnt get one complaint from him which i would have expected if there were queues and people pushing and shoving or squashing up against you - but no, nothing.

We also only heard one call for a "lost husband" named Bill which was repeated 4 or 5 times until he plucked up the courage to show up after being embarrassed by having his name called out publicly. And yes there was also a call for 5 cars to be moved for blocking an entrance and that was repeated probably 10 times. I am unsure when you heard about the "Many a lost husband being called over the loud speaker"

If you think this show was congested i can only imagine that this was your first time there. Every other year I walk away from this show feeling tired and worn out, but this year not so. You were very unlucky to find such a long car line in the parking area and the entrance, but i am unsure as to the rest of you experience when comparing it to ours. Sorry it was a problem for you guys, you better stay away from the Penrith one too as it was more crowded there last year than this one today at Rosehill. I would suggest anyone wanting to go, pick the rainy days as it worked a treat for us!

I was there yesterday on the NSW&ACT 4WD stand near ARB. There again today and Thursday if anyone wants to stop and say Hi. I get there about 8.30am so congestion is not too bad ;).
Dreadful in the afternoon at 5pm though when everyone is leaving so I head out along Unwin St and under the Motorway to the Great Western Highway.

Very busy area truck-wise at the best of times, in that wedge of land bordered by Parramatta Rd, James Ruse Dr, Grand Ave and Parramatta River/Duck Creek there is Shell Refining, Patricks Stevedores, Concrete Reclyclers, Tooheys (or similar) distribution, Boral, James Hardie, Downer EDI, not to mention a miriad of other truck-intensive businesses.

The main problems traffic-wise arise because there's only two roads in or out of the whole area, either Grand Ave (to James Ruse Dr) or Wentworth St (to Parramatta Rd).

Add to that a major event at the Racecourse and peak hour becomes a nightmare....I've worked here 3 years...leave early every day when the Caravan and Camping Show is on!

Anyone interested in a Camps Australia Wide 4 spiral bound, they were on sale for $25. There is a book stall on the lower ground just at the bottom of the stairs. They had a pile of them and probably more available to get rid of as the Camps 5 was released last month. I bought one as i had an earlier version. Michael

This line,
"It certainly helped having pre-booked our tickets " grabbed my attention.

Do these tickets pre-booked cost money?

That is one of my pet hates, I will not pay to be sold something.

If these trade exhibitors wish to see me then they'd best make it as cheap, as in free for me to look at their gear.

It's called the "cost of doing business" be arsed if I pay to go to Woolies so I won't pay to look at camping gear.

Geoff

You actually paid money to go into a shop??
I can go into any camping store, 4WD shop, or accessory outlet without paying- and if I'm looking at a big ticket item, I expect them to come to me !!

I cannot believe the attitude of some people.

I went to the show on Saturday from 9.30 to 5.00pm and unfortunately ran out of time and did not see all.

Parked within 25 metres of the gate, had lunch, was entertained by Tania Kernaghan, saw all the latest models, products and gadgets for an incredible total entry fee of $19.00.

I wonder how much it costs to see Tania Kernaghan in a live show, drive all over the countryside to the exhibitors premises and then back again to compare the products and again to check out something I missed.

I think a lot more than $19.00 and it will certainly take more than a day.
It costs more than $19.00 to park in some shopping centres for 8 hours.

But then you can satisfy some people some of the time, but not all people all of the time and we all have our point of view.

Ahhh - James Ruse Drive - that was your downfall. Coming off Parramatta Road you should have used Wentworth Street Site Link You would have been in the racecourse in about 7 minutes. Also from Bondi Junction you have a good rail system that takes you right to the main pedestrian gate at the show ground.

PeterD

I also have been out at the show, but on the other side of the counter.

From my position, as a one of the staff for the company that I work for, I find it a place to meet people face to face. Not all exhibitors at the shows have a shop front and it is one of the few places that they can meet people. I don't know the cost of a stand at the show but I do know that it is not cheap.

I did make contact with a few that have already booked to go away with us and they took the opportunity to talk with us about their upcoming trip.

We are positioned close to the seminar room and they were always well attended with a variety of topics presented by people in the industry. The talks always seem to run over time with a lot of questions being asked. This type of information is a bit hard to get at a shop.

The position of the show at Rosehill, which is now the centre of Sydney, can be hard to get into but if you drive around Sydney on a regular basis you know to allow for a longer trip time and 3 lanes of slow moving traffic.

I will be around the show again on the weekend, properly checking out the other tour operators and seeing what they are up to.

Wayne

As a former exhibitor at these types of shows, I know how much it costs to run them. Charging an entrance fee is the only way they can do it successfully. The promoter who organises it takes a risk and certainly is due a profit.

Where else can you go and see all those manufacturer's displays in one place ?

Your a bunch of whingers - and who would take their family anyway ? It's not what I would call family entertainment.

Willie.

We have been to that show probably a few years ago now. Only downfall was having two young kids and not being able to stay the whole day. I remember we got there before the gates were open, no problems and a good day out, saw various camper trailers and ended up buying the one we liked most.

I can understand how people could wonder why you would pay for the privilege of stores trying to get you to buy their products, but the point why there is a fee has already been made. Besides you pay in some way regardless (advertising, marketing, development which is in the product price anyway), otherwise think of driving between the different stores in any city and the fuel bill would soon add up for the same privilege. I guess in the end the internet gives us much wider product exposure, so the camping show is often the best way to see most of them in one place - unless you pay to travel interstate!!

isnt it funny how sometimes you cant see the forest for the trees.

just to give you an example that backs up the value of spending $19 read on - it wont cost you anything to read past this point, its all free :)))

i went to this show like i do every year (so to some i waste valuable money, but then again i dont enjoy donating any to the poker machines so i would be in front of some people - sorry i digress) anyway, i was interested in looking at options re my awning and annexe walls for my jayco swan campervan. my thinking was there must be an easier way to put it all up. it doesnt take long now, or is really that stressful, but i still think there has got to be an easier way.

so i walk into the first campervan manufaturer (hint: begins with a big G) & low and behold they have Fiamma 45i awnings/annexes fitted to their campervans. so i get talking with the lady there, admit i am only interested in the awning/annexe not buying from them at all, but she is very helpful & gives me the details of where to go to get one the same.

so next i walk into all the other campervan types and see what they have to offer, ask questions on why they dont do the same type awnings - most only do bag awnings which i think are a real pain in the a... to roll up and put away.

so far i have been able to talk and see first hand around half a dozen manufacturers, which i couldnt do by driving for my $19, or in the same amount of time.

next i start on the annexe manufacturers etc that were there and i get heaps of information and hands on advice that i could never do in the same time or for the same $19.

and finally as we are walking out, i spy one other annexe display. in i go and after a pleasant discussion, i find these people are from the sunshine coast, maroochydore actually, and they say i maybe better off looking locally as the distance could be a problem for some people. but i say if the price is right, and if the savings are right, it could mean a holiday away to maroochydore area and getting the awning/annexe work done also. their price comes in around $1000 to $1500 cheaper than the local guy i spoke to immediately before them, so it looks like if i want to go ahead with my idea of an easier awning i will have to start planning a holiday. wont be a problem with the SWMBO, as her brother lives their and i am sure she would love a chance to visit them as we have never been able to get there.

so my $19 and small bill for LPG to get there may have saved me quite a some of money at the end of the day, and i got to see first hand everything i needed to in one day in one place. even the internet wont give me that. and to top it off, these people will treat me 1st class and come to me at sunshine coast wherever i decide to stay, and do the job there. they will take my current annexe walls and modify them to suit at half the cost to modify that was quoted by all sydney companies i spoke to, their awning is rediculously cheaper + its the same brand!!! the guy i spoke to before them wont modify my existing annexe walls, but is very happy for me to spend $000s on a new one and throw the other one i have away. these guys now move onto the next show in melbourne and i hope they get business from them folks down there too. everyone i spoke to over the day was very friendly, helpful and just great to talk to.

so for me i learnt a lot, and got value for my 1 day spend of $19. And thats not taking into account all the other stuff i learnt, and the quality time i spent with my 11 year old who accompanied me the whole day, and by taking the time to show and explain all the things we seen, he now has learnt so much and offers his opinion and insights on stuff i dont notice - top value day i think