Caravan Parks

Maybe you should sell your van.

"Can't they cope with the current RV, Caravan, Campertailer, Tent, 5th Wheeler setups?"

I think the aswer is quite simple really, NO, not at the prices people expect to pay.

We usually check out the Badgers Caravan Park site.
They and other caravaners give C/P ratings.
We also use the Camps 6 book.
Have to expect to pay reasonable $$ these days.
I look at it this way, our Van and Tow Vehicle are over 140k so i'm not going to worry about a few extra $$.
C/P owners have to make a living.
Free camping is the way to go in the Outback.
We also check C/Ps before we book in, we won't stay at dumps, got caught out once and that was the only time, it was at Winton.
I also reported a below standard C/P to a local council health officer once, they made them clean up their act.

Cheers

Curley man
What gets me is that my camper is 4.5 metres in length, it has one light and a 50 litre fridge. No heater, no air con, no hot water and don't use a dump point.
And guess wha... I pay the same as you.

Don't pay there prices. There are plenty of caravan parks that are good and reasonable price. Takes a bit of research. Before you pay go and have a look at the site, if your not happy move on. I hate caravan parks so we free camp most of the time. 3 months in Tassie cost us an average of $3.75 a night. Travelled from Bermagui to Adelaide and never paid for accomodation at all. Very rarely did we have neighbours and was never crowded. The ammenities weren't any worse than what you described. Best we have done is 6 weeks fee camping in the one spot. 35 mins up the road could have paid $45 a night to stay in the crowded caravan park. We had a river front site and closest camper was 200 mtrs away.
These places charge what they want and have bad facilities cause people stay there and pay it.

Josh

G'day Curlynan

I can't provide detail for how many caravan parks we've stayed in, but I'd estimate only about 10% have resulted in an experience similar to the issues that you have raised.

As perhaps another issue - I do think that many folks underestimate the costs of caravanning.

Keep smiling.

Cheers
John

Whinge alert.
I rang most if not all of the caravan parks in the Adelaide area recently and asked them the price of an unpowered siite. Only one of them still offers unpowered sites.
I asked if I could have a powered site without the power: this didnt go down well.

Curly Nan,

This is our first crack at touring the country, we've only been at it about 9 months and I hear what your saying, we have tried to split the trip with, bush camps, free camps and van parks, I've found that my feelings towards van parks, change from park to park, at the moment we are in a van park in Cairns a Big 4 near Crystal Cascades, it's a beauty with great amenities and a great location, but some we have stayed in have been shockers, and for good money. It's those parks that sour you a bit, but the good ones tend to make you think all is good with the van park world. So I can't put them all in the same basket.

Cheers....Browny

P.S. Don't sell the van stick at it!

Hi everyone,

If you were running a caravan park would would you charge? I bet it wouldn't be less than what it costs you to run the place.

What happened 30,15 even 5 years ago doesn't apply today. there's more travellers, more regulation, higher costs etc.

You can't expect something for nothing. Everyone has to make a living.

cheers

Just to put another slant on the ongoing saga of Caravan Parks, their fees and conditions.
A few years ago I caretaked a park for a friend who was stupid enough to lease a smallish caravanpark in the SW of WA. I was only there for four weeks and having seen what the customers do, I know why rates are so high.
In my time there we had to replace basin and sink plugs on a daily basis, on average we lost 2-3 shower curtains a week and a call to a plumber to unblock toilets /showers was at least once a week.
In order to be more civilised, we used toilet rolls rather than those horrible dispensers. Kids and maybe adults too used to fill the pan with toilet paper and then try to flush about half a roll down the loo in one go.
Taps were continually left running, flouro tubes were nicked, rubbish was dumped anywhere despite each site having it's own bin emptied every second day or on site changeovers, the toilets and laundry were cleaned at least twice a day, more if required and we were on call at the office for 18 hours a day.
After all that we still had to keep the park tidy, mow lawns, get wood for the BBQ's provided and try to find a bit of time for the family as well.

I'm not bitching about it, I actually liked it for the 4 weeks I was there but am just pointing out what it's like from the Park owner/lessee's point of view.
Shire rates have increased enormously for sites in prime waterfront/upmarket areasand this has to be factored into your charges as well.

And yes some parks are less than pleasant, but usually it'is despite the best efforts of the owner/lessee rather than because of them.

Disco.

Hi Curly

Although we don't go to caravan parks all that often (and the ones we have visited are reviewed on Badger's), the majority we went to were quite acceptable. We don't want to pay for the latest decor in a freshly tiled bathroom; clean and serviceable, with the water hot, will do us. The only really poor score i have even given was for one where the amenities block was really lovely and ticked all the boxes. It would have been good if they hadn't crammed in four times as many sites as the facilities could cope with. We were in an unpowered site; our F250 wouldn't have fitted on a regular site and we didn't want to be sandwiched in without room to breath in the main area anyway. It was 250 metre walk to the block taking a short cut through the tents, and 100 metres walk to the one and only tap servicing the whole unpowered section. $28 a night for no more than a piece of dry dirt. We had to stay in town to order and await a car part :(

Rural towns, where low custom is not enough for a viable private park, often have a Shire run caravan park - usually amenities are very good and price low. These and community run basic camps are the ones we seek out when not out in the bush.

We purchased an expensive rig so we didn't have to camp anywhere near towns most of the time. This is our chosen style of holiday.

While some caravan parks have unpowered tent sites only some do have unpowered sites for caravans. Most don't, but worth asking as some offer us the unpowered price in their main camping area. This year we spent a week at a lovely waterside out of town caravan park and couldn't get a discount for unpowered, even though we didn't even have a power lead with us. The view was worth it, and the amenities although old were very well kept; overall I gave this park a high score and complemented the present owners on what they had achieved out of something that used to be a real dump of a place.

Image Could Not Be Found

Motherhen

Taken from the following report...

INQUIRY INTO THE PROVISION, USE AND REGULATION OF CARAVAN PARKS (AND CAMPING GROUNDS) IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA MAY 2009

It is considered that new caravan parks are not being opened because it is not anywhere near as financially attractive as other types of developments. The cost of developing a caravan park is seen as prohibitive by developers, and the period of return on investment is over a much longer period of time.

The cost of developing a single caravan site has been estimated to now be as high as $40,000 and this only accounts for the costs of providing the necessary infrastructure, which includes, cement blocks, power to and underground power within the site, underground sewerage and toilet blocks. Not to mention other additional requirements to meet the Caravan Park and Camping Ground regulations.

This does not include the cost of land, which is the other major upfront expense, particularly on the most desirable locations where land prices are highest, such as along the coastline. Even taking a conservative approach to the cost of developing a caravan site, at approximately $35,000 per site – a caravan park with 100 sites would cost $3.5M just to develop the infrastructure.

So the upfront cost is prohibitive and the return is long term – it could be 7 or 8 years before a developer recovers the cost of the infrastructure and that does not include all the ongoing costs of running a caravan park, such as employee wages, costs of water and power, and maintenance of the facilities.

Sorry, i submitted before answering the questions.

Yes, most are outdated. More and more people are purchasing bigger self contained rigs, with the intention of paying money up front then reduced camping fees later, or simply to get away from it all.

Many older parks still have pocket handkerchief sized bays as they were built when caravans were small. Their cost structure is set on this, so are justified in charging double for someone taking up two bays.

If we can't justify the price, we can go elsewhere or not go caravanning at all. The owners have to justify the value to them. I would not like to spend my life working seven days a week year round cleaning toilets and dealing with the inevitable grumpy customer (every day brings one) for such a little income. I used to drive past as caravan park daily on my way to work, and counted the income from that day (like three or four caravans at $20 each), against the cost of overheads; common area power and gas, water, rates, building maintenance, etc without even bringing labour and profits into it.

Mh

Gday
Oh man,, have I got all this to look forward to??

You can do a lot of free camping but from some of the posts I see on other forums some people are paranoid about free camping thinking it is there right. For this privilege they well and truly overcapitalise their rig on both solar and goodies then need a big vehicle to tow it. In addition I can't find any interest in watching grass grow just because it is free to stay there I would rather do something otherwise I move on.

To do this is all very well but when you got to any towns bigger than 3000 and the east coast you end up in caravan parks other wise you can say Gee I free camped 30 k or more out of town and didn't pay the greedy caravan parks anything but forgetting it costs $50 to travel back and forwards not including the security of the van.

I have found a couple of parks like you mentioned but they were very cheap and we put up with it. As for packed in that is what happens during peak times in winter and the parks must make their money. Go back to any northern parks in summer and it will be empty but the rates, insurance etc go on.
As for free camps being closed well you can blame Camps Australia for that I will never list with them any free /cheap camps I find as I know what will happen, abuse then closure.
As for caravan parks charging it is a bit like everything else supply and demand and you can charge what you think the market will pay.

We do a bit of both.That is free camping and staying in caravan parks. Some parks are good some not.
I was in a country caravan park a few weeks ago. Nothing flash and it seemed to be doing a good trade due to a couple of highways intersecting there. It was a good size town maybe 4/5000 people and more than one caravan park etc. Park cost around $27 night from memory for a grassed powered site. Amenities...well.

A walk thru the main street whilst waiting for a chinese takeaway revealed in the real estate agents window that the park was for sale for well over one million dollars. Now could that have a bit to do with standards in caravan parks?

I guess it would be hard for any enthusiastic purchaser to then improve facilities and get a return. Just happy that its not my problem.
We will just continue to travel and camp and have the occasional winge. But the real beauty of all this is that we just hook up and go and leave it to the caravan park owners to figure how they can get us to stay.

Jim

I’ve followed the general Caravan / RV / Caravan Park story with interest because it is going to have a substantial impact on tourism infrastructure in this country. And worth noting, with the Australian dollar at current levels, there is a higher proportion of people travelling overseas and less inbound tourists; this will eventually lead to less capital investment in tourism infrastructure, which is not good for any of us.

The issue is a fundamental shift in what a caravan park is today, what it offers, and the price at which it can do this. On one hand, increasing land valuations, and council rates means that they can no longer survive the old style model of mum and dad and the kids holidaying for 4 weeks a year at $10 per night. To attract a wider audience they have had to make substantial improvements and become resort style parks, providing a wider range of holiday inclusions apart from a toilet and shower block. For some they have been able to make this transition, for many (perhaps most) it hasn’t or won’t be financially viable to do so, and perhaps these are the ones often referred to in these types of posts, the ones in their death throes. And it is worth noting the cost of developing one site within a park is estimated at around $35,000/$40,000 and that is just site costs, not the capital investment required to purchase the park.

On the other hand we have a developing RV/Caravan industry selling people on a complete package of vans and vehicles that can self-support for extended periods, and consequently many are not willing to pay the price required to stay in the caravan parks, and nor do they want all the frills, but they still have a requirement to be able to service their vans and RVs in terms of black and grey waste, replenish supplies, and in some cases access an area where they can stay and have ‘safety in numbers’.

The RV Association has been quite vigorous in terms of its promotion of the benefits to local councils and the need to be an ‘RV Friendly’ town in order to gain their support and endorsement. This means providing services that in many ways are in direct competition to caravan parks, but based on a model of ‘rate-payers’ subsidise in return for spending money in your town. I’m not sure what studies have been done on the cost/benefit of this, but I suspect there will be a huge discrepancy between towns based on their size. The larger centres that provide access to the major super market chains, and have a large number of service stations providing fuel price tension might do okay, but the story for smaller country towns might be completely different.

Already there is a declining investment in caravan parks generally. In fact it is hard to find any new ones that have opened in recent years that service the tourism industry solely. Consequently, pressure will increasingly be placed on local councils to provide facilities for caravans and RVs, but I doubt this will continue to be offered on a no-cost basis. I’m not sure what the model will be going forward, but caravan parks as we know them will all but disappear overtime, and eventually the cost burden of this will shift to the RV and caravan community in other ways.

But I suspect until the ‘new’ model can be worked out the divide between the vested interests will simply get larger, and the vocalising on both sides will get louder...

I’m neither an RV’er or Caravan Park owner...

Good luck out there...

Like many of us, we prefer to camp in quiet places rather than staying in caravan parks. We are willing to pay a mosest fee for a campspot with some facilities. When we stay in a park, like Motherhen, we look for the small no frills style parks, usually run by councils. We expect to pay a fair price for clean amenities, room to put out our awning, and a friendly welcome.
The whole issue is becoming complicated as costs and expectations rise. Councils generally do not see caravanners as a good source of tourist income and seem blind to the numbers of vans driving through. Parks must disappear if councils continue to rate the land as development sites, instead of having a separate zoning and rate for CPs. The same councils are often banning camping in quite suitable locations and generally cost cutting on rangers, garbage collection etc. Then also, many councils are selling off their little parks, either to developers or to individuals who cannmot make a decent living because of the high rates and other charges imposed on them.
This is amazing when you consider that more RVs are being sold every year! No one seems to be asking about where they will all stay! The tourisism industry continues to chase mythical big spenders from overseas and to ignore the growing numbers of campers and caravanners out there keen to travel around in Australia. Even many foreigners are looking for this style of camping holiday.
There is a serious mismatch somewhere! Lynne

You all seem to forget that there is no such thing as a 'FREE' camp , you may not be paying a $1 for where you decide to park but someone else has paid and continues to pay ,that being the ratepayers in the shire , you all want water/toilets /toot rolls/ sullage points / garbage bins emptied etc at so called 'FREE' campsites and you try to justify your demands by the cry of "we spend money on fuel etc in the town" , Get real , if you spend $200 on fuel in a small town how much of that $200 actually benifits the town ? Less than $5 of the $200 when costs and overheads are taken into account .

Thanks for all the replies and "Tongue in cheek" remarks. We are living on the road and yes enjoying it very much. We do FREEEEEEE camp often mainly for a bit of quiet time and to be able to enjoy this great country that we can boastfully say we have see more of than most... We do use a tent and get out there that's for sure.
So this certainly isn't a one off novice trip. We are well and truly seasoned traveller both all over this country and abroad.
No we don't have a caravan park but yes 30 years ago we did manage one. (that by no means makes us experts on our opinions)
A lot of my post has come from coversations we have had with many other travellers and the points we have raised have come up on many occasions.

So IS IT ANY WONDER THE FREE CAMP IS WIDELY DONE.....

Yep we will continue to travel this great country & have the odd WINGE about handing over our money for crappy caravan parks..... and if a park is one we don't think is worth the money then there will be no return visit from us.

Have to say that we have stayed in quite a few great ones and one we paid $50 per night for and was worth every cent!
Cheers and happy travels to those who do get out there. Enjoy this country while it's still affordable!!!

I completely agree and it's nice to hear that other people have the same opinion.
We are also on the permanently at the moment and do all we can to avoid caravan parks. Usually when your on the coast or in cities, we don't have much choice.
We have a small camper and have the opposite problem, cause we have a small camper we often find ourselves squashed in a corner somewhere or in-between the big caravans.
I have probably only stayed in maby 2 or 3 places that I might actually recommend.
We also have a dog and so we are limited on where to stay and so many caravan parks don't allow dOgs either.
But the number of places of old and dirty amenities - most without hand wash too!
Unmaintained swimming pools, ridiculous sized sites ( once we were squashed into a designated 'parking lOt'), etc

It almost feels like they are doing you a favor to stay at some places!

We've been on the road for a bit over three months this year and we've stayed in CPs most of the time. I just asked the accommodation director and in her opinion there have only been two parks which come colse to that described by curlynan. I keep a spreadsheet of our costs and so far our average cost per night for this trip is $23.64 - the most we've paid is $30.00 and the least was $15.