Hi All, where ever you hope the weather and traffic are treating you right.
Question! Wife has just fallen in love with a 22'6" Olympic Z8 is this van going to be a huge parking problem for us in most of the Caravan Park sites up the East Coast of Australia and along the Murray. Help required
Cheers Bully and Liltacker
-- Edited by Liltacker on Sunday 17th of May 2015 03:06:47 PM
gooba53 said
06:49 PM May 16, 2015
Happy wife , happy life!!!
You just ring the van park ahead and tell them what you've got. Sometimes they park it for you if you're worried.
Liltacker said
07:01 PM May 16, 2015
Sorry Gooba53 I didn't explain myself properly. Wasn't the issue of me not being able to back or park the van more to the point do they frown on vans being over say 20' for their sites or do they put you up in the boon docks.
gooba53 said
07:15 PM May 16, 2015
Liltacker wrote:
Sorry Gooba53 I didn't explain myself properly. Wasn't the issue of me not being able to back or park the van more to the point do they frown on vans being over say 20' for their sites or do they put you up in the boon docks.
Yeah I know what you mean. I just meant if the park were concerned they'd take over. hopefully you'll get some other answers soon to help you with your query . But we've found if we ring ahead they find a suitable spot, have never been put in the back blocks due to size.
Bet it's a beautiful van!!!
rockylizard said
07:17 PM May 16, 2015
Gday...
Van parks don't 'frown' on the vans above 20ft and don't usually put them down the 'boonies'
However, many have sites that are sometimes a tight fit for anything over 20ft - particularly some of the older parks in larger cities.
I have a 23ft van (rear bumper to towball) and I have not been knocked back or 'relocated' because of the size. Although to be fair, I don't stay in many van parks as I camp away from towns predominantly.
When I do stay within a town I have not found a park I haven't been able to fit into. Although there have been a few that have required careful reversing to get in - sometimes not on the first attempt
I rarely book ahead but if going to a 'larger city' I usually do. For example when I was going to stay at the South Werribee Van Park near Melbourne I rang and they could accommodate my van. However, when I got there I needed to carefully check the site out on foot first, and then it took careful planning to get it in first time. Not 'tiny' sites per se ... just narrow roads and close sites.
Hope that is of some help.
Cheers - John
Bruce and Bev said
07:22 PM May 16, 2015
Hey Bully. Assume your van is 22'6" inside, which makes it about a 27 footer outside.
More and more nomads are into larger vans now and many CPs cater for them without shoving you in the swamp. BUT:
1. As Gooba says - phone ahead and tell them the van size and ask if you will get a flat site (always a good start).
2. Be aware that some CPs charge extra for the length of the 'van - it maybe as much as $10 per night (Broken Hill CPs are a good example of this nasty little trick)
3. If staying in a major city CP, their so-called large powered site is a full size hanky, so be careful that they will put you on a reasonable site - tell them you want to put your awning out and park your car on site and see how they react (there is a Big4 CP in metro Melbourne. We recently stayed on a large site and it was so tight that you could hear your neighbours breathing !!
4. Many of the staff in CPs are not that bright! Give them the external measurement of your van (with perhaps another foot added to it). Don't give them the inside measurement as some of the office staff don't have a clue
5. Free camping on the Darling and Murray for your size van will be no problem - just go for a walk in the area you intend to camp with the BOSS. Pick the site and leave her standing on it (no, don't rush off to the nearest overseas airport) and drive in - that way your intended site wont get pinched by someone else as you drive in
ENJOY !!!!!
Liltacker said
07:52 PM May 16, 2015
Thank you to all for the great responses we have received - totally understand and we are taking on board your wise
suggestions.
Goober 53 - yes you are right it is a beautiful van but not telling happy wife that just yet as I need to find a hidden lot of cash somewhere!
Cloak said
09:11 PM May 16, 2015
lol @ staying @ a CP.....
I counted over 15 free stops between Melbourne and Mildura today.
BTW free hot showers @ Robinvale station.
Just saying.
Olley46 said
09:16 PM May 16, 2015
I have a 21ft full roof,from spare wheel to tow coupling 25ft never had a problem in any caravan park been around the block and only use caravan parks.
Lance C
Liltacker said
09:49 PM May 16, 2015
Thanks Lance appreciate the comment.
Papou said
09:49 PM May 16, 2015
We have a 21ftr and drawbar to spare whellit would be a good 26 ft n as others have , have had no probs getting sites unless park is booked out.
Cupie said
10:14 PM May 16, 2015
Olley46 wrote:
I have a 21ft full roof,from spare wheel to tow coupling 25ft never had a problem in any caravan park been around the block and only use caravan parks.
Lance C
Me too, after 15 years in a 21'6" full van.
Plendo said
10:57 PM May 16, 2015
Hi Bully, we have a 22' internal, with air on th eback bumper, and a long a frame, means 10 metres bumper to ball, parks need to know the length, so they can choose an appropriate site, but have not been pushed into the boon docks yet.
All good, just call ahead if you know where you are going.
RodLainie said
08:44 AM May 17, 2015
Ours is 22.6 and total 27ft all we do is give the total when we ring a park and all good on our lap and still going
Rod
banjo said
11:14 AM May 17, 2015
Our rig is 30' 5th wheeler, overall I'm 16m long, never had any issues so far, in fact in some smaller parks we have had prime position ! ok there are places we don't fit but as said we just ring ahead or check wikicamps.
If the park is so small we don't fit then I wouldn't want to be there anyway, as it would be very cramped in a standard van.
One of my recent neighbours had a 36' usa built monster, made my rig look like a baby side by side, he was on his second lap and no issues either.
Liltacker said
03:04 PM May 17, 2015
Hi All Thanks to everyone for the valuable information that we have received we certainly get the picture now that LENGTH is of no concern and if you think it is phone ahead or go free camping which sounds great to me.
Hi All, where ever you hope the weather and traffic are treating you right.
Question! Wife has just fallen in love with a 22'6" Olympic Z8 is this van going to be a huge parking problem for us in most of the Caravan Park sites up the East Coast of Australia and along the Murray. Help required
Cheers Bully and Liltacker
-- Edited by Liltacker on Sunday 17th of May 2015 03:06:47 PM
Happy wife , happy life!!!
You just ring the van park ahead and tell them what you've got. Sometimes they park it for you if you're worried.
Yeah I know what you mean. I just meant if the park were concerned they'd take over. hopefully you'll get some other answers soon to help you with your query . But we've found if we ring ahead they find a suitable spot, have never been put in the back blocks due to size.
Bet it's a beautiful van!!!
Gday...
Van parks don't 'frown' on the vans above 20ft and don't usually put them down the 'boonies'
However, many have sites that are sometimes a tight fit for anything over 20ft - particularly some of the older parks in larger cities.
I have a 23ft van (rear bumper to towball) and I have not been knocked back or 'relocated' because of the size. Although to be fair, I don't stay in many van parks as I camp away from towns predominantly.
When I do stay within a town I have not found a park I haven't been able to fit into. Although there have been a few that have required careful reversing to get in - sometimes not on the first attempt
I rarely book ahead but if going to a 'larger city' I usually do. For example when I was going to stay at the South Werribee Van Park near Melbourne I rang and they could accommodate my van. However, when I got there I needed to carefully check the site out on foot first, and then it took careful planning to get it in first time. Not 'tiny' sites per se ... just narrow roads and close sites.
Hope that is of some help.
Cheers - John
More and more nomads are into larger vans now and many CPs cater for them without shoving you in the swamp. BUT:
1. As Gooba says - phone ahead and tell them the van size and ask if you will get a flat site (always a good start).
2. Be aware that some CPs charge extra for the length of the 'van - it maybe as much as $10 per night (Broken Hill CPs are a good example of this nasty little trick)
3. If staying in a major city CP, their so-called large powered site is a full size hanky, so be careful that they will put you on a reasonable site - tell them you want to put your awning out and park your car on site and see how they react (there is a Big4 CP in metro Melbourne. We recently stayed on a large site and it was so tight that you could hear your neighbours breathing !!
4. Many of the staff in CPs are not that bright! Give them the external measurement of your van (with perhaps another foot added to it). Don't give them the inside measurement as some of the office staff don't have a clue
5. Free camping on the Darling and Murray for your size van will be no problem - just go for a walk in the area you intend to camp with the BOSS. Pick the site and leave her standing on it (no, don't rush off to the nearest overseas airport) and drive in - that way your intended site wont get pinched by someone else as you drive in
ENJOY !!!!!
suggestions.
Goober 53 - yes you are right it is a beautiful van but not telling happy wife that just yet as I need to find a hidden lot of cash somewhere!
I counted over 15 free stops between Melbourne and Mildura today.
BTW free hot showers @ Robinvale station.
Just saying.
I have a 21ft full roof,from spare wheel to tow coupling 25ft never had a problem in any caravan park been around the block and only use caravan parks.
Lance C
Me too, after 15 years in a 21'6" full van.
Hi Bully, we have a 22' internal, with air on th eback bumper, and a long a frame, means 10 metres bumper to ball, parks need to know the length, so they can choose an appropriate site, but have not been pushed into the boon docks yet.
All good, just call ahead if you know where you are going.
Rod
If the park is so small we don't fit then I wouldn't want to be there anyway, as it would be very cramped in a standard van.
One of my recent neighbours had a 36' usa built monster, made my rig look like a baby side by side, he was on his second lap and no issues either.
Hi All
Thanks to everyone for the valuable information that we have received we certainly get the picture now that LENGTH is of no concern and if you think it is phone ahead or go free camping which sounds great to me.