They have to be joking!

tonyd · Guru

They have to be joking!

herbie · Guru

Yep they all cash in on the mining boom,no mater what state.Motel rooms in Gladstone QLD up until a month ago were $300/400 per night,but now most of the single guys are living out on base these same motel rooms are down to as low as $95 per night. Same goes for the caravan parks... One wonders how these business will survive once mining comes to a stop...Not a lot going on anywhere really regarding new mines opening up in OZ, but a lot of action going on overseas. I work in mining (Gas at the moment )and all new job offers are from companies to go work overseas in one of there new projects.The only thing keeping the mining and gas going over here in Oz is they have x years contracts on the leases and most will not renew them just too expensive to do business here now but not so many years back it was the best place in the world to do business in. But you can only shoot the golden goose so many times before it dies ot takes flight to a safer place.

Duh · Guru

tonyd wrote:
I'm in Karratha, heading east (to a veterans' retreat east of Marble Bar) and then north. As a political junkie, thought I'd stay election night in Marble Bar to watch the action on TV.
So today I rang the motel. Room was $180. Ouch! So I called the Ironclad Hotel. Room was $150 if I paid cash, and if I wanted to pay by EFTPOS it was $250! I declined, not very gracefully.
Then, in a health centre for a routine blood test, I met a nurse who said her hubby managed a motel in the area and until recently (when the gloss started wearing off the mining boom), rooms were $300 a night. No wonder I have a camper trailer!
Cheers, Tony

How much is the CP charging Tony, or are you in a free camp outside of town????

Cruising Granny · Guru

I've heard some horrific numbers quoted as rent in the van park in Karratha. Hedland is right up there, while Newman is a little more reasonable.
There is no caravan park at "Cappy" - the Capricorn Roadhouse, or should I call it the Capricorn mining village. There are about 1200 people living there in various camps. Most are "fifo" - fly in, fly out.
The truckies, and pilots, camp in the large area behind the diesel pumps.
The roadhouse still has fuel, showers and feeds, but the Bar & Grill next door seems to be doing a roaring trade at a roaring price.
Where there's mining there's no room for tourists. Very sad.
We're going to be left with a very large hole in the ground, and the only real estate the future generations will be able to buy will be a section of the hole in the ground.
They's just about be guaranteed a water frontage if the hole goes down to the water table.

herbie · Guru

When we were based in Karratha a few years back the park we were in was charging $600 per week and a extra $12 per day if you had an air con fitted, He was really covering his out lay as who could live up there in a van or for that mater even in a house if you have no air con.You also had to go on a list to get a site at this park as he had very few vacancies and a list as long as his arm he told us.He also said he want interested in just over nighters rather have a steady income with the long termer...But when all this miningstops these type of places will be screaming they have no business due to free camping.

Cruising Granny · Guru

In the 80's there was a caravan park in the NW corner of town called The Searipple Caravan Park. It's a mining village now.
In Hedland South there was a large van park. It's now a Fortescue mining camp because the council isn't releasing any land for more camps. I believe the van park north of Hedland has been "upgraded" to a camp.
If you don't have mining money, don't bother.
This greed will literally bite them on the bnm when the mining dollars run out. It would only take 1 year of nothing to see the bottom drop out of the fat pig.
The caravan park at Roebourne was being upgraded in 2007 by the new owners. Their rates were quite civilised.
Point Samson little van park is crowded and pricey for what it is. The new park up on the hill was just opened in 2007 season. It looked good, but I don't know what their prices are.
Free camping is definitely an attractive option. Safe and happy travels.

jules47 · The Happy Helper

Friend of mine works in the mines as a maintenance mechanic - fixes all those huge machines basically - they were a team of five, and their work took them to different places all the time. One time they were in Blackwater, QLD, and could only get one motel room, that had a double bed, the managers gave them linen and mattresses, charged them $350, and said they could only have one night, as it was booked from then on.

Friend went home, talked to his wife, they took out a mortgage and bought a house in the town, with four bedrooms and a large area under the house, which they converted into two more bedrooms and a rec room, laundry and shower - they paid about $375,000 for it. Rented it out to his company for $1000 + per week, they crew moved their own furniture in, and knew they always had their own beds to sleep in every night!!! This house is almost paid off now.

As he says - he will always have the house - and can rent it out to "normal" people if the mining in the area comes to a halt.

-- Edited by jules47 on Friday 30th of August 2013 09:10:20 AM

Oxley · Veteran Member

I suspect when the mining boom is well and truly over we will have a lot of ghost towns. most likely with a lot of unemployed people.

I know rents have dropped in places like Mackay and Orange, but the worry is the stories of people who have put all their money into jet ski's and SS Commodore's are now unemployed without a cent to their names and stuck in a town where the cost of living is still well above average.

At least some of the businesses that couldn't cash in or had issues finding staff, as they either all worked at the mines or couldn't get accommodation at a reasonable rate, are now getting people applying for jobs.

I know there will be a few towns I will never visit again, if they didn't want my business during the boom, then they can't want my money after the boom.

Dougwe · Chief one feather

It's not only mining that puts up prices.

Here in South West Gippsland Victoria for a few years and up to end last year prices for accommodation were right up there with the best of them, mmmm, maybe that should be worst of them, this was all due to the construction of the Desalination Plant, which by the way is at this point in time as I send this, it is surrounded by flooded fields, due to the weather gods keeping their finger on the rain button, funny that. biggrin confuse

Prices have gone down I notice, funny that too. confuse

Oh well as a famous person ones said "That's Life"

I hope this thread doesn't go viral and turn political. disbelief

petersumpters · Veteran Member

There are a lot of factors affecting the prices. $300/night?? Great that you have your camper trailer with you!

Cloak · Guru

Wow it sure pays to be as independent as possible from the looks.

jules47 · The Happy Helper

Forgot to say - in 2005 in Marble Bar, we paid $84 for a donga room - there was torrential rain, and we couldn't put the camper trailer up - there wasn't even a kettle in the room, and so small it was ridiculous! That was pricey for that time - wonder what a donga would cost now?

Santa · Guru

We stayed at the Marble Bar CP about 6 weeks ago, reasonably priced, about $30 as I recall, very friendly owners, nice and shady with good facilities.

the rocket · Guru

this is the reason we are not travelling to western Australia. best to stay on the east coast. went to stay in Gladstone showgrounds recently and was told the council shut it down. can only stay in free camp 2 days outside town. guess they don't want the tourist in this mining town either.

Duh · Guru

Santa wrote:
We stayed at the Marble Bar CP about 6 weeks ago, reasonably priced, about $30 as I recall, very friendly owners, nice and shady with good facilities.

Thanks Santa, we were there several years ago, it had Kiwi owners managing it then, but I believe they have sold to someone else since.

It was a very nice park then and the then owners were great as well.

$30 is really good for that area. Did you stay at any of the free camps on the way in to there?

For anyone who hasn't been there here is one thread to the town but I couldn't find any prices on it;

http://www.eastpilbara.wa.gov.au/Marble-Bar.aspx

D and D · Guru

The free market at work - basically the law of supply and demand. There are more people looking for accommodation and since there's been no increase in the amount of accommodation available, prices go up. Mind you it also sounds like there's more than a little price gouging going on. Prices will fall once the demand drops but who knows when that will be?

Nomadicman · Member

Sorry but I have a problem with some of the terminology. What's a van park, a camping ground, a motel room?

GaryKelly · Guru

No point in bitching about snakes with a venomous bite. Just give 'em a wide berth and go elsewhere. There will always be opportunists in this world. It's just the way it is.

Knowledge speaks, but wisdom listens.