We were told about the Benalla showgrounds as a very good place to stay, guess what, the only Caravan park in Benalla, got into the ears of the Council, showgrounds have now been closed, you only have the Caravan to go to. Sorry for the shops, etc in Benalla, you will not be getting our money, food, fuel, etc. thank your council for this, we are Grey Nomads, and word of mouth is what took us to the showgrounds in Benalla in the first place.
-- Edited by wandwill on Saturday 28th of June 2014 10:08:08 AM
We were on our way home to Canberra from Melbourne in January. Looked at CP prices at Benalla ($40 something) and opted for a pretty little stop at CP on a creek at Euroa.Clean amenities, grass sites for the sum of $25
I think the best way to respond to these 'closures' or 'restrictions' or 'tariff increases' is to stay in one of the smaller towns closely adjacent to the main town putting in place those 'changes'. It is usually only a short commute to the main town and the main town can be visited to see the 'attraction' that drew you to that area.
That way, we contain our costs by staying in a venue with a more 'attractive tariff' and patronise the small business in that small town.
It would be even more pointed if we then made a point of visiting the Information Centre in the main town and making them very aware we had stayed outside their town denying our patronage to their van park and businesses and the reason why. One would expect they would ultimately pass this onto their council and some re-think just may be applied to the closed-minded pressure by these van parks pushing their barrow.
Just a thought.
cheers - John
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It would be even more pointed if we then made a point of visiting the Information Centre in the main town and making them very aware we had stayed outside their town denying our patronage to their van park and businesses and the reason why. One would expect they would ultimately pass this onto their council and some re-think just may be applied to the closed-minded pressure by these van parks pushing their barrow.
Just a thought.
cheers - John
I usually do that John. Majority of Information Centers are run by local Councils, but whether the feedback is ever passed onto Council, and if it is, whether they do anything about it, who would know..... I recall one time I went to an Information Center at Gawler, S.A. The lady there told me they didn't like caravans and MHs in their town. She went on about reasons, but I interrupted her and said don't bother with brochures about your town, I'm moving on. Didn't have any effect...
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Retired Airline Pilot and Electrician..
I'm not old, I've just been young a long time....Ken
Since light travels faster than sound, some people appear bright until you hear them speak.
A lot of Visitor Info Centres have suggestion boxes - or ask the person at the desk if they have a "complaints" form - if no one says anything, others don't know - always good to share information on good or bad spots!
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jules "Love is good for the human being!!" (Ben, aged 10)
Cheaper alternatives are CP at Glenrowan, Chiltern, Rutherglen, Violet Town & Euroa as already said........have stayed at all over a period of years and found them to be well under $40 bucks.
Also check the eastern side of Hume Highway but don`t get too close the Vic snowfields or you encounter the same problem........still we used to stay regularly at a low cost van park just out of Shepparton, it has now been sold and the guy thinks we owe him a living and is on his way to being a millionaire with a price rise from $20pn x 2 ADs to $35 a no beg your pardons..........only got caught once and will never see us again.
Cheaper alternatives are CP at Glenrowan, Chiltern, Rutherglen, Violet Town & Euroa as already said........have stayed at all over a period of years and found them to be well under $40 bucks.
Stayed at Glenrowan CP about 14 mths. ago. Great little park and $25.00 a night powered.
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Retired Airline Pilot and Electrician..
I'm not old, I've just been young a long time....Ken
Since light travels faster than sound, some people appear bright until you hear them speak.
Life is to short to worry about what is free and what isn't. I go where I want and don't let the fact that a town has free camping determine what I see or don't see. I would hate to think I missed something interesting just because there is no free camp.
This may get me offside with some but if you rely on free camps to live on the road maybe you should rethink your choice of lifestyle. Think about it 30 years ago you could rent a house in a city for $150 a week, try and do that now. How many people on the road who own their house outright still charge the high market rental for their house and make a handy profit. Caravan Park owners are just like any business person, they have escalating costs and they are in it to make money and if they can see their investment being challenged they will take whatever actions they feel the need to, they are not charities. Admittedly some do over charge but then you have the option of stopping there or not.
Firstly, if you are going to comment on the CP prices it would probably be best to comment directly to the Council or Shire Office, these days most have a complaints and comments system and your comments will be directly loaded up on the computer system by the Customer service Officer...whereas Visitor Information Centres are staffed by volunteers who may only do 1 or 2 shifts a week each and then the extent of the overpricing issue is not really appreciated.
Secondly, whilst I can appreciate that many are on a sufficient budget to allow them to stay in a CP regardless of the fee or value for money, there are many others that are on the road on a tight budget, and they are doing it that way because if they don't they may never get to do it all, in fact they may not have a home to sit in whilst saving more money for a big trip, I think the real issue here is value for money.....at $35 - $40+ for what is often only about 10 hours of parking, in rig that is self contained and for 1 person is not good value for money at all....I have often been quoted prices for a CP stay that were more expensive than if I were to stay in a local motel or pub!
Annie
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