A good idea I saw on another forum was to get together for a weekend and then ALL go to the one park that had been winging about nomads not coming to his park and sit outside the gate when there is not enough room for everyone. Once all the sites are full then the rest would setup in front of the office and block his driveway etc.
Then ring the media and let them know that the caravan park who has been doing all the winging really cant accommodate some vans when they do roll up.
The same when a park changes their gate code at 10.00 and want to charge you an extra day to get the gate open you tell them you have no cash and you will walk down the street to get some money and leave your rig parked in the gateway restricting any movement. You are only getting the cash they desire and being on private land I don't think they can do anything about it.
They want to watch what we are talking about then perhaps we should all let them know that we are all fed up with their antics and are thinking of doing something about it.
The best way we have of doing this is to boycott either individual parks or even better a particular chain. Give them a week or month about with no customers from any of the forums.
I bet if people started pulling out because it is the parks or chains out time ( and telling them that it is the week they receive no custom from grey nomads on the forums etc , and any one we talk to to spread the message) it would not be long before they took notice.
It would be good for us to be able to name and shame but it is too close for comfort for the owners of the forum but if you mentioned you had a bad time at a park then there is nothing to stop any one sending a PM and then they could mark that park as NO-GO or what ever. Remember though what one likes another hates so it can go both ways. TRUTH has no part of a legal system so just because it is true does not mean you can say something.
We do have a fair bit of power already through forums and if we got together with some of the other GN forums such as caravan forums etc and organised it we could really make them sit up and take notice.
I have also been abused for mentioning that I bush camped by a caravan park owner and then he got upset when I said that I would be pulling out after the one night. Lucky I was still negotiating a rate to spend the week there and had not exchanged any money yet LOL.
It is up to us as traveling nomads to decide what we want to pay for the privileged to camp in a CP and also if we want to use their park or do we wish to spend our time in a town that lets us use a free camp.
But whilst using so called free camps it should be a conscious decision to return some money back into that town and also to spend a bit of time keeping the area clean, obeying any rules displayed and also where possible encourage others to do the right thing. Towns supplying these sites do so at the expense of their rate payers and they should be entitled to get some return for their money. If you have to pay a few cents extra for supplies or fuel, cost factor that in as you saved around $30 a night in jail fees.
If we can be seen to do the right thing then the word may get around that a town down the road is doing quiet well from so called free campers while their towns is dying, they may think about how good this CP owner is by doing all the stiring they do.
The park groups may be large and organised but we are their prospective customers so they NEED us to visit their parks, we often don't need them to travel in our great country.
They are there IF we need then and IF they provide the amenities WE want and they suit our needs. They are running a business and offer their services at a fee, If we dont want their services then bad luck for them. Every other business must offer something to get the customer in the door and if they abbuse the customer or offer S**t service then they deserve to go under, simple as that.
This BS they have about neutrality should be followed up where they have cabins they are taking money from Motels and Htels and B&B.s etc and where they have the little shop they are taking money from the shop down the road. Many do tours ets and this takes money from the tourist operators in the towns> when the big boys that are supposed to be looking after our rights such as C**A and the other caravan groups I cant see why this does nto come up.
The CP want to force us into their sites and think that as a CP every caravan should use their sites so why can they take business away from the other businesses in town.
Any CP with cabins etc should not be considered a Caravan park and should loose the entitlements whilst many have the bare basic sites to get this entitlement for all the privileges and I have even heard of one that has the required sites but they are used as car parks and are not available for us on the road. They give an silly high price if you ring and everyone moves on.
My rant for the morning. GO the grey nomad party, where is Pauline Hanson? the last Australian politician with balls, she would be good for us as she is not frightened of the other pollies and will say what she wants and also what most Australians want.
Regards
Brian
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11 Mtr house Boat based at Mannum hoping to travel up the Murray as far as I can get then drift back again
A good subject and this was done to death a few months ago,,, and yes some on here were openly bragging about "beating" the rangers in Nth QLD and overstaying. It was noted on this site that we do not need this type of publicity when are trying to portray us ON THIS SITE and as GREY NOMADS In general THAT WE ARE RESPONSIBLE NOMADS.
If we "join the rabble",,, ie as mentioned above, the rubbish dumpers, and the noisy crowd oblivious to others,,,,,,,,, we cannot differentiate from them and show we are different,,, ie the 98% we talk about at times.
I'm a free camper by choice but use parks as and when required.
I agree with CG but Brian your post is bit over the top,,, what is your objective????? Short term publicity?? THEY COULD EASILY TURN THIS AROUND and show how silly GN's are. Of course we could max out almost 100% of places,,, but again to what benefit.
Maybe if concentrate on positives ie Penola free camping thread and send council and thanks would be more beneficial.
Me 2 cents worth,,, waiting for the nay sayers.
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Why is it so? Professor Julius Sumner Miller, a profound influence on my life, who explained science to us on TV in the 60's.