Hi Delta

This is always going to be an issue especially in a tourist area. We have recently toured the Eyre Peninsular in SA stayed at way too many CPs varying in price from $25 to $33 a night.

Again this is a rock and a hard place as I like to be secure, clean, watered and healthy with an empty loo.

Im not happy that CPs will try to stop a town becoming RV friendly, stinks a bit.

Safe travels

KFT wrote:

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When will CP owners realize that these self contained travellers were likely never going to be their customers in the first place. The low cost option provides choice to consumers who do not like CP's just like some consumers prefer a cafe over a fast food outlet. The outcome here is that providing a low cost no frills option will capture more travellers for the other businesses in the town.

frank

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 Exactly...

Aussie Paul. 

same old same old , greedy CP`s when will they learn.

I read the article in the link and concur with others that it is mostly sour grapes by these not very good business persons, under their whinging criteria if I take a sandwich to the park the take away business and resteraunts should also be up in arms. 

Note also that as well as saying No to the council RVfriendly trial, they also say No Dogs, No accomodation and No vacancies. 

Bob

Great pic mate - I think its called have your cake and eat it -with the no vacancies signs up but trying to stop the council from being RV friendly.

We're travelling in the Wheatbelt area of WA and currently running west to east from sea to Kalgoorlie. All the little towns on the way have Shire C/P's and their weekly rates vary between $105 to $156 with nightly rates around $20.

So far all we've used have been great - good parking, grass (not red dirt), tarsealed roadways, potable water and power, good lighting and super clean toilets etc.

How come these little Shires can afford to run them if the large town and city ones (who generate a lot more revenue) cant?

Old Crofter wrote:

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I read the article in the link and concur with others that it is mostly sour grapes by these not very good business persons, under their whinging criteria if I take a sandwich to the park the take away business and resteraunts should also be up in arms. 

Note also that as well as saying No to the council RVfriendly trial, they also say No Dogs, No accomodation and No vacancies. 

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do we have a "Caption This" area of the forum?

 

I can think of a couple straight off the top.. but I'd probably get a warning from Cindy..

If you read the full article, the park owner states :

"We charge people $34 per night, $28 of which covers the costs of water, electricity and other such things," he said.

So, $34 per night WITH water and power.

So, an UNPOWERED site with NO power and NO water should be $34 - $28 = $6 a night for an unpowered site - Not b....y likely !!!

In my large 5 bedroom house, my electricity bills comes to an average of $4.20 a day (that's including a 2kw pool pump running 8hrs a day, and a 3.6kw hot water unit running 12hrs off-peak, large double-door fridge running 24/7) - my water bill comes to an average of $1.30 a day - that's $4.20 + $1.30 = $5.50 a day. How the hell does he get a figure of $28 a day PER SITE. The numbers just don't stack up.

Another way of looking at it - $28 - $5-50 = $22.50 - so, he's charging $22.50 a day for "other such things" - that's obviously the olympic swimming pool, the kids playground, the jumping pillow, the games room, etc. What a rip-off merchant !

We are permanent grey nomads and balance our accommodation costs by mixing up our stays with both CP's and Free Camps. We have recently completed the South West of WA after coming off the Nullarbor we free camped at Kumarl Siding some 100+klm South of Norseman on the way to Esperance. In Esperance after checking 2 poorly presented CP's we opted to stay  into Esperance Sea front at $45pn. We have chain discount benefit of 10%. Still the most expensive park we have stayed in for some time. However being permanently on the road and just coming off the Nullarbor where we free camped in some dusty locations both the Tug & the Van needed a good wash. The CP has Car Wash Bay, cement slab and water brush as well you can wash the vans down on site. Check out time is 1pm. When I do my sums based on options at the CP the $45 less 10% discount say $20 to wash Car & Van we are back to $30-pn. (2nights). 

The next 2 nights we free camped at Meridian Rest Area and Pallinup River on our way to Albany. I am not disagreeing with members comments in relation to CP Owners being "greedy". What my post is about is managing your costs/needs and still enjoying the good times on the road while balancing the budget. We are currently in Perth. Staying at a Park that charges $35.50pn. I had an offer like other people staying in the Park to do a "days work" for 1 weeks free accommodation. We now have 2 weeks free accommodation. Understanding this is not everyone's cup of tea but it is keeping us in the "playground" and keeping us within our budget.

In regards to Esperance, several GNs have stayed at the Bushlands Retreat Caravan Park, probably the cheapest CP in Esperance and allows dogs on leads.   The water supply is tank water only for drinking and bore water for showers/toilets, however they have power.

It is on the western boundary of Esperance town and is the closest caravan park to the Pink Lakes, coming in on the coastal highway from the west you will see the turn off sign just before you turn into the town access.   It does not have a website but is or was listed in the Camps book as a low cost camping site complete with contact number.

Not flash and is more like a bush camp with power and ablutions, the owners are very friendly and it is very lay back. 

Here is a Turu link to the park, only shows tent site and on site (cabins) prices, not sure if the tent price is the same for caravans on power as I had a tent site.   You would need to  ring check for the caravan or unpowered sites.

http://turu.com.au/parks/wa/goldfields/bushlands-holiday-village.aspx 

See also;

http://www.caravanparkphotos.com.au/esperance_bushlands/index.htm  

-- Edited by Vic41 on Wednesday 29th of October 2014 09:43:27 AM