Caravan park fees

aussietraveller · Guru

Caravan park fees

CC Bear · Senior Member

North ,South or West you have some lovely country towns and districts to visit. Not that far to either Qld or Vic so there are years of good experience ahead of you. For me the coast is too crowded even to take a drive for lunch can never find a park and most eateries are take by those who want to be seen.

adreamer · Senior Member

It's the cost of running these parks now.

Some people will abuse the amenities ie run their power units all night and day, any sort of heaters no matter how much energy they take. Their electrics blankets will be going as well.

They wouldn't do it at home but because they want their moneys worth from the park they couldn't care less.

Power and staffing costs are the biggest overheads.

Helen

LLD · Senior Member

Parks vs Resorts, high season vs low season, view or no view, council vs chain. These are all factors. You sort of gets what you pays for but there is a limit that we will go to.

LLD · Senior Member

I have often wonered about the excessive use of 240v power. Vaguely remember when I was a kid and then in the 1980s, some parks had coin operated meters. Wonder if they will ever come back.

-- Edited by LLD on Monday 24th of October 2016 12:05:34 PM

woolman · Guru

A caravan in sw WA the owner was paying the equivalent of $25 per site per day in land tax and rates. Every empty site he has to get the $25 from other sites to break even. I land tax has reduced but more than compensated by rates. Prime real estate is almost too expensive to run a caravan park. Move inland a bit and drive to the beach is really the only option. Neil

LLD · Senior Member

Just back from a trip & and down the NSW coast. Stayed from Shellharbour to Moonee Beach. We came across a chain called Holiday Parks (South Coast, Inland & North Coast). They are all no fuss parks at a reasonable price. You can get a free night but only by shifting parks. Good deal. Discounts for Seniors/Pensioners too. Weekly deals. They are holiday parks, not resorts without all the sort of stuff grey nomads don't use.

What makes this group different I believe they were all old council / crown land parks that Dick Smith and some environmentalists fought to keep these parks away from developers and be upgraded for "Joe Average in a van" holidays rather than high rise apartments. I can remember something about that many years ago but have not researched it again.

Top Parks are good too as they have 3 levels of parks. The bottom level suits us fine.

We stayed away 32 nights and the trip cost us an average of $30. I think the dearest was about $37. There were several free nights (one being a free-camp near Yass) and a couple of 1/2 price nights. That's a powered site for 2. We also had a dog.

Peter_n_Margaret · Guru

The value of the land that a caravan park occupies will also dictate the income that it must generate to stay as a caravan park.
A piece of land worth $5 million must have an income of $500,000 per year simply from the capital value or it is better for the owner of the land to sell it.
To that you need to add the operating costs and profit for the business itself.

Cheers,
Peter

Roving-Dutchy · Guru

The Holiday Parks are run by a NSW Government Trust, these were Council Parks on Crown Land and in many cases very run down, some of these parks have now had a lot of money spent upgrading them.

I believe profits generated by each park are going to be used to upgrade the surrounding infrastructure such as paths and parks etc.

There are a large number of parks on the North Coast listed as "North Coast Holiday Parks" about 25 parks in all.

Then there are also South Coast Holiday Parks 3 parks and "Inland Waters Holiday Parks" with at least 9 parks, mainly on dams and rivers, there may be more than this in other areas of the state but these are the one's I know about.
The parks I have stayed at have been of a fairly high standard with reasonable rates for their location right on the water etc.

If you can only travel in school holiday periods stay right away from the coast, during these times the rates at nearly every park go thru the roof.
Cheers
David

Ron-D · Guru

My sipin on it the number of Rvs on the road now is at absolute saturation point! just count them as you going along, it getting that way that demand for spaces is insane,so they can charge like wounded Bulls.

LLD · Senior Member

The high value realestate has also forced new car franchises to move out to the burbs. Was involved in a big study back in about 1990 after a dealer in Prahran realised that his car yard was worth more as a development plot than he would ever make selling cars. I think van parks are going the same way. Eg Hastings St in Noosa.

Ozzie_Traveller · Senior Member

aussietraveller wrote:
...... What are other forum members like us doing for coastal holidays, we are Sydney based and happy to travel a few hours north or south on our short breaks of a week or two. I dont want to sound like a winger but my options are rapidly deminishing for a costal break, and the wife is not interested in freecamping so it looks like we will be spending our time exploring the beautiful small towns in rural areas west of Sydney for our short trips.
-- Edited by aussietraveller on Monday 24th of October 2016 11:28:18 AM

G'day mate

By all means, do - and enjoy - your coastal meanderings both north & south of home base ... and after a while, maybe explore some 'round' trips inland

Syd > newcastle > Singleton > Mudgee > Cowra > Goulburn > Sydney sort of thing

This way you can have both the niceties of coastal hols when wanted & stretch your legs using all of CPs, showgrounds and the occasional 'freebie' where toilets are also available, and you can both discover more of the beaut place we live in

Hope this helps
Phil

jules47 · The Happy Helper

What used to be showground camping in Coffs Harbour(NSW) is now part of the Holiday Parks -North Coast - still a good park, and so well placed, walk into town, or out to the plaza, or even to the movies. Lots of bike tracks around town.

macka17 · Guru

Stay away from towns and coastal areas. Holiday and otherwise.
and you'll find sensibly priced areas to stop.

Apart from Darwin.
We ALWAYS stay away from built up areas and coastal views.
Never have to pay much. and diesel is cheap enough.
You going for a drive around anyway. Normally.

brickies · Guru

At Walkamin central caravan park $24 a night

Tony Bev · Guru

Is that Walkamin north of Townsville, brickies

I think that the OP is looking for places close to Sydney

As far as prices go, I think that it is a supply and demand scenario

According to a Grey Nomads newsletter I read, 21% of the population are baby boomers

As we are living longer, and more baby boomers are coming behind us, then it will probably only get worse financial wise, for the masses who like to go to the popular places, down by the seaside

As I am not from the Sydney area, the only place I have stopped apart from free camps anywhere near Sydney, was the Richmond Wanderest Travellers Park

brickies · Guru

Yes it is but pointing out the benefit of not been on the coast and only hour to the coast.

macka17 · Guru

A lotof caravan clubs in UK and Europe,
Buy a block out of Metro areas.
Then build an ablution block on there. sometimes with power.
But dump point into sewer and water supply.
With a gravel access track down centre.

Their members use. and multiple clubs having one in different areas.
Allowing residual? rights to other clubs members when spaces avail.
Works well.

If a few clubs here could start.
More would join them and eventually a decent system could be avail
for all interested.
Members, so much,or annual fees covering so many nights.
Visitor clubs members an agreed std fee per night too.

And if councils didn't get too fussy,
a reasonable way out of metro.
and all vans self sufficient. with only one small ablution, Dump block
with no power for stupid "Compo" claims etc..

Would take a big load off the actual travelling, stops component.
No more than overnight to 3 days then compulsory OUT.
Gone. make room for others.

It works well overseas.

If our councils used a little brain instead of greed.
They'd have larger volume of vanners/travellers,
stopping in a controlled area.
and normally buying up on stocks too if there for a coupla days.

Would help town. van parks. travellers and local businesses.
as.
If a nice place. some would come back for longer. and stay at parks.
As long as they sensible with prices.

It IS proven to work elsewhere..

Bruce and Bev · Guru

like most others, we also tend to stay away from the tourist resorts or beaches - especially in school holiday or summer times. As things get tougher many of these CP's do better deals in their off seasons.

Councils and shires who crank up the prices without improving the facilities generally don't understand that CPs bring valuable income to local businesses. Instead they see their CP as a way of increasing the prices to off-set rates - and of course the CP eventually stays pretty much empty as the toilets/showers/kitchen are grotty and the price for a site is too much

aussietraveller · Guru

Like Brickies I rate Walkamin as one of the best caravan parks we have stayed in, I dont know if it still happens but the owners who are farmers come in to the happy hour and bring a substantial supply of food in and then join the caravanners for happy hour, we also found the on site managers very friendly and helpful with the whole area being very well maintained. Unfortunately it is a bit far for a short 2 or 3 week break, we have been there twice and will probably go back next time up north.

brickies · Guru

Still the Same Aussietraveller , Lucy and Terry still own it and join in happy hour.

Magyar Connection · Veteran Member

If you are prepared to travel a bit further South along the coast to Victoria, the Sale Motor Village sites are $17/night plus power used. Each site has metered power and when we were there in September our power costs were less than $3/night. This park is inexpensive, but don't think that means poor quality. The park is well maintained, has good facilities and the operators (Leane and Floyd) are great hosts. Also a lot of good local places to visit including 90 mile beach and Mount Baw Baw within easy driving distance.

Well worth a visit to this historic river port in Gippsland. Good cycle/walking paths close to the town and along the river and plenty of good restaurants/pubs as well. You will often see the RAAF Roulettes, from the nearby East Sale Base, practicing in the sky's over the town. MC