Traveling back from a trip to SA we stopped in at Echuca. One of Victoria,s top tourist destinations. We arrived around 8.50am and where lucky enough to get a parking spot near the Council Chambers. We are a long setup & took up 3 parking bays. We where hoping to stay most of the day however parking is limited to 2Hrs. I went into the Council Chambers before 11am hoping for some common sense as to an extension of the 2Hrs. NO NO WAY CAN WE DO THAT. You will have to park at the Information Centre. Two Spots only available & taken. I drove around this town for 20min plus looking for any appropriate parking for a 16m long setup. Had to park nearly a Km away from main tourist area. Echuca would have to be on off the most Unfriendly RV towns in Victoria. Only 65Km away at Cohuna Vic they have 6+ caravan parking spaces in the main street & free RV camping as well. How is it that the small towns have a better grasp on the benefits of being RV friendly.
Good on you Cohuna. Shame, shame, shame on you Echuca.
Maybe this forum should start a list of unfriendly RV towns in Australia. My be then they will get the message that RV Travelers spend money too.
The store operators where great. Its the fact that there is a severe lack of parking available for a caravan day visitor. In the two hours we where there we noticed at least 30+ caravans just simply pass through unable to park even if they wanted to. Why would you bother taking the turn off into Echuca of the main highway if you had no intention in stopping. I assume they thought like me that there would be plenty of caravan parking available. If anyone has information as to the plentiful parking available in Echuca for caravans I would be interested in hearing about it.
Im a little divided on this topic. Echuca is quite compact, busy with cars in terms of quantity and how many vacant parking bays are available. To provide an area for your large rig is asking a bit much imo. Besiides, such a bay would be taken by all those caravans. You cant compare it to a smaller quieter town. Euroa, Nagambie, the same, easy parking. But Benalla, Shepparton, Swan Hill same as Echuca. Perhaps fold up bikes? Or buy my 11ft van...has shower and dunny lol
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Be nice... if I wanted my school teacher here I would have invited him...
Im a little divided on this topic. Echuca is quite compact, busy with cars in terms of quantity and how many vacant parking bays are available. To provide an area for your large rig is asking a bit much imo. Besides, such a bay would be taken by all those caravans. You cant compare it to a smaller quieter town. Euroa, Nagambie, the same, easy parking. But Benalla, Shepparton, Swan Hill same as Echuca. Perhaps fold up bikes? Or buy my 11ft van...has shower and dunny lol and I'll throw in my dishwasher..high maintenance but she can drive.
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Be nice... if I wanted my school teacher here I would have invited him...
We've never found Echuca unfriendly, just a bit too busy. We stay at Lockington just 15 minutes away, one of the friendliest places that we've ever been.
We recently won a travel auction for a 7 night stay on a powered site in a CP near Bright. Rang up to book our dates & got treated like an unwanted second class citizen.
Oh well s**t happens.
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Cheers Keith & Judy
Don't take life too seriously, it never ends well.
Trip Reports posted on feathersandphotos.com.au Go to Forums then Trip Reports.
Gunnago You can't expect to go into a very popular town and expect prefence treatment there are lots of people wanting to visit , They wont let semitrailers park in town and thats what you have , Like DD I stay at Lockington and use it has a base and also go to places like Bendigo also , I think you are expecting to much the local also need some where to park to do there shopping .
Echuca is not a day trip town. You need at least 3 - 4 days if you go there. Next time you go that way plan to see it properly.
It is not worthy of comparing small towns like Cohuna with the larger ones. There is not enough space in the larger ones to give over to caravan parking for all to spend a day there without having to walk to things. If you are successful at getting large amounts for casual caravan parking will you be attempting the same in Sydney and Melbourne? After all if you are entitled to take up enough space in Echuca for all the vans who wish to spend the day you are also entitled to do the same in Sydney and Melbourne.
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PeterD Nissan Navara D23 diesel auto, Spaceland pop-top Retired radio and electronics technician. NSW Central Coast.
The fact is, Echuca is bursting at the seams with a massive growth in tree-change population as well as a constant flow of tourists. It has no space for large vehicles (i.e. they're not hiding it, it just doesn't exist). Try driving down Echuca High Street during morning and afternoon school run times, it's no different to the traffic jams in a city. What used to be a charming and quiet country town has now become highly urbanised, still very attractive and worth visiting but very busy. If you want a day in Echuca, better to stay a night and leave the rig in a 'van park. We prefer to stay over the bridge in Moama these days, it's also a fast growing town but with much more space and has even better caravan parks.
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Cheers,
Tony
"Opinion is the medium between ignorance and knowledge" - Plato
You might find it tricky to park in the CBD of Melbourne too, with your full rig Gunago, perhaps we should bowl down a few skyscrapers to accomodate you?
(lightbulb!) Plan your trip before you get there
I am an Echuca local and I have trouble parking in my Toyota HiAce SLWB. I don't get any preferential treatment from the shire either.
Maybe park at the large overnight grounds of the Rotary Park where they even have a dump point now.
Unhook and take yourself into town. If you know the timetable you may even be able to catch a bus.
Dunno about anyone else ,but if we are stopping for while we always cruise a town up down left and right . We do this cause sometimes we stay on .If you come to my home town of Echuca and you come from Cohuna side, when you hit the roundabout at the port and turn left you can maybe park 15 semis on either side of the road .Both main streets have more than ample parking once you go a block or 2 from the shops. Swan Hill , Kerang , Cobram are all similar.One has to walk sometimes .Cheers
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Westy. Some people I know are like slinkies. They look really funny when you push them downstairs !
I have been to Echuca many, many times - has grown enormously, and yes, parking can be a problem, weekends especially.
As Moamajohn says, drive around, accept the fact that you may hae to walk a little way, near Woolies, on the side street, there are some long areas, as well as the carparks at Dan Murphy. Be aware you sometimes have to pay in parks, right in the middle of town, behind Rivers store.
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jules "Love is good for the human being!!" (Ben, aged 10)
As someone who has been MH touring pretty constantly for the past 15 years, and campervan touring for the 20 or so years before that, I'm afraid that I have little sympathy for you
You state that you are in a 16m long big-rig "taking up 3 parking spaces" ... I presume that means that you have both a primary vehicle and towing a car / trailer behind you
If this is your chosen touring arrangement, then as part of that setup comes the realisation that your setup will not fit into most parking places, or shopping centre car parks nor caravan parks ... and it is your choice entirely to travel this way
Please do not complain to others if your chosen life-style does not receive sympathy from councils or fellow travellers
Phil
This response is not directed solely at you, Gunnago Camping, but at travellers in general.
Before looking to set up some form of "Black Ball List" of those places we consider are not looking after travellers, it would be wise to look at what our own home towns provide in the way of the facilities we demand of other locations.
Does your home town have many 16 metre capable parking spots in the CBD/Tourist areas for the visitor?
Does your home town provide the facilities the CMCA put forward as RV Friendly requirements?
Would you be happy if the prime parking spots in your CBD/Tourist areas were given over to large rigs at the expense of the local towns folk doing their normal day to day business?
If the answer to those questions is yes, then they are a progressive town, but if the answer is no to all or any of these questions, then perhaps your time would be better spent getting your town to provide the facilities, before you spend time asking for other towns to provide the facilities for our once or twice in a lifetime visits, or get placed on a black list.
By the way, while we do spend money in these places, taking up 3 spots such as you wanted to for the day, stops 2 others from spending money at the same time!
A last question is would you like to see YOUR town named as RV Unfriendly and placed on a published list to warn visitors not to come?
As an aside, I find the Echuca/Moama area in general to be well catered for the RV tourer, and no less friendly then most towns to the travellers.
-- Edited by TheHeaths on Sunday 8th of October 2017 10:52:48 AM
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Regards Ian
Chaos, mayhem, confusion. Good my job here is done
This response is not directed solely at you, Gunnago Camping, but at travellers in general.
Before looking to set up some form of "Black Ball List" of those places we consider are not looking after travellers, it would be wise to look at what our own home towns provide in the way of the facilities we demand of other locations.
Does your home town have many 16 metre capable parking spots in the CBD/Tourist areas for the visitor?
Does your home town provide the facilities the CMCA put forward as RV Friendly requirements?
Would you be happy if the prime parking spots in your CBD/Tourist areas were given over to large rigs at the expense of the local towns folk doing their normal day to day business?
If the answer to those questions is yes, then they are a progressive town, but if the answer is no to all or any of these questions, then perhaps your time would be better spent getting your town to provide the facilities, before you spend time asking for other towns to provide the facilities for our once or twice in a lifetime visits, or get placed on a black list.
By the way, while we do spend money in these places, taking up 3 spots such as you wanted to for the day, stops 2 others from spending money at the same time!
A last question is would you like to see YOUR town named as RV Unfriendly and placed on a published list to warn visitors not to come?
As an aside, I find the Echuca/Moama area in general to be well catered for the RV tourer, and no less friendly then most towns to the travellers.
-- Edited by TheHeaths on Sunday 8th of October 2017 10:52:48 AM
Yep! agree with your thoughts, FWIW we've found Echuca fine, yes we pass through a few times each year.
Re your comments "Does your home town provide the facilities the CMCA put forward as RV Friendly requirements?" Moonta SA meets all criteria, free camp area 5 mins walk from main street, yes it will accommodate big rigs, RV parking close to main street, big rigs OK, dump point.
We to often visit Echuca and like it a lot. However as we come from nsw we leave our van at Aysons reserve some distance away and have a leisureable day in this town. We have done this many times without any problems , there are many other grey nomads at the reserve who will keep an eye on your rig. We have done so for others at this reserve. Or as said by others get a spot in a van park and take a taxi into town or park some distance away then get said taxi. We have done this a some other large towns where parking is limited, because my other half is limited in agility.
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I was tired yesterday and I'm tired today betcha I'm retired tomorrow. he he.
Traveling back from a trip to SA we stopped in at Echuca. One of Victoria,s top tourist destinations. We arrived around 8.50am and where lucky enough to get a parking spot near the Council Chambers. We are a long setup & took up 3 parking bays. We where hoping to stay most of the day however parking is limited to 2Hrs. I went into the Council Chambers before 11am hoping for some common sense as to an extension of the 2Hrs. NO NO WAY CAN WE DO THAT. You will have to park at the Information Centre. Two Spots only available & taken. I drove around this town for 20min plus looking for any appropriate parking for a 16m long setup. Had to park nearly a Km away from main tourist area. Echuca would have to be on off the most Unfriendly RV towns in Victoria. Only 65Km away at Cohuna Vic they have 6+ caravan parking spaces in the main street & free RV camping as well. How is it that the small towns have a better grasp on the benefits of being RV friendly.
Good on you Cohuna. Shame, shame, shame on you Echuca.
Maybe this forum should start a list of unfriendly RV towns in Australia. My be then they will get the message that RV Travelers spend money too.
The town is very friendly, many people in the town will go out of their way to assist people. The same cannot be said for the Echuca council members. Ask any shop owners, they have been the same over many years. See what they say about public dump point, that this so called "TOP TOURIST DESTINATION" should have...
If there was a list of unfriendly RV towns councils, Echuca would be on top.....
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The wish bone will never replace the back bone.....
Traveling back from a trip to SA we stopped in at Echuca. One of Victoria,s top tourist destinations. We arrived around 8.50am and where lucky enough to get a parking spot near the Council Chambers. We are a long setup & took up 3 parking bays. We where hoping to stay most of the day however parking is limited to 2Hrs. I went into the Council Chambers before 11am hoping for some common sense as to an extension of the 2Hrs. NO NO WAY CAN WE DO THAT. You will have to park at the Information Centre. Two Spots only available & taken. I drove around this town for 20min plus looking for any appropriate parking for a 16m long setup. Had to park nearly a Km away from main tourist area. Echuca would have to be on off the most Unfriendly RV towns in Victoria. Only 65Km away at Cohuna Vic they have 6+ caravan parking spaces in the main street & free RV camping as well. How is it that the small towns have a better grasp on the benefits of being RV friendly.
Good on you Cohuna. Shame, shame, shame on you Echuca.
Maybe this forum should start a list of unfriendly RV towns in Australia. My be then they will get the message that RV Travelers spend money too.
The town is very friendly, many people in the town will go out of their way to assist people. The same cannot be said for the Echuca council members. Ask any shop owners, they have been the same over many years. See what they say about public dump point, that this so called "TOP TOURIST DESTINATION" should have...
If there was a list of unfriendly RV towns councils, Echuca would be on top.....
Must be a while since you've been there Towball. Echuca does have a dump point. Its in the Rotary park with the free overnight camping area which is a large area and if you are towing you can leave your van there and wander into town for easy parking and shopping. Oh and sightseeing
