We just completed a 4 week round trip from Lake Macquarie through western NSW, the South Australian Riverland, along the Murray River, back through the Riverina and the western plains. We stayed on a property 40kms out of Echuca for a few days but for the rest of the time we stayed in CPs. Great experience but unfortunately cut short due to other comittments, a few of the things that I did take away from the trip were -
1) It really hit home just how much of a disaster this prolonged drought is in western NSW not only for those on the land but also for those communities and small businesses that rely on them to survive.
2) The number of retirees spending their time travelling is unbelievable, on some roads RVs seem to make up the majority of the traffic.
3) Very little social activity happened in CPs most people arrived, set up their camp then disappeared inside never to be seen again - probably due to the heat, the wind, the dust and the flies especially in far western NSW.
4) To me there appeared to be more vans from Vic and Qld on the road than from the other states. I dont know about the claims that southerners are flooding Queensland there are plenty of travellers in the southern states heading in all directions including Queenslanders.
5) Although I advertised with my GN stickers on the back of the car and van, I often mentioned the forum in conversations and reguarly wore my GN shirt I never ran into a single person who would admit to being a fellow member. Who knows maybe that says more about my personality than it does about the lack of numbers
We have been travelling for most of the time of the last three years and I have never seen a Grey Nomad sticker or a T shirt on anyone or on any vehicle or van.
They are probably out there but not in great numbers I would believe.
I am not one to buy clothing with motif advertising and not one for bumper stickers on vehicles.
I feel that if a company wants me to advertise their product then they would give me the clothing and the stickers.
Drought conditions are truly bad in areas that I have seen but I did note that last week at least some areas out west did get some rain.
"20 years ago, Australia, was losing out on rain, but generally, it was raining everywhere, appropriately, but I don't suspect it to go back to the way it was, sure we will get rain, but not regularly like in the past.
I recently travelled to FNQ. Even in coastal sugar towns, the drought conditions were evident. Irrigated crops, gardens in townships and rivers that supply water all looked lush but footpaths and other places not watered were dry and dusty. I didn't stay in CP unless you count Brandon Hotel but towns like Tully and Babinda were alive with tourists of all flavours. With the crush ongoing, farm traffic and farm worker traffic was more apparent than caravans. Having said that, Babinda free camp was was chokkas.
We met a gn forum member at Waruma Dam at Eidsvold a few years back. A lovely old fella in a Toyota bus. He didnt tell us his username but I wasnt that savvy with the forum then. Just before last Christmas last year we camped at greens lake for one night. I went looking for Dougwe but he wasnt there. When I read his December 18 run down we missed him by a day or two. I dont like stickers on my vehicles so thats why I havent got any on my setup. My Engel fridges have a heap of place name stickers on them. ( maybe thats why they still work dribbler !!). I sorta cant think of a reason nobody advertises they members here. I just plain dislike stickers on my vehicles. I for one would freely say Im a member here. I ve got nothing to be embarrassed about apart from the fact I still work for a living. Regards Pete
Last week we actually drove through some of the heaviest rain that I have ever seen when we were travelling between Narrandera and West Wyalong.Although the vision both out front and behind us was poor I thought that the main danger we faced was aqua planing for brief periods when we hit deeper puddles of water. There was absolutely nowhere for us to pull over safely so the only choice we had was to keep going doing 50 or 60 kph. This added the extra risk that a truck coming up behind us also with limited vision would run up our back end. It was the same weather system that places like Bourke reported they had falls of up to 90mm.
2) The number of retirees spending their time travelling is unbelievable, on some roads RVs seem to make up the majority of the traffic.
5) Although I advertised with my GN stickers on the back of the car and van, I often mentioned the forum in conversations and reguarly wore my GN shirt I never ran into a single person who would admit to being a fellow member. Who knows maybe that says more about my personality than it does about the lack of numbers
Also here in the west, when travelling outside the larger populated areas, I notice more RV type vehicles, than any other types, so the Grey nomad type traveller is still on the move
I also do not come across many Grey Nomad forum members, unless I have arranged to meet them somewhere along the track
Perhaps our stickers are too small, to be noticed
This post prompt me to buy a Grey Nomad shirt, but unfortunately my size, (large according to the wife) are not in stock
