Its a bit much ???

That maybe why the caravan park owners had to increase their prices.... to many people free loading in free camping areas!

Everyone has the right to make money, where do you think your employer gets the money to pay your?

Running a business has increased dramatically in the last 1 to 2 years more then the cost of living increase most families have seen.

Maybe the land is leased off the council or shire who imposed a 100%+ lease increase.

Maybe the council or shire have placed specific requirements on the caravan park owners that was once undertaken by the council or shire free of charge or new requirement that have cost them tens of $thousands.

Maybe his insurer has increased his premium from $18,000 per year to over $100,000 due to no cause of their own doings.

I have seen community groups who use to pay a $1per year peppercorn lease increase to over $20,000 per year.

What about some of the businesses in Coober Pedy who once paid $9000 per year on electricity all of a sudden increased to over $50,000 per year.

Like all things there is more to a situation then one usually see's or in most cases care to see.

So don't shoot people or businesses down until the whole story is clear and understandable.

As a business owner, what you have said is depressingly true unfortunately. I get paid last and least...it's fun being your own boss. Cheers

One of the basic tenaments of market forces is the customers can choose not to pay the price asked.

This is someone exercising their consumer sovereignty.

Anyone free camping is also exercising their choice. They are not shirking any obligation to any business.

Cost is equal to opportunities lost. Attract me to your paid campsite by showing that I am better off than alternative choices.


I usually find that any money "saved" by free camping is usually spent at the bowser, shops for supplies or even attractions. Caravan Parks do not have any God given right to my travel funds and I object strongly to those who try to regulate me into a paid park.

I would choose to dodge the town altogether and move on to an more enlightened one. More than once, a caravan park has convinced me to move on without spending a cent in a particular town.

Alan

Alan

Alan nobody is trying to get you to do anything.... I find it amusing that the ones who complain about high prices are those who demand better conditions and more pay from their employer or they want the company that they have shares and investment with to increase prices and cut staffing levels so they can get a higher divined paid!

"You can't have your cake and eat it, too" ..... but it seems too many want the cake and to eat it too.

So who's willing to drop their wages or dividends paid by 50%..... anyone....no I didn't think so!

I think most think it's OK to "rip" someone off if it's for their own benefit but when someone "rips" them off it's a different story.

We always fill up with fuel and buy food, or do tourist activities, etc, or spend money in other businesses in a town. We would not be bringing any money in to the town at all if we had to stay in a caravan park, simply because we wouldn't be able to afford to travel.

I think the issue here is not paying for a site in a caravan park. It is the ridiculous surcharge per head that they charge for children. I see sites advertised for anyway from $18 - $28 for a couple ... these same parks charge anywhere from an extra $5 to $18 per child, and when we have four children it makes it a ludicrous suggestion that we should be paying a surcharge of $20 - $78 in addition to the base charge.

The base charge is usually what we would consider a reasonable amount, and if it were not for the surcharges for children we would have chosen to have a more simple caravan built and have stayed in the caravan park. This surcharge is at almost all caravan parks, even those without amenities for children. It is a different story (in my humble opinion) at those that have extensive equipment for children ... but they are for holiday makers where the caravan park is part of the holiday, not for those who travel long term, simply because it would make longterm travel out of the reach of all but the rich.

By travelling long term, we spend our money in rural and remote communities, and as we stop to work in remote and rural towns we provide needed services often, too (as I am a pharmacist, and he is an electrician, our skills are usually highly valued in these communities). Surely more people suffer in the remote and rural communities than just caravan parks if people were not able to free camp? A free market being what it is, the caravan parks are free to charge what they wish. We are free to choose whether or not to use their product/service. In our case, we don't use it simply because of the ridiculously huge surcharge per child.

As an aside, Yulara charged a fixed rate per family of $35 when we were there. Reasonable and fair, for where it was. We didn't mind paying it.Roxby Downs when we were there charged $30 flat rate for everyone. We didn't mind paying it. $50 or more for one night, without any power, just for a piece of grass? No thank you.

Hi
Olcoolone
I don’t free load, I am self-contained and choose to “bush camp” most of the time, and only use van parks when I have to.

Alan H
Well said, and true. If van parks gave customers what they want, at a reasonable price, instead of what they want to give us at a higher price, they would attract more people.
We don’t use their swimming pool and spa, jumping pillow, camp kitchen, kid’s playground, games and recreation rooms, tennis courts, mini golf, etc. I don’t even use their hot water for showers, I use my own lpg to heat water, I don’t even use the toilets, just a dump point once a week or so (which some parks don’t have), all of which I pay for, without using, when in a van park.

Livin On The Road
Also well said, and I agree, and sometimes, you don’t even get grass, quite often it’s dirt or gravel, and a lot of the time, a far from level site. You may as well bush camp.

Cheers
Neil

Olcoolone is correct when he says Councils have upped the ante.

Here in Dungog, all RFS stations are now water-metred, where-as before they were not charged, thats why most have those water tanks installed
How low can you go, charging the RFS for water to put out fires on Council land.

All Dungogs parks and free camp sites have non- handle taps, to stop ppl filling up their water tanks,during the big drought, I would see farmers filling up all their water containers from the park next to William Rivers bridge in Dungog
That was stopped by these special taps. Some filled their tanks using the fire-hose attatched to the toilets.

Others would sneak in at night and fill their tanks on the vacant homes For Sale, the only water-carter had a monopoly on water rights, the nearest at Raymond Terrace, pay his price or do with-out

The info centre had a key you could purchase for o/nite stays to enable to fill with clean water, but you had to be there in business hours or miss out

Don't forget electricity prices, they have gone through the roof, literally, Country Energy customers pay 3 times city dwellers, more for c/van parks and high users of electricity, pools, bbq's, sports fields using arc-lights.

Even the local football teams must pay user monies for electricity, water, what are rates for then?

I'm a bush camper and always have been because I prefer it, I like to have a fire and don't have to worry about intruding on others or them me.
I notice the National Park camping area near where I live has just posted it's prices for the coming summer, adults $9 per head, children $7 and a car fee of $11 per night, so that's $43 a night for mum, dad and two kids, basic facilities, no hot water, no fires, no generators and no animals.

VKE237 6678

rr

I'm not moaning but think about it. This is why there has been a massive increase in people NOT retiring because they do not have the 2.5 million tucked away to live on for the next thirty years and those already retired (not age pensioners) have pulled their heads in and instead of having three trips a year only have one trip.
Be rest assured we won't go!

When you concider the costs that would be involved in running a park I don't think what they were charged is unreasonable. Your issue seems to be that they were only there for 12 hours. I bet they used all of the facilities, had hot showers, used the camp kitchen to wash up etc etc. I stay at Kidmans when I travel through Bourke and it is always clean and tidy. Imagine all of the additional costs getting supplies etc out there.

As previously stated stop moaning, you have over 100k worth of Truck and trailer in your signature pic surely this cost isn't going to break the bank if you can afford to feed a TD V8 Cruser and drag you camper boat around, then surely you can afford to spread some of your wealth around out back NSW to support the towns and busines's.


Regards


Jas

Hi Pinky,
I believe we should have the choice in our huge country to bush camp or use a caravan park. I do resent being forced into c/v parks with increasingly less bush camping being available. Australia seems to have more rules and signs every day.
I have traveled extensively both worldwide and around Australia.
I stayed in C/V parks occasionally for a treat but mostly was self sufficient and the trip was more affordable. There were problems, but always solutions. We were two women and a dog traveling. In Broome WA we had to sleep in our car in the street with drunks going past all night because no caravan parks would allow dogs! (how could you not love our Rottweiler Alsatian cross as we did haha) Maybe the movie "Red Dog" will now soften the hearts of c/v park managers in Broome.
We sometimes drove into properties and asked the owners if we could camp the night on their land. Always greeted warmly and accommodated. Thank u Australians.
At times I felt mistreated and cold shouldered by CV park managers who seemed to ironically hate travelers. I only want v basic facilities and want to pay accordingly. Maybe there could be a fee structure for basic/vs up market facilities in the same c/v park depending on your individual needs at the time.
Interestingly most rigs are becoming more self contained, and less bush camping is allowed. Go figure.
"For we are young and free" hum Picture this against how we are being slowly cooked with rules and regulations. Food for thought.

Good points girls.
I do hope when you were in France you did the camping routine. A leased peugeot with navigation, a market umbrella, small tent and some basic gear. The french just love camping travellers.
I met a past owner of the caravan park at Nabiac (since by bypassed by the new Pacific Highway) who was camped behind us at Robuck Bay cv/Park. He had a large portion of his park set aside for in after 4:30 and out 8:00 and no unhitching. He charged a minimal fee and people made a b-line for his place.

"Free loading in free camping areas", not having a go at people who use them as we do occasionally but most free camp areas do have a maximum number of nights stay.... usually 2 nights.

You see some people who use them; set up for the long haul with no intention of only staying the maximum number of nights allowed.

Same as parking bays and rest stops, when who ever starts charging a fee to control overstayers there will be a hugh uproar much like whats happening with tracks closing and restrictions being placed on certain areas.

And good on ya for spending in the community your visiting.... there are a hell of a lot who don't.

My friend had a caravan park for years, ask him if it's fair, after he has been digging up metres of sewerage pipe to clear out the disposable nappies that have been flushed down the toilet, or you could ask him after he has just finished cleaning the amenities block after parents have let their kids run rampant through them.
He often said that he wished people would bring their dogs & leave their kids at home!

Well said Josh. If you don,t like it move on.Your choice whether it be Caravan Parks or Bush Camps.
Duke

Yep - nail on the head there.

It's not that hard to work out what a site will cost you - either on the net or by phone. My experience is that EVERY price quoted is for 2 people - if you have more then it WILL cost you more.

And don't forget that in some of these more isolated locations water & electrickery can cost the park owner a fortune.

We stayed at Kidman Camp in June on our way to NT and thought it was fine.

Cheers

Paul
:-}

Hi Joe, We had RACV blue cover when we travelled. Not sure what it is or if they have in QLD, but it covers the cost of motels/towing ect when away from home. From memory it cost us about $200 a year. You'd be $400 in front already. We worked out in 3 yrs we got several thousand out of them. I think you get up to $2000 accom per breal down. We got 3 weeks in Coffs Harbour while waiting for the car to be fixed. Well worth it.

Josh

Hey Joe, your only smiling because you and your wife are sleeping in a different room to the kids for a change.

LOL

hahahaah ..... you really reckon eh ...... yep you guessed it, on holidays man, gotta be some "us" time ..... it was actually a really good few days, it is not such a bad place to get stuck at .............hung over a tad when we had to leave hahaha

Hey Josh,
What i dont get is if you have paid out $600 bucks and gotten back $2000 grand, how do they afford to do it?????? i do agree it would be good but nobody gives away anything for nothing these days so either it is about to vastly increase in price or i am missing something ....

Cheers
Joe

It's no different to your insurance, except they cover accom and towing instead of repairs and you just pay a premium, not an excess. see here http://www.racv.com.au/wps/wcm/connect/Internet/Primary/roadside+assistance/car/total+care

It called road side assist. Most states have some form of it.

Josh

Try this one, it shows what you get for your money
http://www.racv.com.au/wps/wcm/connect/Internet/Primary/roadside+assistance/car/comparison+of+packages?id=e52e8a06e575e23&CACHE=NONE&CONTENTCACHE=NONE&CONNECTORCACHE=NONE&SRV=Page