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BREAKING NEWS |
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'We are extremely proud of what we have
produced'
New generation of Roadstar caravans
roll
off production line
By DENNIS AMOR
THE first of a new breed of Roadstar
caravans have rolled off the production line.
Victorian businessman Ken Nizam bought the
original Roadstar Industries' plant and equipment when it went into receivership
in February owing $1.3 million. The Australian Hitec Engineering director also won the
right to resurrect the iconic trademark, which appears on the new range of
caravans.
"We are extremely proud of what we have
produced," Mr Nizam, whose engineering company supplied chassis to
the original Roadstar Industries factory, told Caravanning News.
"We have chosen only the best
tradesmen to produce only the best caravans. Currently we are building
four different designs which are a lot more modern than those built by the
original directors."
The new company will concentrate on producing
lightweight caravans and has already signed up dealerships across
Australia.
Many former Roadstar Industries tradespeople are
working at the new purpose-built factory in Coolaroo, Melbourne.
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MEALS ON WHEELS:
EVA DISHES UP HER RECIPES
SEASONED traveller Eva Stovern has come up with more recipes to help caravanners prepare tasty and easy meals while on the road.
Accompanied by photographer husband Thom, she has chalked up tens of
thousands of kilometres travelling the highways and byways of Australia
in her caravan
... with just 30 ingredients in her pantry and some basic equipment and
cooking utensils.
And her new book,
Caravan Chef 2: Around Australia with 30 Ingredients, is already
selling like hot cakes.
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Eva prepares another tasty meal in her pop-top |
Engineering company wins 21-year lease to
run park
AN engineering company has been awarded a 21-year lease to
run a
Victorian caravan park. The current operators, who are leaving after
14 years, said they were moving on "for various reasons" ... none of
which could be disclosed publicly.
 Industry's
tireless Norton honoured for contributions to tourism
A LEADING member of Australia's caravanning industry was honoured in
the Queen's Birthday Honours list. Norton Whitmont, former president
of the Caravan and Camping Industry Association of NSW, received a Medal
of the Order of Australia for his outstanding voluntary contributions to
the tourism industry.
Fresh food people say no to free overnight stays
THE
giant Woolworths organisation has denied reports it will allow
caravanners and other travellers to free-camp in its carparks.
It rejected rumours on an online caravanners' forum that the Woolies supermarket at Ayr in north Queensland is about to trial free overnight parking for
recreational vehicles.
 Innovative
'van opens up new world of travel for disabled
AN INNOVATIVE new caravan which can be lowered to simplify access has
opened up a whole new world of travel for people with disabilities.
The unique airbag suspension system allows the
caravan to be near ground level when parked, providing easy access for
disabled travellers and their wheelchairs.
BIG4 celebrates $2m milestone in online bookings
BIG4
Holiday Parks is celebrating its $2 million milestone in online bookings
– just nine months after launching its online reservations
system. The chain expects to hit $5 million within the next few months and estimates
that almost 75 percent of bookings made at its 180 parks come from non
members or people who would normally book by
email or telephone at individual parks.
 Heavy
demand for lightweight caravans: importer
MORE and more travellers are opting for lightweight caravans, according
to one importer. Adria and Euro RV report
brisk interest in their offerings after the nation's biggest
caravanning, camping and touring holiday show generated millions of
dollars in orders.
New wave of campers set to flood NSW show
ORGANISERS of a major caravan, camping and holiday show in NSW are
expecting a flood of first time campers to descend on the event.
This follows a survey of caravan parks which revealed a noticeable rise
in the number of people turning to the traditional touring getaway.
 Supremo may oversee peninsular caravan parks
AN independent review has recommended a council supremo be appointed
to oversee council caravan parks on South Australia's Yorke Peninsula.
The move is suggested in a comprehensive report prepared by leading
caravan industry figure Ron Shattock, who also stresses the importance
of web-based marketing.
Caravanning life all sewn
up
More and more tradies
adopt life on the road
Story and Photos by DENNIS AMOR
MORE and more tradies and professionals
are taking to the road in their mobile homes. Plumbers,
bricklayers,
cabinet makers, electricians and even members of the medical profession
are finding that life on the road is preferable to the daily chore of city
living. Take 52-year-old trimmer Nigel Scott and his teacher aide wife
Jan, 53, for instance ... they reckon
they have life in their 17.5ft Jayco Heritage caravan all sewn up after
pulling up their roots and hitting the road full-time. And as they weave
their way round Australia, the
energetic couple
can often be found working hard at their 132K6 industrial Singer sewing
machine, turning out awnings or carrying out repairs for fellow
caravanners. Caravanning News caught up with them at a Sunshine Coast
caravan park where they were busy measuring up for yet another customer.
"We had always planned to travel but
thought we were too young to retire," they said. "But then one day we
decided we would throw caution to the wind and
 just
do it ... and we haven't looked back since. Sometimes you just need to
follow your dream ... don't think about it, just do it." Nigel – or Scottie
as he is known – and Jan say they are not making a fortune but really enjoy
the lifestyle. The couple, who has four children and four grandchildren,
said their travels had already taken them to Sydney, Cooktown, Darwin and
all points between. "You'd be surprised at the number of tradespeople on
the road, we have met nearly every kind," they said. While awnings, boat
covers and car seats make up the bulk of their work, they sometimes
receive the more offbeat request. "I suppose the most unusual thing we've
been asked to make is a cover for a cello," Nigel explained. The
Scotts will head to Western Australia next year.
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Anger over
proposed
fees hike
PROPOSED increases in council caravan park fees at Wollongong in NSW
have angered holidaymakers. They claim the 16 percent rise in the
current economic climate will force many working-class families to
abandon holidays in their on-site caravans. One caravanner, whose
annual site fees were already $3500, warned that many local
businesses would suffer as caravan owners pulled out of the area. |
Croc warning
after dog snatched
CARAVANNERS with pets are
being warned to take extra care after a crocodile attack in Western
Australia. Police said a 10-year-old Labrador weighing about 40kg
was snatched by a 3.5m saltwater croc while walking with a family on
the banks of the May River near Derby in the state's north-west.
Warnings have now been posted in local caravan parks as hordes of
southerners head north with their pets in search of winter sunshine. |
Trust shells out $75,000 for Gumnuts
THE caravanning and camping industry's Gumnut Award scheme has
received a $75,000 shot in the arm. The handout from the NSW Government's Environmental Trust program, will
be used to develop an online distance leaning program involving caravan
parks and manufactured home villages in regional and remote areas across
the state.
Recession sinks new park plans
PLANS for a new caravan
park at a popular dam in Queensland have sunk. North Burnett Regional
Council says it cannot afford the go ahead with the development at
Paradise Dam near Biggenden because of the current economic climate.
Mayor Joy Jensen said: "We would have liked to have achieved that in the
next financial year, but with the global financial crisis we are putting
it on hold."
Strong interest tipped as Gold Coast park hits market
THE popular four-star Gold Coast Holiday Park at Helensvale is up for
sale. Agent Andrew Jackson believes there
will be strong interest in the pet-friendly 32-acre park, which offers
127 pitches for touring caravanners and is popular with southern grey
nomads who pack the Coast in wintertime.
Grey nomads bowled over as fuel subsidy axed
GREY nomads and Queensland's caravan industry have blasted the state
government for scrapping the fuel subsidy. And some of the state's bowls clubs are suffering as southerners head to
destinations closer to home in a bid to reduce fuel costs.
No decision yet on controversial park plans
COUNCILLORS are still deciding whether or not to allow a new caravan
park to be developed in a southern Queensland city.
Opponents of the proposed park at Highfields in Toowoomba claim it would
create a disturbance in their normally peaceful neighbourhood.
Jayco in $3m sponsorship deal
JAYCO, Australia's
biggest manufacturer of recreational vehicles, has signed a $3 million
sponsorship deal with Cycling Australia. The deal will give Jayco,
which produces nearly 50 percent of Australia's caravans, naming rights
for the Australian Institute of Sport's under-23 men's road team
competing in the 2012 London Olympics. Company founder and managing
director Gerry Ryan already sponsors major cycling events in Australia.
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Bundy boxes clever
Doggone ... this pet
travels with her own canine chariot
Story and Photos: Dennis Amor
BUNDY the boxer is one cosseted mutt
... after all, there are not many dogs who take their own transport
with them when their owners go caravanning. But when retired NSW
logistics manager Andy Williams and beauty therapist wife Leesa hit
the road in their 16ft Jayco Freedom they make sure their arthritic
dog's 'chariot' goes with them. From far north Queensland to southern
NSW, the 12-year-old, 26kg pure-bred can be seen enjoying rides aboard
her trailer as the Lake Munmorah couple go cycling during their
caravanning adventures. They have even installed a hammock in their car so Bundy can
travel in comfort between caravan parks. "She's on anti-inflammatory
medication for her arthritis and can't walk as far as we want to ride
on our bikes," Leesa explained. "So we got her this trailer, and she
loves it. She's a very spoilt animal. I don't have kids so she's my
child. Some people do get a shock when they look in the trailer
expecting to find a child ... but see a dog peering at them instead."
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ABOVE: Andy and Leesa prepare
to go cycling ... with Bundy in tow
RIGHT: Bundy ... hammock and
trailer make for a comfortable life on the road |
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For stories from the
last six editions of Caravanning News, click on the appropriate
month:
Editor: Dennis Amor
PO Box 678
Caloundra
Queensland 4551
Australia
Click to send email
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Web pages designed and produced by Dennis Amor
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Copyright 2005
Dennis Amor
All Rights Reserved
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NEWS DOWNLOADS REACH AN
ALL-TIME HIGH
MORE and more caravanners are turning to Caravanning News to keep
abreast of what's happening in the world of
caravanning. Page downloads for our April
edition reached a record 95,000 ... with
more than 80 percent of visitors adding us
to their favourites, too. |
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Fun times as television
crew visit caravanners
LOVED your story on the Today
show's Steve Jacobs and his film crew at Scarborough Holiday Village
(Caravanning News, June edition). I've visited the park a
couple of times and must say enjoyed my stay every time. It's in a
fantastic location. Just wish I could have been there when the TV
crew visited ... sounded like everybody had great fun.
Jerry Barber
New South Wales
WE watched Channel 9's morning show when
its weather presenter did his part of the programme from the
Scarborough caravan park ... and were then delighted to read your
report in the last Caravanning News. Your photographs and
report were a joy to see.
Tim and Hilary Kennicott Queensland
Parks avoided like
the plague
KIDS-free parks (Caravanning News, June
edition). Let me just say I avoid caravan parks like the plague
during all school holidays and the Christmas and New Year period.
From my experience, some thoughtless parents just use them as huge
playgrounds where their kids run riot without any consideration for
other people.
Name withheld on request
When UHF radio talk turns blue . . .
HORDES of shivering southerners have begun their annual pilgrimage
to the north in search of winter sunshine. And with the surge comes
all the usual road rage from truck drivers. My UHF radio turns blue
with all the foul language aimed at the grey nomads because they
dare to travel below the speed limit. Does nobody have any patience
these days?
Stuart Needham
Queensland
Great place
for news
I THINK your
magazine is one of the best paces for caravanning news and activities.
Congratulations.
Ken Brown
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