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BREAKING NEWS:
AUG 31:
COVID has claimed another victim ... the 2021
Melbourne Leisurefest. Caravan Industry Victoria today announced that the
event planned for October has been cancelled for the second year. "It is
important to put the health and safety of our customers, exhibitors and
staff first and ensure we follow the direction of the government during this
time," chief executive Rob Lucas said. "It is disappointing to be in this
position again. Melbourne Leisurefest would have been another amazing show."
AUG 31:
Pelican Rest Caravan Park at St George in Queensland
has told how caravanners and travellers packed up and fled the park after a
truckie returned a false positive COVID test.
AUG
31:
Shares in peer-to-peer RV rental company Camplify
continue to soar, opening on the ASX at an all-time high of $1.80 today.
AUG 31:
Molesworth Recreation Reserve and Caravan Park in
Victoria is looking for a new caretaker couple.
AUG 31:
Cobb & Co Caravan Park at Charleville in Queensland
is on the market for a million dollars. Agent Premier Sales says the park is
ideal for a husband and wife team with casuals helping out and offers a net
profit of $285,829.
AUG 30:
Corroboree Park Tavern, on the Arnhem Highway halfway
between Darwin and Kakadu National Park, has received a $150,000 grant from
NT Government's Roadhouse to Recovery Grant initiative. "This grant has
helped us carry out our biggest upgrades to date – we have installed three
new cabins, new lighting and we'll also be putting in new powered sites for
campers," owner Peter Shappert said.
AUG 30:
NSW's next Newcastle Caravan Camping Lifestyle Expo
will be held at the local entertainment centre from February 4 to 6, it has
been announced.
AUG 28:
A 'compulsory' caravanners' stop at the gateway to
Queensland's Cape York has been sold. Located 30km south of Cooktown, the
quirky Lions Den Hotel and its five-acre campground was the most popular
haunt for travellers in the region and was on the market for $2.45m. It is
one of the Sunshine State's oldest registered and continuously operating
hotels still in its original building.
 AUG 28:
The Caravan Industry Association of Australia will bring
the world's largest RV trade show ‒ the Caravan Salon in Dusseldorf ‒ to
Australians with an online Zoom Virtual Technology Day on September 1. The
association will offer the opportunity to see the latest innovations and
products from the Technology and Components Sector and the ability to
network with participating companies and connect afterwards through a
matchmaking tool. "We encourage industry businesses to take this opportunity
to explore what new technologies and innovations are coming out of Europe,
and are likely to hit the shores of Australia in the future," it said.
AUG 28:
Northern Territory police appeal for information after incident at Malak
caravan park in which youths allegedly assaulted one resident, threatened
two others and then attempted to break into vehicles and an occupied
caravan.
 AUG
28:
NSW's Broken Hill Mayor Darriea Turley, pictured, is concerned about the
worrying number of caravans and RVs passing through the city. She has now
called for the introduction of a regional Travel Permit system similar to
the model that was implemented in Greater Sydney. Cr Turley said her stance
on limiting travel from infected areas had not changed since the COVID
outbreak began. "We pushed hard for travel controls before we had cases in
Broken Hill, and we'll keep pushing it for it now," she added.
AUG 27:
Man appearing in court today after caravan destroyed
by fire at Mittagong in NSW's Southern Highlands yesterday.
AUG 27:
WA's Shire of Irwin will reopen the RV overnight
facility at Dongara Town Oval from August 31 for a 12-month trial.
Self-contained caravans and other RV will be able to stay for one night only
at a rate of $10.
AUG 27:
Sunshine Coast traveller and WA woman charged after police allegedly found
child exploitation material in their mobile home at Cairns.
 AUG
27:
Claimed to potentially be among North Queensland's
largest caravan parks, Cooktown's 11.5-acre Peninsula Caravan Park and
adjoining parcels of land are on the market. The park boasts 80 sites and 12
cabins and is being offered by Off Market Hotels as a going concern.
Expressions of interest close on September 17. The thriving park was
previously owned and operated by the late Mary Thackeray for over 45 years.
"This rare opportunity allows for an astute buyer to increase the footprint
of the park, to include capital improvements and potentially own and operate
one of North Queensland's largest tourist parks," agent Shane Mullins said.
AUG 27:
Jayco's longest serving dealer, Page Bros RV at Moorabbin in Victoria, has
temporarily closed its premises due to COVID's ongoing lockdown
restrictions, but says it will continue to operate online and via phone.
AUG 26:
Shares in peer-to-peer RV hire company Camplify opens at
$1.61 today, their highest price since hitting the ASX in June.
 AUG
24:
Apollo Tourism and Leisure, manufacturers of the
Windsor and Coromal brands of caravan, revealed today that it has received
$2 million under the Australian Government's JobKeeper subsidy. It also said
a new RV service centre at its Brisbane retail location had created an
"end-to-end sales, service and repair solution for RV owners". In a
statement to shareholders, chief executive and managing director Luke
Trouchet (pictured) said that with forward orders at an all-time high,
Apollo anticipated the record demand for RVs would continue next year as
people sought more freedom and control over their holiday choices. "With
limited options for travel-related discretionary spend, new customer
segments are opening up as many people find themselves with more spare time
than previously," he said. "This presents an RV holiday as an increasingly
attractive option." Apollo has reported a net after-tax loss of $17.9
million from revenue of $293 million for the financial year just ended.
AUG 24:
Queensland police say a Swagman camper trailer
registration number 666UBI has been stolen from the Ipswich area.
AUG 24:
Police investigating suspicious middle-of-the-night
blaze which destroyed caravan and hatchback at White Rock on outskirts of
Cairns.
AUG 24:
Two caravanners in their 70s were taken to Kilcoy
Hospital yesterday afternoon after their rig rolled on Queensland's two-lane
D'Aguilar Highway near Possum Bush Road at Moore.
AUG 24:
Fleetwood, operators of RV accessories company
Northern Camec and Melbourne-based caravan repairs and services company
Northern RV, will announce its results for the last financial year on
Thursday this week.
AUG 23:
Shares in Apollo Tourism and Leisure, RV renter and
manufacturer of Windsor and Coromal caravans, opened at a three-month low of
$3.20 today. Meanwhile, shares in holiday and lifestyle parks operator
Ingenia continue to climb, opening at a year-high of $6.33.
AUG 23:
A driver had a lucky escape when a metal rod from a caravan squeezing past
another caravan on a narrow bridge at Gayndah in south-west Queensland shot
through his windscreen, missing him by centimetres.
 AUG
22:
NSW police say they have
received complaints from the public about caravanners being on the state's
roads during lockdown. The news has now prompted a stern warning from
Western Region Assistant Commissioner Geoff McKechnie. "If you're in a
caravan travelling through regional NSW at the moment, stay where you are or
travel directly to your home," he said. "If you don't, you will receive a
penalty notice if you are detected." Meanwhile, NSW Health has suggested
that caravan parks and campgrounds across the state should be closed to
everyone except permanent residents, local workers and those who have no
other place of permanent residence.
 AUG
22:
Music to your ears and newly released ... Kevin
Sullivan's latest single Spend The Kids Inheritance featuring
caravans, grey nomads and partnered by Queensland-based Sunland Off Road
Caravans.
AUG 22:
Heartless thieves reportedly made off with
caravanner's possessions, including clothing, after his rig rolled just
before dark near Barcaldine.
AUG 21:
Murchison, Kywong and Mongans Bridge caravan parks in
Victoria have been awarded grants from the state's $9.2 million Solar on
Public Buildings program.
AUG 21:
CCIA NSW has called off the Canberra
Caravan Camping Lifestyle Expo, scheduled for October 22-24. "With the
significant and growing COVID-19 challenges in NSW (and now ACT) we had no
other choice," chief executive Lyndel Gray said.
AUG 21:
Woman recovering in hospital after crash caused by wheel breaking free from
her 4WD towing caravan on Queensland's Burnett Hwy near Ban Ban Springs.
 AUG
20:
Crusader Caravans, which is in its
sixth lockdown, has turned to Facebook to explain the delay in
delivering RVs. In
a 4.4-minute video, director
Michael Paidoussis says his Victorian company has
spent 200 days in lockdown since April last year. Production was two weeks
behind the schedule set in February and two caravans fewer were being
produced weekly. But he added: "We are working
hard to get your caravan to you."
AUG 20:
G'day Group has appointed Amanda Baldwin as chief
investment officer to further its growth strategy. The group is Australia’s
largest regional accommodation network with over 300 properties across two
brands, Discovery Holiday Parks and G'day Parks. Chief executive and founder
Grant Wilckens said Ms Baldwin had been integral to the company's rapid
growth.
 AUG
20:
Daughter of Mandy Paynter ‒ formally known as Mandy
Newman ‒ who died in ferocious caravan blaze at Wadalba Caravan Park in NSW
on Aug 16, has launched a $3000
GoFundMe
appeal to give her mother "the funeral she deserves". "I am devastated to be
on here asking for help but I have no other options so please if anyone can
help, I would be more grateful than you will ever know," Cheyenne Tudor
wrote.
AUG 19:
Queensland's Hivesville Progress Association wants to
turn part of the local disused and overgrown railway yards into a short-stay
caravan area to attract more travellers to the South Burnett town,
population about 700.
AUG 19:
Share prices in holiday and lifestyle parks
operator Aspen continue to rise, opening at a year-high of $1.51 today.
 AUG
19:
TAFE Queensland has opened a new purpose-built
Caravan Industry Training facility at the Acacia Ridge TAFE in Brisbane to
cater for the increasing demand for RVs and workers needed to build and
maintain them. "The caravan and recreational vehicle industry has been
calling out for more workers and these new facilities at Acacia Ridge will
help fill the gap in the industry," local MP Peter Russo (pictured) said.
AUG 18:
Following a successful 12 month trial, Victoria's
Greater Shepparton City Council has given the green light for the 48-hour RV
rest area in Tatura's Douglas Street car park to continue for at least three
years. "Offering an RV friendly town shows the region is a destination that
is welcoming and seeks to cater to this market’s needs," Mayor Kim O’Keeffe
said.
AUG 18:
AL-KO has announced that JB Caravans will be the
first in Australia to supply its revolutionary new Tow Assist ABS & sway
mitigation technology as standard equipment on upcoming caravan models.
AUG 18:
A $9 million staged upgrade to Darlington Point
Riverside Caravan Park could be on the cards with NSW's Murrumbidgee Council
calling for public comments on a draft Master Plan for the park’s future
development.
AUG 18:
The large Stenhouse Bay Campground on SA's Yorke
Peninsula, which services visitors in tents, caravans, campervans and camper
trailers, is to be provided with new toilet blocks and barbeques.
AUG 18:
Camplify, the online Newcastle-based peer-to-peer RV
hire platform, will release its annual report for the 2021 financial year on
August 23.
AUG 17:
WA's Shire of Nungarin awarded $583 from 2021
Community Litter Grants scheme for signage to support Nungarin Caravan
Park's Keep It Clean Initiative.
AUG 16:
Victoria's Greater Shepparton City councillors will
tomorrow decide whether an experimental 48-hour parking area for
self-contained caravans, campervans and motorhomes at Tatura's Douglas St
car park should be made permanent. A survey of travellers revealed that 30
percent of overnighters spent between $100 and $200 ‒ with one spending over
$2000 ‒ at local businesses. A report to councillors revealed that
other small towns across the municipality including Mooroopna, Dookie,
Murchison and Merrigum have expressed interest in the opportunity to offer
free RV camping sites.
AUG 16:
Reflections Holiday Parks in NSW are now closed to
members of the public due to new COVID rules. Permanent residents, overnight
travellers, local workers and people with no other place of permanent
residence are not affected.
AUG 16:
In line with new 'stay at
home' COVID restrictions in regional NSW, Shoalhaven City Council has closed
showgrounds, campgrounds and all 12 Holiday Haven caravan parks until August
22. Shoalhaven Mayor Amanda Findley said that during these uncertain times
both customer service and the safety of the public remained the highest
priority. NSW Health said that for areas not in lockdown before 5pm, people
could continue to stay in caravan parks and camping on a booking made before
5pm on Aug 14.
 AUG
16:
Seafront Holiday Park on Kangaroo Island has been
awarded $213,536 from the South Australian Tourism Commission's Tourism
Industry Development Fund. It will go towards the park's $711,788 project
which will establish an additional 20 powered caravan/campervan sites
through the extension of the onsite electrical grid, two-family sized eco
tents and two two-bedroom beachside villas.
AUG 15:
The 33-site Monto Caravan Park near Queensland's
popular Cania Gorge National Park is seeking new live-in managers.
AUG 15:
Hervey Bay Police in Queensland have warned locals to
beware of a potential scam in which a man claims to repair vehicles,
including caravans. Initial investigations indicate that the work is not
completed, even after a deposit has been paid.
AUG 15:
NSW's Darlington Point Riverside Caravan Park may be in
line for a $9 million staged upgrade with Murrumbidgee Council calling for
public comment on a draft Master Plan for the park's future development.
AUG 14:
Fire crews fought a ferocious blaze which destroyed a caravan
on the Gold Coast's Nerang-Broadbeach Road at Nerang last night.
 AUG
14:
The boss of struggling Curlwaa Caravan Park ‒ 1000km
from Sydney ‒ has urged NSW Premier
Gladys Berejiklian
to slap a ring of steel around COVID-affected areas to save parks from
closing, saying: "Us small businesses in regional NSW are being unfairly
penalised because of greater Sydney."
AUG 14:
Caravanning Queensland is planning a Caravan RV
Safety Weekend at Ipswich's
Willowbank Raceway on September 11 and 12, billing it as the first industry
event of its kind. "This will be a weekend of non-stop presentations,
demonstrations, workshops and masterclasses all with a focus on safety and
latest technology," it said.
 AUG
14:
Elliott Heads Holiday Park manager Jessica Threadgate reports that
Bundaberg's four council-operated coastal caravan parks are booming despite
the COVID pandemic. "Things are going crazy ... we're full virtually every
night," she says in a YouTube
video.
AUG 13:
WA Police have suspended the search for missing
83-year-old Trevor McDonald who failed to return to his caravan after
prospecting in a remote area near Meekatharra in the state's Gascoyne last
Saturday.
AUG 13:
Police hunting thieves who made off with a
single-axle 1976 Franklin caravan, registered number Z72723 from Portland,
Victoria.
AUG 13:
Friday the 13th has delivered good news for
shareholders in Fleetwood, which operates RV accessories company Northern
Camec and Melbourne-based caravan repairs and services company Northern RV.
Shares continue to rise, opening at a three-month high of $2.75 today.
AUG 12:
WA's major motor organisation RAC is urging
caravanners to brush-up on their skills before hitting the road, with a new
study revealing a lack of confidence when towing and reverse-parking.
AUGUST 12:
WA's Western Flora Caravan Park, set on 160 acres at
North Eneabba and which has featured in National Geographic and a TV series
presented by naturalist Sir David Attenborough, is on the market for
$580,000.
AUGUST 12:
Barmah Bridge Caravan Park owner Jenni Panos predicts
that the permit system to be reinstated at the border bubble area tomorrow
night will be 'a nightmare' for her Victorian park.
AUGUST 11:
A decision will made in the next few weeks on whether
October's 4th Retreat Caravans Owners and Family Group Rally in South
Australia should go ahead.
AUGUST 11:
The Australian Caravan Club has been awarded $10,000
from Rockhampton Regional Council's Community Assistance Program towards its
seven-day National Muster planned for the Beef City in October. Last year's
muster was cancelled due to COVID.
AUGUST 11:
CMCA's latest 30-site RV park for self-contained
caravans and motorhomes will open
behind the
Humpty Doo Hotel
on the
Arnhem Highway
in the Northern Territory on August 16.
AUGUST 11:
The Bruce Highway and rest areas south of Cairns were
chockablock with grey nomads in caravans and motorhomes desperate to escape
Cairns before its COVID lockdown.
 AUGUST
11:
Caravan parks which refuse census staff access to
guests who failed to complete census forms could be fined up to $1110, the
Australian Bureau of Statistics has warned. It
estimates it had
received 2,388,009 completed forms
as of Monday this week but would be chasing people
who failed to submit forms.
AUGUST 10:
Shares in holiday and lifestyle operator Aspen
continue to climb, opening today at a new year-high of $1.47.
AUGUST 10:
Adelaide-based Positive Lending Solutions report "an
upward trend" in caravan loan applications during the COVID crisis as
Aussies seek alternatives to international travel.
AUGUST 9:
CBRE Hotels has announced the sale of the 71-site
Ellis Beach Caravan Park north of Cairns. Expressions of interest close on
September 9.
 AUGUST
9:
The popular Birdsville Races, which usually attracts
hordes of grey nomads, have been postponed until April 2022. "When
announcing the end to the south-east Queensland lockdown, the Queensland
Premier pleaded with people not to travel to regional Queensland,"
Birdsville Race Club Vice President Gary Brook said. "More than 85
percent of our ticket holders reside in locations that are interstate and
unable to currently enter Queensland, or in lockdown or discouraged from
travelling to regional Queensland."
AUGUST 9:
Land and air search resumed today for 83-year-old
prospector Trevor McDonald who failed to return to his caravan in
Meekatharra in WA's Mid West on Saturday.
AUGUST 9:
Shares in Aspen Group, operators of a chain of
holiday and lifestyle parks, opened at a year-high of $1.46 on the
Australian Stock Exchange today.
AUGUST 6:
Victorian government plans to open new camping areas
alongside the state's rivers, with hundreds of new areas being investigated.
Up to 27 sites along the Goulburn, Broken, Ovens, Campaspe, Loddon and
Murray rivers are currently being assessed ... with hundreds to follow.
AUGUST 6:
The three-day Let's Go Sunshine Coast Caravan and
Outdoor Expo scheduled to be opened at Nambour Showgrounds on August 20 has
been cancelled because of COVID restrictions.
AUGUST 6:
Victoria Park Lake Caravan Park operating "with restrictions"
during Shepparton's current COVID lockdown.
AUGUST 4:
Battery pack hooked up to solar panels believed to
have caused blaze which destroyed $120,000 caravan outside property at
Pelican Waters on Queensland's Sunshine Coast.
AUGUST
4:
Chicken who normally lives at the Sandfire Roadhouse
and Caravan Park on WA's Great Northern Hwy stowed away in a caravan's
tunnel boot for a 300km adventure to Broome ... leaving an egg as a
thank-you!
AUGUST 4:
National Road Transport Association has reminded
travellers that all caravans and motorhomes must be fitted with fire
extinguishers.
AUGUST 4:
A woman sleeping in her caravan at Bakers Creek near
Mackay in Queensland during the early hours of today was woken by the noise
of her LandCruiser being stolen. Police said a thief had taken the keys to
the vehicle, registered number 1JW7ZZ, from the woman's handbag which she
had left in the caravan's annex. The white Toyota had roof racks, a white
and blue kayak and a bull-bar with mounted floodlights.
AUGUST 4:
Shares in holiday and lifestyle parks group Aspen
opened at $1.43 today ... their highest price ever. Meanwhile, shares in
Fleetwood, operators of RV accessories company Northern Camec and
Melbourne-based caravan repairs and services company Northern RV, will open
at a three-month high of $2.60.
AUGUST 4:
A $1.4 million stormwater network upgrade beginning
next week will reduce stormwater run-off from Lighthouse Road into Clarkes
Beach Caravan Park at Byron Bay in NSW.
AUGUST 3:
Tasmanian Government partners with Moreton Group
Medical Services to deliver COVID vaccinations to homeless, including those
in caravan parks.
 AUGUST
3:
Hooded thieves have made off with a dual-axle
Crusader caravan from the Moreton Bay region of Queensland. They struck in
the early hours of Monday morning, cutting their way through gates at a
caravan business in Macdonnell Road, Clontarf, on the Redcliffe peninsula.
CCTV footage shows the white and blue caravan, bearing Queensland
registration 764QOD, being towed away by a black single cab ute without
number plates. The caravan, which now has a distinctive bright
blue checker plate front,
was at
a workshop
to have a new awning fitted.
AUGUST 2:
Brisbane Camperland - Jayco says it has closed until
August 9 due to the latest Greater Brisbane COVID lockdown.
AUGUST 2:
A mum from NSW's Hawkesbury region who scooped a
whopping $2 million from Saturday's Lotto draw aims to travel in a caravan
around Australia with her husband and "help our kids". Meanwhile, a
Rutherford man in NSW knows exactly what he will do with his $100,000
windfall from today's Lucky Lotteries Super Jackpot draw ... "spend the
prize money on a caravan that I've been wanting to purchase for a while".
AUGUST 2:
Lockdowns announced today have closed camping
areas in Queensland's Sunshine Coast, Gold Coast, Noosa, Somerset, Lockyer
Valley, Scenic Rim, Brisbane, Ipswich, Logan City, Morteton Bay and Redland
until 4pm on August 8.
AUGUST 2:
Shares in Aspen Group, which operates a chain of
holiday and lifestyle parks, opened at a one-year-high of $1.42 today.
AUGUST 2:
Grey nomads have warned of an alarming increase in
thefts from caravans at Broome in WA. Meanwhile, police at Alice Springs in
the NT report a string of break-ins at caravan parks.
AUGUST 1:
Family of four escaped serious injuries when their caravan and triple road
train collided on Stuart Hwy north of Erldunda Roadhouse in the NT.
Breaking News - July 2021
Breaking News - June 2021
Breaking News - May 2021
Breaking News - April 2021
Breaking News - March 2021
Breaking News - February 2021
Breaking News - January 2021
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Copyright 2005 Dennis Amor
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