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BREAKING NEWS:
MAY 31:
Queensland caravanners will be allowed to travel
anywhere in the Sunshine State from midday tomorrow, Premier Annastacia
Palaszczuk announced today: "We are opening Queensland for Queenslanders,"
she said, urging travellers to hitch up their camper or trailer. "Now is
your opportunity and actually stay overnight," she added.
MAY 31:
Caravan Council of Australia predicts that "quite a
few" small caravan manufacturers and importers will not survive the
coronavirus crisis.
MAY 31:
Bulahdelah Bowling Club in the Hunter/Mid North Coast
region of NSW has appealed for letters of support in its efforts to reverse
a council order to close its camping area. "Disappointed with the timing
with all this," the club says on its Facebook page. "We've been
closed for nine weeks, and 48 hours before we open council walks in and
shuts us down." The club said it "would have been great" to work through its
new approval application while the club was closed due to the coronavirus
crisis.
MAY 30:
Tatiara District Council in SA has reopened the RV
Camp site at the Bordertown Recreation Lake. An additional camp area will
also opened in the coming weeks.
MAY 28:
Ingenia Communities Group will soon be reopening its
holiday parks. In a message to shareholders, the ASX-listed company said
announcements by the NSW and Queensland governments that parks would be able
to reopen on June 1 and June 12 respectively were "positive" for its parks,
which had been closed to holidaymakers.
MAY 27:
Caravanners will be allowed to travel in NSW from
11.59pm on Sunday night but have been advised by Deputy Premier John
Barilaro to check caravan parks and camping sites before hitting the road.
Victoria will also permit caravanners to take intrastate travel, though
caravan parks and camping sites will remain closed. Travel in SA is allowed
and campsites, caravan
parks are open for guests subject to four square-metre
rule. Meanwhile, caravan parks in WA have welcomed news
from Premier Mark McGowan that unrestricted regional travel within the State
will also be resumed for this long weekend — excluding travel to the
Kimberley region, the Shire of Ngaanyatjarraku and parts of the East Pilbara.
MAY 27:
A number of restrictions on caravan parks and
campgrounds will be lifted by the Australian Capital Territory government
from 11.59pm on Sunday. "Our local tourism industry has been decimated by
COVID-19," it said in a statement. "The recovery of the $2.5 billion
industry will take years, and will require ongoing support from both ACT and
Commonwealth Governments."
MAY 26:
Outback Queensland Tourism Association marketing
coordinator Kylie Rixon has resigned and will be taking up a new role as
assistant manager with Discovery Parks, Mount Isa and Argylla.
MAY 26:
The 51-site Lismore Palms Caravan Park in the
Northern Rivers region of NSW is on the market. The sale is by private
treaty and is being handled by CBRE Hotels.
MAY 25:
Publishers of Camps Australia Wide, regarded
by many as the travellers' bible, says there has been "a surge" in trip
planning as coronavirus restrictions are eased.
MAY 25:
Queensland's Gladstone Regional Council has modified
local laws which will now permit caravan park operators to determine how
many cats and dogs to allow within the confines of their park.
MAY 25:
The town of Boddington in WA has closed its caravan
dump point in Wuraming Ave pending relocation to the Old Council Depot at
the corner of Johnston St and Farmers Ave.
MAY 22:
Outback Queensland Tourism Association has joined
with the regional tourism offices representing the Cairns, Townsville,
Whitsundays and Mackay regions in urging the State Government to lift the
restriction on recreational travel and widen the existing Outback travel
bubble in time for Stage 2. The North Queensland economy is said to be
losing over $90 million each week that domestic travel is prohibited.
MAY 22:
Nova has reopened its caravan manufacturing factory
in Victoria after a seven-week closure due to the coronavirus outbreak.
MAY 22:
Shares in Aspen Group, which operates chain of
lifestyle and holiday parks, continues to rally, rising from 84c in March to
an opening price $1.15 on the Australian share market today. "We expect to
be able to continue to grow Aspen's business and portfolio profitability in
future and we believe the opportunities will increase during this economic
downturn," it said in a message to shareholders.
MAY 20:
Caravan and Camping Industry Association NSW today
welcomed Premier Gladys Berejiklian's announcement that people can get back
to their travel and holiday plans in NSW from June 1.
MAY 19:
Discovery Parks introduce 'wait-lists' for some of
its popular caravan parks as lifting of travel restrictions creates rush for
bookings.
MAY 19:
Could it be the first caravan mishap as coronavirus
restrictions are lifted? A 4WD towing a caravan reportedly hit a light pole
in Beaconsfield, Queensland, early this morning.
MAY 18:
The 340-site award-winning MacDonnell Range Holiday
Park at Alice Springs should be full of travellers at this time of year ...
but is still waiting to welcome its first visitor this season because of the
COVID-19 crisis. The owner says it could be the death knell for many parks.
MAY 18:
Jayco, which shed a hundred staff and closed its
Dandenong factory for three weeks during height of coronavirus crisis,
reports rapid rise in buyer interest as travel restrictions begin to ease.
MAY 17:
With travel restrictions being eased, caravanners
going bush in WA have flooded National Parks with bookings, with most at
nearly 80 percent capacity.
MAY 16:
The Caravan Industry Association of Australia says
the industry is best placed to drive and lead the road to recovery for
domestic tourism. The industry's peak body points out that 710,000
registered RVs are "set and ready" to go when cross-border driving holidays
are permitted. "The diverse eco-system of the caravan and camping industry
means that it will be resilient through this time and be ready to offer
Australians the self-reliant 'back to basics' experience on short notice
when the time is right," the association said.
MAY 14:
Driver ended up somewhat embarrassed after his
fifth-wheeler caravan ended up wedged under a sign in Marius Street,
Tamworth, NSW ... warning of a low rail bridge ahead!
MAY 14:
Man and boy suffering smoke inhalation taken to
hospital after fire ripped through caravan Kingsthorpe near Toowoomba in
Qld.
MAY 14:
WA's peer-to-peer Share A Camper is being wound up,
with Jennifer Elizabeth Low of Perth chartered accountants Sheridans being
appointed liquidators, according to an ASIC notice.
MAY 14:
Adelaide Plains Council has agreed to temporarily waive short-stay
restrictions at its Parham campground while improvements are made at the
Mallala campground.
MAY 13:
August's Gympie Music Muster in Queensland's Amamoor
State Forest, a popular event for grey nomads, has been cancelled for the
first time in its 39-year history.
MAY 11:
Incepio Ventures has applied to the Supreme Court for
Victorian-based Jurgens Caravans to be wound up. A spokesperson for Jurgens
told Caravanning News today: "This is a current legal matter,
therefore there is no comment at this time." According to an Australian
Securities and Investments Commission notice the hearing has been set down
for May 27 in Melbourne.
MAY 11:
WA's Shire of Corrigin has invited quotations for the
design and construction of a new ablution block at Corrigin Caravan Park.
MAY 11:
Caravan blaze in the Sydney suburb of Chippendale on
Saturday is believed to have been the work of an arsonist. The empty RV was
destroyed and no one was injured.
MAY 9:
Caravan parks and campgrounds in South Australia's
national parks and reserves are being reopened. But the State Government has
warned that gatherings should comprise a maximum of 10 people with
social-distancing of 1.5m. It has also reminded campers to practice "good
hygiene".
MAY 8:
There is a light at the end of the coronavirus
tunnel, according to Kui Parks founder Bert van Spronsen. "Many of us are in
need of recovery ... the caravan, camping and travelling type," he said.
"Never before have I sensed such a hunger for travellers to get out there."
MAY 7:
Owner-operator of WA's Wongan Hills Caravan Park
Bernadette Lambert has been awarded a certificate after successfully
completing an Australian Hotels Association COVID-19 hygiene course.
MAY 6:
The
2020 Qantas Australian Tourism Awards have been cancelled for first time in
their 36-plus years history. Organisers say individual state and territory
awards may continue but 'Gold" award achievers will not have a national
programme to progress into this year.
MAY 6:
Man, 18, charged after allegedly slamming concrete block into
windscreen of police vehicle at caravan park in Pease Street, Cairns.
MAY
6:
A time-lapse video posted on YouTube eight
years ago and showing how a Concept caravan was built continues to attract
attention ... recently clicking up its one-millionth viewer. The Victorian
company, founded in 2004, says the fascinating footage turns five days of
hard work into five minutes. To watch the video,
click here.
MAY
5:
Queensland's Brisbane Holiday Village at Eight Mile
Plains staged a humourous social-distance wheelie bin race for the benefit
of Channel 7's Sunrise weather forecast viewers this morning.
MAY 4:
Adelaide Plains Council in South Australia has
announced that the Mallala campsite will be closed for eight weeks from
tomorrow for redevelopment. Port Parham Short Stay Camp Park will stay open
during this time.
MAY 3:
All-clear now declared after Lake Clifton Caravan
Park north of Perth put on bushfire alert today.
MAY 1:
Car towing caravan involved in
accident on NSW's New England Highway about 5km north of Glen Innes.
Understood one person suffered serious injuries. No further details
available.
MAY 1:
Truckies are touting one benefit from
COVID-19 ... there are fewer caravans on the road. According to one article
in the industry's Big Rigs national newspaper they "don't have to sit
behind 'vans doing 80k/hr" when trying to meet strict deadlines. "Also there
is more space at the rest areas which are frequented by our truckie mates,"
it adds.
Breaking News - April 2020
Breaking News - March 2020
Breaking News - February 2020
Breaking News - January 2020
Breaking News - December 2019
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Copyright 2005 Dennis Amor
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