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Caravanning News is registered with the National Library of Australia's PANDORA archive |
DECEMBER 2021 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Turtle Sands park adjoining Mon Repos in line for new lease of life By Dennis Amor
THE once popular Turtle Sands Tourist Park
adjoining the world-famous Mon Repos turtle rookery in Queensland could be
destined for a new lease of life. Owners David and Jenny Baker plan to turn it into a 127-site park with an
accommodation mix to meet the current tourism market and have lodged a
development application with Bundaberg Regional Council.
They pulled down the shutters at the million dollar-view beachside eco
park in 2010 saying they wanted to help protect threatened survivors from
the dinosaur age.
Epidemic
sinks plan to open COVID shattered
Discovery Parks' plan to open a new splash park in time for the festive
season at one of its Bunbury holiday parks in WA. It is now
anticipated to open the foreshore park next March following delays brought
about by the epidemic. Chief Operations Officer Matt Lang said that
factors beyond the company's control meant the facility would not be
opening in time for Christmas as hoped. "We know the local community and
tourists have really been looking forward to the
splash park opening," he said.
'Forging a new alliance' G'Day Group sails into new waters with navy
AUSTRALIA'S leading group of independent caravan and
holiday parks is sailing into new waters to expand its national touring
network. ● Navy Canteens operates holiday centres across Australia with discounts of up to 30 percent for Navy personnel.
Hundreds of schoolies in COVID outbreak at NSW caravan park A NSW caravan park has
been caught up in a COVID outbreak involving
hundreds of schoolies. Four positive cases were identified at Byron
Bay's Discovery Park, where hundreds of youngsters were celebrating the
end of their schooldays. Many had to isolate in their caravans and cabins
after the positive tests. Meanwhile, about 500
school leavers were transported by charter flights and coaches back to
Sydney where they had to travel straight back to their
individual homes by private transport. They were ordered to undergo
PCR tests and self-isolate at home until they return a negative result.
Byron Shire Council had urged the teenage revellers to make sure they
complied with all Public Health orders relating to the virus. This
included using QR codes to check into shops, venues and other places,
wearing masks when necessary and social distancing. Discovery Parks said
the park was now
open to travellers and guests. Cops visit park to advise on safeguarding property
'Supercharged' demand for caravan work leads to grant AN award-winning caravan company in WA will receive $160,000 from the state government to expand its busy workshop. Caravan King Mandurah will use the Peel Regional Economic Development (RED) grant to help meet the "supercharged demand for caravan maintenance and repairs". Regional Development Minister Alannah MacTierna revealed the latest round of grants while on a visit to the workshop. "Caravan King's expansion will help the business to meet the massive escalating demand for caravan maintenance and repairs, supporting 10 new full-time jobs on the ground in the region," she said. "Our government is committed to supporting regional local business and creating the diversity of jobs needed to help our regions meet their full potential." Caravan King described the minister's visit as "really amazing", adding: "We were asked to host Ms MacTiernan, the Peel Development Commission team, our local MP Robyn Clarke, the Shire of Murray and six very special local businesses for the RED's grant funding recipient announcements." It was "really excited" about the opportunity the grant created to reduce its customer wait times, to support tourism and job creation in the region and the support it provided for its future growth goals. It had been "humbled" by its customer and community support.
Leeton council appoints new caretakers for rebranded park LEETON Shire
Council in the Riverina region of New South Wales has appointed new
caretakers for its rebranded Gogeldrie Riverside Park. Jason and
Nicole Smith, who will take over the reins of the 17-acre park in the new
year, said they were looking forward to maximizing the park's potential.
Mr Smith grew up in the area and the couple moved to Leeton four years ago
to raise their daughters. "We are very excited to be helping the council
operate this important visitor attraction and local recreation area," they
said. The park will be temporarily closed from December
23 and will reopen under its new management on January 10, 2022.
Apollo plans merger with New Zealand's Tourism Holdings By Dennis Amor BRISBANE-based Apollo
Tourism and Leisure is planning a merger with New Zealand's premier
tourism company Tourism Holdings Limited. The
amalgamation would expand their respective global recreational vehicle
networks ‒ which
include the rental, sales, manufacturing and service of recreational
vehicles ‒
and establish a leading diversified travel company across the key markets
of Australia, New Zealand, North America, the UK and Europe. Apollo
manufacturers Australia's Windsor and Coromal caravans.
Managing director Luke Trouchet (pictured)
said the two businesses had similar operations and like-minded
cultures, strongly believing in the potential of the global RV market.
"The proposed merger would give us a better platform to meet the ongoing
impacts of COVID-19, continue to offer our guests the best combination of
products, services and prices possible and better leverage the re-opening
of global travel," he said. "With a more diverse
portfolio of brands, strong presences in the key RV travel markets and a
more robust balance sheet, the combined business will be better able to
capitalise on near-term growth opportunities as borders re-open and
cross-border tourism begins to return to pre-pandemic levels."
Apollo would own 25 percent of the merged company.
Holiday
parks join council in
VISITORS to holiday parks on
NSW's Mid Coast are being urged to conserve water. In a joint
initiative between MidCoast Council and more than 20 park operators, signs
and stickers have been introduced urging people to save water in the
shower and at the sink ahead of the busy summer season. Director of
Infrastructure and engineering services Rob Scott said the initiative was
a simple but effective way to remind visitors that water is considered a
precious commodity in the area. Twin Dolphins
Caravan Park at Tuncurry has had the signs and stickers up for more than a
month and park manager Andrew Walker (pictured) said he had received
nothing but positive feedback.
Excellence is celebrated at prestigious caravanning event THE Victorian
caravan industry celebrated excellence at the most prestigious night in
its annual calendar. More than 370 members, Hall of Fame inductees,
life members and guests attended the Victorian Caravan Industry Hall of
Fame and Business Awards gala event. The theme for the evening was
Strictly Caravanning. It marked the industry coming back together
after challenging times brought about by the COVID pandemic. "This event
would not operate to the highest standard we have set without our amazing
partners," Caravanning Industry Victoria chief executive Rob Lucas said.
The evening had again demonstrated the "outstanding calibre" of member
businesses and their people, he added.
Festive safety message as
100s
THE easing of borders has prompted Caravanning
Queensland to issue a safety message ahead of new RV deliveries this
festive season. "Since the announcement of the December 13 border
reopening, many intra and interstate travellers are set to enjoy a
quintessential Queensland Christmas holiday and for some, that means
hitting the road in a brand new caravan or motorhome," it said. Trade
chief executive Jason Plant said there would be hundreds of new caravan
and motorhomes, with many first-time ‘cara-fans’ excited to test out their
recent purchases. "Understanding caravanning and road safety has always
been important," he said. "With the increase in new product and users on
the road, it's especially important that travellers understand the do's
and dont's and prepare well in advance, to ensure a safe and enjoyable
holiday - and to help create safer roads for all Queenslanders."
Council warns rural landowners about allowing illegal camping A VICTORIAN council has
warned it will take action against landowners who allow illegal camping on
private rural properties. Mansfield Shire Council says some were
advertising camping facilities without relevant approvals and appropriate
facilities. It is concerned that many of the locations would place campers
at severe fire risk. There could also be environmental impacts on
waterways and vegetation, with campers often not having access to septic
systems and other services. "The risk to human life from natural hazards
such as bushfires, floods and storms is unacceptable," Mayor Cr James
Tehan said.
Crusader celebrate Manufacturer of Year gong
CRUSADER Caravans
staff and workers were celebrating after the company was named the
2021 Manufacturer of the Year at the Caravan Industry
Victoria's Hall of Fame business awards.
"The strength of the team is each individual member. The strength of each
member is the team," Crusader said in a Facebook posting. "We are
so proud and humbled," managing director Serge Valentino and director
Michael Paidoussis said. Company director Michael
Valentino was also named this year's CIV George Pantazopoulos Young
Achiever.
Caravan Council of Australia calls for RV code of practice THE Caravan Council of
Australia has stressed the importance for RV manufacturers to be ruled by
an official quality standard or code of practice. Founder and general
manager Colin Young said there had been "thousands of calls, emails, and
letters" from upset caravanners who had unacceptable problems with their
new RVs. "Despite often frequent requests and heated demands to their
dealers, they had unwarranted hassles in getting the defects rectified,"
he claimed. Mr Young said a high percentage of complaints involved
non-compliancy with legal requirements, some of them being "downright
dangerous".
Ingenia Communities complete $441 million of acquisitions INGENIA Communities announced expansion of the group’s lifestyle and holiday park businesses with the completion of $441 million of acquisitions. These comprised a mix of established communities and development sites and were included in the $552 million of acquisitions identified with the group's $475 million equity raising announced on November 1, 2021. Chief executive Simon Owen was "pleased" to see such rapid deployment of the equity raised, with the majority of transactions now complete. "Despite a marked increase in competition for quality communities and development sites, these acquisitions demonstrate our ability to grow the portfolio, as we benefit from a pipeline and relationships that have taken many years to establish," he said. "We now have over one hundred communities and developments, with enhanced exposure to our key markets."
New CIAA board is a real changing AUSTRALIA'S
peak body for the caravanning industry has welcomed new national board
members for a two-year term. Following an election by the state
caravanning associations, the composition of the Caravan Industry
Association of Australia board has been updated. Kate Meldrum, Martin
Cotterell and Grant Wilckens were re-elected with three new members ‒
Nikki Milne, Chris Woods and Margaret Shannon ‒ joining them. Current
board members Donna Cocking, Brad Slater and Gerard Waldron were not
subject to re-election and will continue to serve for another year ahead
of a ballot next November. Chief executive Stuart
Lamont (pictured) described it as a real changing of the guard. "We
acknowledge the tremendous contribution of the retiring board members and
look forward to new debate ahead," he said. The association has
welcomed the results, saying that even the most male dominated industry
sectors have seen more women in the boardroom.
Warning to campers as battle continues against Inskip gastro CARAVANNERS and other
campers planning to head to Queensland's Inskip Point for the festive
season have been warned of restricted sites. The news comes as
Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS) continues to battle an
outbreak of gastroenteritis at the popular camping area east of Gympie.
The number of holiday revellers will be capped to existing bookings only
up until December 24 in some camping areas. "Queensland Health has
provided expert advice on this issue and recommended QPWS reduce camper
numbers and temporarily close camping areas in a staged approach, to limit
the spread of the illness," QPWS said.
Comments are called for on redeveloping caravan parks QUEENSLAND'S
Fraser Coast Regional Council has appealed for comments on master plans to
redevelop caravan parks at Pialba and Torquay. "This is the
community's chance to tell us what features and facilities they would like
to see in refurbished council-owned caravan parks," caravan enthusiast Cr
Jade Wellings said. It is anticipated that feedback on the concept plans
will be presented to the council next year. The council owns four
beachfront tourist caravan parks and is preparing master plans to guide
their future development. It has allocated $22 million to the
redevelopment over five years, with work already well underway at the
Scarness park.
Concern over RVs with potentially
AUSTRALIA'S consumer
watchdog has again issued an appeal to caravanners who could have a
potentially lethal water heater in their recreational vehicle.
The Australian Competition
and Consumer Commission (ACCC) urges them to check for dangerous
Suburban-branded dual fuel gas/electric heaters before setting off on post
COVID-lockdown holidays. It is concerned that more
than 50 percent of the units could emit deadly odourless carbon monoxide
if used in gas mode. There are still over 8300
consumers who have not registered their water heaters for a free
inspection.
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