Grey nomads bowled over as fuel subsidy falls by wayside

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, normally full of caravanners and motorhomers from the southern states at this time of year, are suffering as Victorians and others head to destinations closer to home to reduce fuel costs.

State Premier Anna Bligh said axing the 8.3c a litre fuel subsidy on July 1 would save around $500 million a year and was part of a range of government cost-cutting measures.

She told parliament that people crossing the border into the Sunshine State to take advantage of cheaper prices at the bowser was one of the reasons it had been scrapped.

But Caravanning Queensland chief executive officer Ron Chapman warned the move could mean fewer grey nomads heading to the state.

He believed many would downsize their travel plans, resulting in fewer visitors, particularly to the far northern areas. He thought caravanners would cut back on distances to save on fuel costs.

And Tourism Noosa boss Steve Cooper warned that scrapping the subsidy would also impact on his area, with fewer interstate caravanners.

Meanwhile, Victorian caravanner Len Barnstable – one of the thousands of grey nomads who head to Queensland every winter to enjoy the warmer climate – said he was very disappointed.

"They're hitting us from every angle," he told Caravanning News. "The way things are going with prices we soon won't be able to even hook up our caravan and drive to the end of our road."

Round-Australia caravanners John and Kath Winters said their superannuation funds took a battering when the global economy nosedived, forcing them to watch every cent.

"Having to fork out more for our fuel is the last thing we need ... it will just mean we'll have to cut back on where we go," they told us as they took a break at a rest area near Gin Gin in Queensland.

" For instance, we'll have to think twice about diverting off main roads to visit those out-of-the-way places. We can see many small communities suffering because of the Queensland Government's short sightedness in doing away with the fuel subsidy."

Another grey nomad said: "We are always worried about the cost of fuel. I'm sure lots of people from the south are not hauling their caravans so far ... friends have told me you only have to look at the bowls clubs in Queensland to see this.