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Caravanning News is registered with the National Library of Australia's PANDORA archive |
FEBRUARY 2023 | ||||||
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Readership: Up
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Free workshops will help RV owners to improve safety
CESSNOCK City Council, with the support of Transport for
NSW, will host two free workshops on safe caravan towing, with advice from
Get About Training Tow-Ed experts.
Interactive two-hour workshops will provide information and demonstrations
to support the safe loading and towing of caravans and trailers. Council
road safety officer Alison Shelton said questions would be
answered on
topics such as What is the GCM? Is the towing capacity of my
vehicle able to support my caravan? What are the rules for putting
bicycles on the back of my 'van? How do I know if my 'van
is loaded safely? She said it was important to
make sure you know how to load and weigh your caravan, and drive safely
whilst towing. "Overloaded and overweight 'vans can affect your insurance
cover so this is an opportunity to check you are safe on the roads before
you head out on your next adventure,"
she added. The workshops will be held at Cessnock PCYC on March 14.
Contact the council's road safety officer on 02 4993 4100
for more information. Proposal 'won't be a silver bullet' Council approves RV-living in backyards
CARAVAN owners on Queensland's
Fraser Coast will soon be allowed to officially use their RVs to
accommodate friends or family in their backyards.
Mildura officially
becomes
MILDURA in north-west Victoria is the
CMCA's 366th RV Friendly Town to meet guidelines ensuring enough services
to support caravanners, grey nomads and other travellers. These
services include appropriate parking within the town centre with access to
a general shopping area for groceries and fresh produce, and short-term
low-cost overnight parking for self-contained RVs. The question of
short-term parking has long been a thorn in the side of caravanners
wanting to stay awhile to use the local shops. In addition to being more
attractive to RV travellers, becoming an RV Friendly Town also means
inclusion on the CMCA's Club website, which is regularly visited by
travellers looking for suitable locations. Councillor Mark Eckel, who has
long campaigned for the region to become an RV Friendly location, has
welcomed the announcement, which comes just six months into the council's
five-year RV, Caravan and Camping strategy.
Challenging times, but . . . Caravan builders celebrate best sales since 1970s
AUSTRALIAN caravan
manufacturers chalked up their best sales since the 1970s, with 28,031 new
units being sold last year. Sales of locally-made caravans rose by
17.1 percent compared to the previous year, while Australians also upped
purchases of imports by 8.4 percent to 20,498, the Caravan Industry
Association of Australia said. Exports were up nearly 230 percent over the
period to 9568 units, the peak body for the caravanning and camping
industry said. Chief executive Stuart Lamont said Australia was renowned
for producing rugged products suited to its stunning yet unforgiving
terrain. "Our industry through COVID was able to pivot and mobilise during
challenging times, and now that labour and supply chain interruptions have
minimised we continue to see strong outputs," he said.
Gongs identify
Australia's 'best
TWENTY-ONE tourism
experiences have been named in the Grey Nomad Awards
as the best in Australia for visitors aged over 50.
Founded in 2018,
the Awards are said to be
the industry's largest to recognise excellence
and innovation in seniors tourism.
Heading the list was the
Charlotte Plains Outback Magic station stay in Outback Queensland.
The campground, where visitors can stay on a working sheep and cattle
station half the size of Singapore, was named the 'Best of the Best' after
being named the Gold Award winner of the Best Grey Nomad Farm or Station
Stay earlier in the presentations.
Couple's warning after dicing with death on narrow alpine road
ROUND-AUSTRALIA
"lucky to be alive" travellers Tammi Keirl and Jason Weller have
warned caravanners to avoid the alpine road through Kosciuszko
National Park. The couple thought they and their
two young children were going to die after taking a wrong turn
and at times being forced to inch their 21ft
caravan along a treacherous and narrow cliff
edge. They have posted videos
on Instagram outlining the
frightening experience and complaining
about the lack of warning signs at the
Victoria end of the road. "There was
nowhere to turn round," they said, adding
that at one point they had to move to the cliff edge to let another
car pass. "I swear I thought we would all
die," Tammie said.
Gold Coast caravan show promises to be best ever
THE Gold Coast's biggest caravanning event, which returns to the
Metricon Stadium next month, promises to be bigger and better than
ever before. The three-day Let's Go Gold Coast Caravan & Outdoor
Expo will open on March 10. With no signs of the spiking popularity in
the caravan and camping sector slowing down, more than 125 exhibitors
will showcase the latest and greatest caravans, camper trailers,
motorhomes, tent trailers, campervans, tow vehicles and accessories on
offer. "The expo is the ideal one-stop-shop to make all seasoned or
aspiring 'cara-fans' happy campers," says Caravanning Queensland.
Ahead of the Easter holidays, there will be plenty of information and
expert advice on offer to get people travelling with confidence or to
help take their outdoor adventures to the next level. Popular event
sessions include a weights and towing master classes, designed to
educate travellers on all things towing and road safety. 'Rock solid business'
GENTLE ANNIE
HITS THE MARKET
THE
70-year-old Gentle Annie caravan park on the King River at Whitfield
in Victoria is on the market. Agents SEEK Business says the 140-site
"rock solid business" would suit an energetic couple keen to reap the
rewards of hard work during the season ...
before resting over winter. "Growing strongly year to year with
millions being invested in the region, it's hard not to succeed,"
it says. "With generations returning
year after year, Gentle Annie has become an icon of the King Valley."
Support for upgrades and new facilities Caravan parks to receive $10m in Federal grants
Off-leash area for dogs at Apple Tree Creek rest area
QUEENSLAND'S
Rum City plans to provide an off-leash dog park at its Apple Tree
Creek rest area on the Bruce Highway.
The overnight facility north of Childers is popular with grey nomads
and will also offer new shelters. Divisional representative Cr Bill
Trevor said the design scope for the community park was also exploring
other ways to mitigate flood-damage in the future. ''This will include
functionally designed playground equipment of suitable materials that
still meet the modern expectations of outdoor play areas,'' he said. A
broad design for the rest stop upgrade is expected to
be completed later this month with Bundaberg Regional Council to take
ideas to the public for further consultation.
Witnesses urged to contact police Brazen thieves strike at camping area
Tourist hotspot New campground now available for travellers A NEW campground and upgraded facilities are now available at Lake Kepwari in WA. The site of a former open-cut mine 15km south-east of Collie has been transformed into a tourist hotspot, popular with both the locals and travellers to the region. It completes a $5.8 million transformation to lure tourists to the town which last year recorded more than 51,000 visitors. Upgrades consist of the new David Ugle Campground, increasing the total number of campsites from 32 to 53. There is also a new picnic area, improved pathway access, barbecue shelter and toilet facilities. The existing campground located on the eastern edge of the lake has been renamed to Mick Murray Campground. Shares soar in value Results reveal Camplify's stellar growth
By Dennis Amor SHARES
in NSW-based peer-to-peer caravan rental company Camplify are soaring
in value. The company has told shareholders that this follows
some "remarkable achievements", with stocks up an extraordinary 22.86
percent to $2.20. Camplify,
founded seven years ago, now helps over 10,000
caravan owners to share their
RVs. It
has declared gross transaction volumes of
$24.7 million for the quarter, a rise of almost 110 percent over the
previous corresponding quarter. Revenue came in at $6.6 million, which was
63.8 percent above the same quarter last year.
The company recorded $31.2 million in future bookings over the quarter, a
270 percent increase on last year’s numbers. Quarter revenue rose by 63.7
percent compared with the second quarter in last year's financial year.
The total revenue recorded was $6.59m (unaudited). "These results continue
Camplify's stellar growth performance," shareholders were told. CHL’s
Australian business saw "significant growth" on an already large base,
with revenue growing by 52.3 percent as Aussies continue to show strong
support for domestic holidays. |