CARAVANNING NEWS - June 2009 edition


LINKS	REST AREAS	CARAVAN MANUFACTURERS	OWNERS' FORUMS	FUEL PRICES	ED'S HOME PAGE
Queensland outback	Carnarvon Gorge	Moore Park Beach turtles	Sydney circular	Santa's trip	Formula One interlude	Imbil

Brisbane Weather Forecast, Australia

June 2009

BREAKING NEWS

JUNE 21: Two people rushed to hospital after caravan overturns at junction of Princes Hwy and Beachport-Penola road, South Australia.

JUNE 19: Two caravans and boat destroyed in early-morning blaze at Murchison Caravan Park, Victoria. Electrical fault suspected of starting fire.

JUNE 18: About 2000 protestors sign petition opposing changes at Torquay Foreshore Caravan Park in Victoria.

JUNE 16: Stamp duty on NSW caravan sales tipped to be abolished in state's budget .

JUNE 11: Caravanner seriously injured in pile-up on Bruce Highway near Innisfail, Queensland. Police say northbound vehicle veered onto wrong side of road into path of car towing caravan heading south. Car driver and caravanner taken to Innisfail Hospital.

JUNE 11: BIG4 celebrates $2 million milestone in online bookings – just nine months after its web-based reservations system was launched.

JUNE 9: Caravan overturns as driver attempts to overtake on Stuart Highway near Elliott in the NT. Couple in 60s escape unhurt. Caravan wrecked and ended up on roof.

JUNE 8: Former president of NSW's Caravan and Camping Industry Association Norton John Whitmont features in Queen's Birthday Honours. Awarded Medal of the Order of Australia for services to tourism.

JUNE 8: Man, 34, stabbed in chest after altercation at Coachstop Caravan Park, South Maitland, NSW. Woman helping police with inquiries.

JUNE 5: Caravanners treated for minor injuries after rig collides head-on with car on New England Hwy near Willow Tree, NSW. Car driver airlifted to Tamworth Hospital.

JUNE 5: Couple escape unharmed when their caravan involved in accident on Bruce Hwy near Buxton south of Childers, Queensland.

JUNE 4: Traveller, 66, cut free by firemen after campervan careers 100m down embankment on Burke Development Road near Petford in north Queensland. Airlifted to Cairns Base Hospital in critical condition. Police appeal for witnesses.

Film crew hurt in rollover

Mercy helicopter lands WA caravanners with a chance to socialise on outback highway

IT'S not everyday caravanners come across a huge helicopter blocking their way on a main highway. But that's exactly what happened to grey nomads, motorhomers and other travellers on the Brand Highway north of Perth in Western Australia. Round-Australia travellers Bruce and Joy Moir, from New South Wales, were heading to the quiet fishing village of Cervantes when their journey was interrupted by a "commotion" up ahead. "There was this large helicopter sitting right in the middle of the road," 78-year-old Bruce explained. "We were flagged down along with all the other caravans, motorhomes and trucks and told to wait until the helicopter finally took off. Smaller vehicles were being allowed under the stationary rotor blades but many of us were too high to squeeze under," he said. The chopper was waiting to airlift two injured members of a Japanese film crew, whose 4WD had rolled on a nearby gravel road, to hospital. Former yachtsman Bruce said travellers "socialised" for about an hour waiting for the helicopter to take-off .

Sales slump as super funds take battering

Fleetwood caravan production slashed

By DENNIS AMOR

PERTH-based Fleetwood Corporation, which last year enjoyed a record profit, has cut its caravan production by half.

Australia's second largest caravan manufacturer has been forced into the drastic move in the face of falling orders as prospective caravan buyers, particularly self-funded retirees, tighten their belts in the current economic climate which has battered superannuation funds.

Fleetwood managing director Bob McKinnon believes prospective new customers for its range of Coromal and Windsor caravans are delaying retirement or travel plans until the nation's financial situation improves.

PARK'S SECRET LOVE AFFAIR EXPOSED TO MILLIONS ON NATIONAL TELEVISION

A FURTIVE love affair at a coastal caravan park in Queensland has been exposed ... on national television. The love-struck couple thought their romantic tryst was safe at the Scarborough Holiday Village, but Channel 9 weatherman Steve Jacobs - and Caravanning News - were there to capture the moment when all was revealed to the nation.

Photo: DENNIS AMOR

Channel 9 weatherman Steve Jacobs with happy campers at Scarborough

Tourist smashes way out of blazing cabin
HOLIDAYMAKERS were roused from their beds in the early hours when fire broke out at a Sunshine Coast caravan park in Queensland. A sleepy 55-year-old man smashed his way out of a mobile home before it was engulfed in flames at the four-star Alex Beach Cabins and Tourist Park, Alexandra Headlands.

Caravan industry honours brave firefighters
VICTORIA'S grateful caravanning industry has said a big thank-you to brave firefighters who tackled the state's killer bushfires in February. More than 170 people died in the fires, including former Aussie Wide Caravans director Graham O'Shea and his family.

Park's controversial ballot plan angers regulars
A ROW has erupted over plans to introduce a new ballot process for allocating casual summer sites at a popular Victorian caravan park. The controversial scheme has angered regulars who claim they will be disadvantaged by not being able to rely on definite bookings, which they have enjoyed in previous years.

Inquiry continues during recess
MEMBERS of Western Australia's economics and industry committee will spend part of their winter recess in the state's south-west, Exmouth and Karratha as part of the inquiry into the provision, use and regulation of caravan parks and camping grounds.

Oakhurst assets under the hammer
CARAVANNERS beat a path to a Brisbane auction house to snap up bargains when assets from failed Geist importer Oakhurst International Caravans went on sale. AuctionsRus put an estimated $300,000 worth of top quality caravan components and accessories under the hammer at its Eagle Farm premises, with prices fetching between $2 and several thousand dollars.

Protestors win battle to preserve SeaChange sites
PLANS to cut the number of camping and caravan sites in a Victorian coastal area made famous by the popular SeaChange television series have been scrapped. The backflip came after protestors swamped the controlling body with complaints.

Repeat customers a park's 'greatest asset'
CARAVAN park operators in NSW have poured cold water on the notion that it is old-hat to rely on repeat visitors. "Your customer base is your greatest asset," one park boss told Caravanning News. He was commenting after a tourism meeting called for a fresh approach to attracting holidaymakers.

Perfect companions for off-road interlude
TWO new publications will benefit caravanners who fancy an exciting detour off the bitumen in their 4WDs. The Caravan and Camping Association estimates between 70,000-80,000 people are doing the round-Australia trip at any one time - so unhooking the caravan or camper trailer and heading off-road makes the perfect interlude.

Rain puts dampener on Charley's plan to meet caravanners

Charley Boorman and spitfire

THE worst weather to hit Australia's east coast in decades wrecked plans by adventurer and actor Charley Boorman to mingle with caravanners. Charley, who is travelling to Russia using as many types of transport as possible for his By Any Means 2 television and DVD series, asked Caravanning News if it could help him meet and mingle with a few grey nomads in the Brisbane area. Best friend of Hollywood actor Ewan McGregor and a co-star in their Long Way Round and Long Way Down motorcycle adventure series, he had planned to spend the night in a swag at the side of the road near the city before flying out of the small Watts Bridge airfield near Toogoolawah in a replica Spitfire. But he had a last-minute change of mind when he ran into high winds and torrential rain and the producer thought it would be more appropriate to stay in a caravan. But his request couldn't have come at a worst time as up to 700mm of rain swamped the region, forcing caravan parks to be evacuated and damaging many others. A spokesperson at the Newmarket Gardens Caravan Park near Brisbane city centre told Caravanning News they couldn't help because the park was under water and caravanners had moved out. And it was the same story at several other caravan parks contacted by Caravanning News. "It was a great pity because it would have been great for him to meet some keen caravanners," his disappointed agent told us. Charley's Spitfire "flight of fancy" took him to Maryborough from where he travelled by road to Cairns before heading to Papua New Guinea.

Jury out on question of kids-free parks
THE jury is out ... should there be child-free caravan parks or not. The thorny question has been raised on a popular web-based caravanners' forum and has attracted more than 1500 hits. And it seems members are divided on whether kids should be welcome at all parks.

Police probe early-morning caravan blaze
POLICE were investigating an early-morning blaze at a caravan park in the ACT. They were alerted when flames were spotted in a caravan at the Symonston park. Firemen prevented the outbreak from spreading to nearby caravans.

Changes at award-winning complex
THERE are changes afoot at the 135-acre award-winning Adelaide Shores tourism and recreation complex in South Australia. This follows last year's market research and strategic reviews which suggested new approaches to some aspects of the business.

Caravan industry forecasts bumper winter
QUEENSLAND'S caravan and camping industry predicts a bumper winter season as more travellers climb behind the wheel. Despite the economic gloom, touring holidays remain the most affordable and flexible option, particularly as petrol prices were up to 50c cheaper than a year ago, it says.

Decision expected soon on controversial new park plan
OPPONENTS of a proposed new caravan park near Brisbane should know this month whether they have won their battle to block the development. About 300 angry locals have urged Toowoomba Regional Council to refuse permission for the plan to go ahead.

Annual stick-up soon to be scrapped
WEST Australian caravanners will no longer have to display their registration stickers under new rules to be introduced next year. "The initiative will apply to caravans or trailers with a gross vehicle mass of less than 4.5 tonnes," Department for Planning and Infrastructure spokesman Kevin Tonkin told Caravanning News.

Nation's largest caravan show set to welcome visitors
AUSTRALIA'S largest caravan exhibition, the Queensland Caravan, Camping and Touring Holiday Show, will throw open its doors to visitors this month. About 300 exhibitors are expected to display the latest offerings for budget holidaymakers and road travellers during the show at Brisbane's RNA Showgrounds between June 3 and 9.

Ageing desert travellers pose a problem
GREY nomads are presenting planners with the dilemma on where best to locate health care services in Australia's desert regions. Researchers say the growing itinerant population needs more health care than other age groups in the remote areas.

DIY Craig builds his dream caravan
WHAT do you do when, after trawling numerous dealers, you can't find the caravan of your dreams? Well, if you're anything like Craig Young, you build it yourself! And that's exactly what the New South Wales father-of-two did.

Sex fiend who attacked girl in annex jailed for 27 years
SEX pervert Jeffrey Bavage, who assaulted a young girl as she slept in an annex at a popular Victorian caravan park, has been jailed for 27 years. A wave of fear swept over the Torquay Foreshore Caravan Park after the 47-year-old fiend crept into a caravan annex in the early hours and committed serious sex offences against the seven-year-old two years ago.

Clean-up continues after parks flooded
THE big clean-up was continuing at scores of caravan parks in northern NSW after wild weather turned many areas into vast inland seas. Angry and sodden caravanners at one park claimed they were not warned about an impending flood, a claim denied by the SES.

Adria reports 'excellent' results from show circuit
INTEREST in the imported range of European-built Adria caravans is booming, according to the company. It reports "excellent" results since the beginning of this year's Australian show circuit, exceeding expectations at the WA and Victorian shows, and particularly at the NSW show.

Caravanners happy as a lark over low point of their travels
MANY caravanners have reached a low point in their travels ... and they're delighted. Hordes of grey nomads and other travellers have navigated a course to Australia's famous Lake Eyre which is fast filling with water from Queensland's heavy rains. Local tourist operators report a visitor frenzy as thousands of people drink in the rare sight of the normally dry and arid salt plain filling with water and being transformed into a birdwaters' paradise. It has filled to capacity only three times in the last 150 years. Lake Eyre is the lowest point of Australia.

For stories from the last six editions of Caravanning News, click on the appropriate month:


May 2009	April 2009	March 2009	February 2009	January 2009	December 2008

Editor: Dennis Amor
PO Box 678
Caloundra
Queensland 4551
Australia
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Help needed with Viscount Nipper door

I OWN a Viscount Nipper and was looking for a rear door, which becomes a solid awning. I was wondering whether anyone could help.

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Call to overturn 'silly' rule which bans caravans

READING your story about new camping arrangements at Norval Park in the last edition of Caravanning News made my blood boil. You really have to wonder what planet the Bundaberg Regional Council is on when it chunters on about improving the area for grey nomads in their tents. When do you see these travellers using tents? They're more likely to be in caravans and motorhomes ... which have been banned from Norval Park. This silly ruling should be overturned so all travellers can enjoy the beauty of the area, not just people in tents and trailer tents.

Kelly Major,
Queensland

Stance could force nomads off the road

SHAME on Queensland Caravan Parks Association for opposing moves to introduce free overnight parking for grey nomads in Maryborough. With aged pensioners having to watch every cent these days, its attitude can only result in many of them being forced off the road, and this would ultimately mean fewer customers for caravan parks. The association should remember that occasional free overnight parking is the only thing that allows many financially stressed grey nomads to stay on the road. Come on Queensland Caravan Parks Association, soften up a bit.

Jeff Connolly
Victoria

WORLD BRIEFS

Massaging
a way to the top . . .

A CARAVAN park which offers a therapy room with relaxing massage has been voted England's top park. The 27-acre Hidden Valley Park in north Devon was awarded the Caravan Park of the Year title at VisitEngland's Enjoy England awards.

PROPOSED new laws will prohibit caravanners and motorhomers from overnighting in all public carparks in the state of Maine, USA. Travellers caught in "commercial" carparks, including those at Wal-Mart -- popular overnight stops for many recreational vehicles -- will face fines of up to $100.

NEW Zealand's Motor Caravan Association is predicting a membership of over 60,000 family groups by 2012. During the last 20 years, subscriptions have soared from just 1700 members to 38,000 family members.

CARAVANNERS claim they have been left out to dry by new rules at a British park. Campers at Sheerness Holiday Park on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent, have been banned from erecting washing lines because they have been deemed a "health and safety hazard".

OCCUPANCY rates for New Zealand's caravan parks and camping grounds plunged 24 percent in March compared with the same period last year, statistics have revealed.

TELEVISION's Top Gear host Richard Hammond, whose on-air antics have ended in the destruction of about 80 caravans, has produced a new book. A Short History of Caravans in the UK, which includes how to destroy them in interesting ways, is said to be selling like hot cakes.