Just as many Australians seem eager to explore the rest of the world way before they have fully explored their own country, some grey nomads are ‘guilty’ of heading off on some distant interstate adventure before they have got to know their own proverbial back yard.
After years of being constrained by work and family commitments the first instinct of many is to put as many kilometres as they can on the clock in search of the ‘other’ Australia. Those in the south head north, those in the north go south, those in the west head east, and those in the east can’t resist the lure of the west.
For many, it is just logical to explore further afield when you are younger and probably fitter … and while your lust for adventure is at its peak.
In Queensland, for example, the authorities are unhappy that more locals don’t travel in their home state, especially as the latest figures from Tourism Research Australia reveal that the number of Queenslanders heading to the state’s tropical north has dropped 14% in the past year.
Queensland Tourism Industry Council chief executive Daniel Gschwind has called on ‘locals’ to explore more of their own state, telling them that they would be pleasantly surprised by what they could find.
“It always amazes me that many well-travelled Queenslanders who have been all over the world have never been west of the Great Dividing Range or north of the Sunshine Coast,” he told the Brisbane Courier-Mail. “Queensland is such a big state with such variety and so much great unexplored territory, at least from a tourist view point.”
The new data didn’t contain all bad news, though. Queensland’s Outback areas has seen a 13% lift in the number of ‘domestic’ tourists.
The Courier-Mail says the Outback contains some of Queensland’s bucket list tourism essentials, including the Birdsville Races, the Stockman’s Hall of Fame in Longreach and Barcaldine’s historic Tree of Knowledge, the spiritual birthplace of the Australian Labor Party. And the Big Red Bash enjoyed its biggest crowd ever, pouring millions of dollars into the economy of towns on the inland tourist trail.
· Have you explored other states before fully exploring your own? Why? Comment below.
There is only a small area of our state we have yet to see and we have left it for smaller trips in our time at home during the summer months.
We travelled through Queensland while on our “Round the Block” trip 7 years ago, after experiencing many of the back country roads, it’s no wonder the locals would rather travel to other States, Our song, which we repeated many times in QLD was ” QUEENSLAND FIX YOUR ROADS”
Yes Jim, we travel extensively & find Qld roads north of Maryborough appalling. We live 2 hrs north of Brisbane & now travel to southern states owing to major repairs to our rig each time we travelled north or west. Give us decent roads in Qld & we will spend our money there. It’s simple, look after the Grey Nomads & we’ll travel in Qld
With the price of most van parks getting beyond a joke when all most want is a piece of grasss/slab, water, power and Ablutions.
Alright for the well off families but the lower wage bracket find it unaffordable.
We ourselvesas Pensioners will not pay anymore than $36/night and that’s only when we need to have medical checks or attention in near a town or city. As we did last year at Midlands Caravan park, Perth for 8 weeks after a our Assault in Carnarvon.
Ingrid & I have spent 20 Years travelling and touring beautiful Tassie now we are beginning to Explore the strange land to the North. Tassie is beautiful and yes you must visit the Huon Jet Boat. But new sights are calling and we will answer the call.
Yes Tasmania is a beautiful place on a lovely summers day. I come home for the “summer” but I’m afraid after living all my life there winter in NQ is where I prefer.
I don’t agree with seeing Australia first, I traveled Europe with my wife on a few occasions, and now thinking back on all the walking, climbing and sight seeing, towers, mountains and city’s, I am happy to sit in the car, tow the van and relax at my destination, with the occasional bush walk. (short )thrown in. Albert