The Nomad … news, views, comment, opinion

March 15 (cont'd from front page)

a big attraction for travellers. By the time a sheet of water covers the salt pan of Lake Eyre in May, the flow of travellers heading to the lake and south from there will be strong and constant.
Wentworth is a town just along the Murray River from Mildura. It's at the junction of the Murray and Darling rivers. The Melbourne Age newspaper spoke to grey nomads at the Willow Bend Caravan Park, just off the junction, about their delight at seeing the dirty milk colour of the Darling pouring into the clear water of the Murray.
Adelaide couple Ian and Olive Weinert were so excited by the rains that they drove to Wentworth to set up their caravan.
“'The old Darling is usually a stagnant bloody pond,'' Mr Weinert said. ''Now the water's really running. We're staying for three months.”
Mr Weinert goes fishing in the Darling, but he said his main enjoyment was just watching the water flow. ''It's like sitting in Melbourne and watching a tram go past,'' he said.
While the Darling is up, it's apparently not because of last weekend's rain.
Late last month, the water from the floods in southern Queensland over the new-year period arrived in Lake Menindee. A large allotment was allowed into the lower Darling, which explains the surging of the river into the Murray in recent weeks.
In coming weeks, the water from last weekend's rains in southern Queensland will make its way into Lake Menindee. An enormous body of water will be allowed to flow from the lake into the lower Darling, enabling the river to rise to levels to rival the great flood of 1976.
According to the Age, in coming weeks and months, the surge of traffic along the roads to Wentworth and beyond will be like a river gathering speed.
See you there!

March 12

Full Steam Ahead
As the economic impact of grey nomads finally begins to earn the recognition it deserves, so the number of grey nomad targeted attractions and events begins to grow.
The latest case in point is the four day Ultimate Steam Festival to be held in Gympie during April 2010.
“Test marketing has shown that the event will also attract large numbers of ‘Grey Nomads’ touring the country,” said Amanda LePeilbet, Gympie Cooloola Tourism’s General Manager.  “It is estimated that some 250,000 caravans and mobile homes will be touring around Australia in 2010 and this festival is a great opportunity for the Gympie region to capture some of this market as many of them head north for winter.”
So, what’s on offer for us, Amanda?
Well, apparently visitors will experience a full range of heritage steam working across a range of industries. The highlights of the festival will include rides on the unique ‘Mary Anne” full size replica of an 1873 timber line steam engine.  Watch the huge 1899 working steam winding engine, combined with a steam powered compressor, used to power jackhammers and rock drill in the mine and steam powered electric generator.  Woodworks Museum activities will include a mobile saw milling competition and traditional handtool demonstrations, while the Rattler will run two return trips each day to Amamoor, 23 km down the old Mary Valley branchline.
The event is the combined effort of three heritage attractions – the ‘Valley Rattler’ steam engine adventure trip, the Gympie Gold Mining and Historical Museum and the Woodworks Forestry and Timber Museum. Although the concept has been discussed before, this is the first time visitors will be able to experience the three attractions focussing on a common theme. It is hoped that the event will put the spotlight on the Gympie region and attract lots of grey nomads.
Sounds great. So, for all of you steam buffs – and for those of you just into history – Gympie is the place to be this April.

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March 11

Aussies Shop, Others Drop
Crisis, what crisis? According to media reports this week, while most countries were hunkering down to survive the ravages of the global financial meltdown, Australians were merrily spending their way through the hard times ... and domestic travel was high on their priority list.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, in the past 12 months, spending on boats, caravans and bikes went up nearly 40 per cent, spending on sporting and recreational services went up nearly 17 per cent and spending on housekeepers and gardeners went up more than 10 per cent.
For all of you out there on the open road, news that caravan purchases are on the up and up will come as no surprise ...but the experts were gobsmacked.
In all, last year Australians spent $5 billion in the boat, bike and caravan category, up from $3.5 billion the year before.
CommSec's chief economist Craig James, who broke down the figures, told the Daily Telegraph that Australians had been able to shine a light through all the global gloom because of several factors.
These were the government stimulus packages, the fact that interest rates were at their lowest in 49 years, retailers trimming their margins like never before because they feared shoppers would walk on by rather than through the door, and petrol being so much cheaper, down 15.8 per cent down over the year.
So, how did you react to the doomsayers’ predictions of economic disaster and tumbling super expectations? Did you turn to your trusty tent for Big Lap accommodation or did you cheer yourself up with a $500,000 super-dooper luxury motorhome … and to hell with the bank manager! Email us here to confess your spendthrift ways.

March 10

The Campaign gets Dirty
Well, the amazing amounts of rain falling in many Outback areas is likely to have a number of knock-on effects … and not just for the farmers.
Earlier this week, we reported that the deluge will almost certainly result in far greater numbers of grey nomads than usual venturing out there to enjoy the soon-to-be abundant wildflowers and birdlife. And that fact alone could also mean an upgrade for many dirt roads.
In South Australia, the Opposition is promising a road gang will be introduced to maintain and repair dirt roads in the far north of South Australia if it wins the March 20 poll. Liberal leader Isobel Redmond says she would immediately start addressing a backlog of road maintenance around the state.
"With the water coming into Lake Eyre we're anticipating quite a significant number of increased tourism numbers and we think it's important to get that under way,” she said. “It's not just a matter of comfort, it can be quite dangerous for people if they're out in areas they're not familiar with and they come to grief on roads out there."
Ain’t that’s the truth, Izzy!
And Ms Redmond says it’s definitely not just local pastoralists who have told her of the need for regular maintenance of remote dirt roads.
"Grey nomads and tourists from interstate and overseas get themselves into very great difficulty because of the failure of maintenance on those outback roads," she said. "We will commit $3 million to establish one road gang and the equipment to do proper upkeep on the roads.”
When it comes to good news, I guess it never rains but it pours.
Hopefully, the issue becomes a bit of a political football in the lead-up to the election and the South Australian Government also commits to more major dirt road upgrades.
Or do you feel that that is not necessarily a desirable outcome? Are there some of you adventurers out there who prefer your roads rocky and your trips challenging? Do you worry that better roads might mean more people and less adventure? Email us here with your thoughts.

March 9

Gone with the Wind
It is with great regret that I bring you news of treachery in the ranks, my fellow travellers. Whereas, once it was an established fact that every self-respecting, hard-working Aussie dreamed of retirement and the opportunity to hitch up the van to take off into the wild brown yonder …now it seems that an increasing number of our mature-aged comrades are spurning the opportunity to enjoy endless sunsets and happy hour drinks … in order to work longer!
And there are those among us who are encouraging others to do the same! Grave news indeed. What will become of the proud grey nomad tradition if we all decide that swimming, fishing, hiking and hanging out near the van is not as much fun as slaving away in the office or painting an ablution block? A civilisation gone with the wind, that’s what.
The latest evidence of this alarming new trend comes from the New South Wales town of Lismore where a new job agency has been set up specifically for seniors on the state’s north coast.
The man behind the scheme, Lismore-retiree, Art Beavis, said he established his agency, Silver Temp, in November and already 50 retirees have signed with him seeking work. That’s 50 less potential grey nomads, people! Things could soon get lonely out there on the road!
Mr Beavis told the Northern Star newspaper that too often when employers needed extra staff they opted to put on a junior because they could not afford an experienced person. Instead he wants them to consider hiring an older person on a part-time basis.
“These people are going to give you a better day’s work for a better day’s pay because they are really interested in being there,” he said. “Someone even told me that retirement was boring them to tears.”
He says that while the global financial downturn has seen many retirees’ super funds shrink, most of his clients want to work because it kept them busy and social.
What about driving around the country meeting countless new and interesting people every day. Isn’t that being busy and social?
So, what do you think? Does this new ‘work for as long as you can’ trend pose a threat to the grey nomad way of life? How can we combat it? Email us your thoughts here.

March 8

A Silver Lining
The huge amounts of rain that have been dumped on western Queensland over the past few weeks is expected to bring grey nomads flocking to the area in record numbers.
After the floodwaters have receded, the normally dry landscape of the state’s harsh interior will be transformed and yellow, pink and blue wildflowers will spring up everywhere. Along with the flowers will come the birds, and tourism chiefs are already getting excited.
Indeed, it seems that areas such as Diamantina Shire in far south-western Queensland are more than willing to deal with a bit of flood-induced isolation for the spectacular end result.
"For now the towns are coping very well ... and the silver lining goes two ways out here,” said shire council tourism and development manager Brian Mooney. “The cattle industry and all the stations are really happy about this rain and so is the tourism industry."
He says that although the rains will delay the tourism season opening by two or three weeks, visitors will start flowing through by Easter. Visitor numbers to Diamantina Shire, which incorporates the towns of Birdsville and Bedourie, reached 120,000 last year, and even more visitors are expected due to the mammoth downpour.
"It changes the landscape completely,” he told the ABC. “We also get all the other bird life which comes with it … they're nesting in all the trees - it's marvellous to see.
The shire also has one of the biggest pelican-breeding areas in the world once big rains come.
And, of course, the prospect of Lake Eyre once again filling up with water has those involved in the rourism industry licking their lips.
"Lake Eyre is really a big drawing card to the desert," Birdsville Hotel Manager Kate McDonald said. "We're hoping to see a lot more tourists come through. We're getting lots of inquires as what we think will happen with Lake Eyre now."
The regional coordinator for natural resource management group Desert Channels Queensland, Steve Wilson, is optimistic Lake Eyre will see water again.
"Lake Eyre is Australia's natural bathtub and the water gravitates there being an internal draining system." he said. "It's a special part of the world to be in the dry times, but now that it's green and lush and looking like the Scottish Highlands, it's looking pretty amazing."
Will you change your travel plans to ensure you are in the region to see Lake Eyre with water, or to check out the post-flood wildflowers? Or, if you have seen the phenomenon in the past, would you recommend others make the effort? Email us here.

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March 5

A Narrow Margin
There’s more than one way grey nomads can get into trouble on a bridge, it seems. Just a couple of days after reporting on a potentially hazardous low bridge in Melbourne which can catch out travellers en route to the Tasmania ferry, our attention has now been drawn to the dangers of narrow bridges.
These dangers were highlighted by caravanning couple Rob and Heather Shields earlier this week when they got into a scrape on the New England Highway in Queensland that could have been a lot worse.
The pair were towing their caravan south along the highway when they found themselves on a single-lane bridge at Bum Bum Creek, 25km north of Crows Nest, with four motorcycles coming towards them from the opposite direction. Despite there being a ‘Give Way’ sign on the southern end of the bridge, the four motorcycles and the Shields’ car and caravan were caught in a potentially deadly situation.
According to a report in the Toowoomba Chronicle, a female rider’s motorcycle clipped the caravan, causing her to fall from her bike. It is believed she sustained a serious leg injury and was taken to Toowoomba Hospital in a stable condition.
Mr and Mrs Shields were on their way from their home at Burrum Heads on the Sunshine Coast to a caravan rally at Lakes Entrance in Victoria.
But their plans have now changed.
“We’re alright, that’s the main thing,” said Mrs Shields, who was celebrating her 65 th birthday on the day of the accident. “But I think now we’ll find a caravan park in Toowoomba and have a lie down.”
Mrs Shields said she had been caravanning for 40 years with her husband and they had never been involved in a traffic crash.
“But I guess it’s just the law of averages really,” she said. “You go out on the roads and you take your life into your own hands.”
Sad but possibly true! Have you had any bad experiences on narrow bridges? Are there enough warning to prevent accidents like the one involving the Shields? Email your views here.

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March 3

A Bridge Too Low
Grey nomads are being urged to avoid a frighteningly low bridge as they navigate their way through Melbourne to the ‘Spirit of Tasmania’ ferry.
Warnings about the bridge at Montague Street, which has clearance of just under three metres, have already appeared on our forum pages and elsewhere … but still people are running into grief.
Only a pop-top campervan is capable of getting safely under this bridge, meaning other vans, motorhomes and fifth wheelers are going to find themselves stuck … or worse ... unless they take evasive action.
Sensors which activate flashing red strobe are now in place at the bridge but larger vehicles continue to run into trouble there … a situation not helped by the fact that many GPS systems reportedly still insist on trying to take all traffic this way to the ferry despite the hazard.
The advice being given out by organisations such as the CMCA  for grey nomads travelling in  large rigs is that, once they have come off the Westgate Freeway, they should take the Montague Street exit and travel along to the Normansby Road intersection, where they should turn right. Most travellers come unstuck when they carry on down Montague Street instead of turning down Normansby Road here.
Ferry hunters should then travel along Normansby Road, turn left into Ingles St and across the railway crossing, then right into Crockford Street, down Bay Street to Beach Street and onto the ferry. Simple, isn’t it? And you don’t get to give your rig a haircut! Good luck.
Are there any other low bridges that grey nomads in large rigs should be aware of? And how useful or otherwise are GPS systems on the Big Lap? Email us here to share.

March 2

Watered Down
While grey nomads on the east coast were bracing themselves for the tsunami that never quite materialised, their landlocked comrades in Central Australia were getting a right old soaking from a deluge that did.
More than 300 millimetres of rain has fallen in Alice Springs in a week … more than the entire annual average rainfall!
At last check, the Todd River was receding but many causeways connecting the town's east and west remained closed. Thankfully, there have been no other deaths since a 43-year-old man was swept away in the normally dry Todd River on Friday night.
All sealed roads remain open but other main roads, including the Tanami, Plenty and Sandover highways were partially under water. If you are in that part of the world, please make sure that you check road conditions before setting off on your journey. Authorities say several motorists have been caught out and stranded by floodwaters.
Superintendent Sean Parnell said that while drivers had become stuck at places like Santa Teresa Road and the magnificent Larapinta Drive, all those that they knew about had food and water and were just waiting until the roads became more passable to get out.
Even passengers on the Ghan train have been left stranded in Alice Springs because a section of its railway track has been washed away by flood waters.
Mark Kersemakers from the Bureau of Meteorology says the low pressure system responsible for the wet conditions has now moved into south western Queensland but had certainly dumped plenty of rain in Alice Springs.
As we all know, Mother Nature is an unpredictable beast. Whether it be floods, drought, bushfire or, heaven forbid, tsunamis, we are all vulnerable to her moods and thus we all share a responsibility to take as much care as we can. Adventure is part of the deal … being reckless isn’t.
Have you been caught out by the monsoonal conditions in Central Australia? Email us here to share your story.

March 1

Tsunami Threat Dissolves
The tsunami threat triggered by the massive earthquake in Chile on the weekend must have caused a few anxious moments for those of you camped in beach areas along the east coast.
In the end, of course, the massive waves that had been feared never materialised and there were no reports of damage or flooding in Australia.
Indeed, it seems that most people were never actually that panicked by reports of a tsunami racing across the Pacific Ocean at nearly 700km/h. Despite sirens being sounded, lifesavers warning people off beaches, and lifesaving activities being cancelled, many people flocked to the coast to see the action. Boats took to the water, crowds gathered at the foreshores and all to see waves a few centimetres higher than normal lap onto the beaches. And, from what we can gather, the grey nomads stayed put at the coastal camping areas throughout it all. 
Nonetheless, the warning was justified. Surges in sea levels were recorded in many areas. The Gold Coast saw a 20cm increase in sea levels. In Tasmania, Southport and Darlington there was a 17cm increase. Port Kembla, south of Sydney, recorded a 14cm increase, and Norfolk Island recorded a 50cm surge.
But the whole experience just goes to show just how little we understand about tsunami behaviour and that should make us more cautious ... not less.
The co-director of the Joint Australia Tsunami Watch Centre, Chris Ryan, said beachgoers would not have seen the ‘big wave’ associated with many tsunamis, but the effect would be felt at a ‘marine level’.
"Tsunami waves have a much longer range and have a large force of water behind them. They may look like normal-sized waves but their impact on sea currents can be quite significant," Mr Ryan said. "It could put people who are close to the water's edge at great risk, knocking them over and sending some waves pushing higher up the beach."
With all the publicity being given to the tsunami that never was, it is easy to forget that the real tragedy is in Chile where the earthquake measuring 8.8 on the Richter scale  caused widespread destruction, with the death toll climbing towards 1000.
And as for tsunamis in Australia. As NSW Premier Kristina Keneally rightly said people should have obeyed the warnings.
"Next time, they may not be so lucky," she said.
Were you affected by the tsumani warnings? Did you stay put in your coastal camping spot or retreat to higher ground? What warnings were you given about the potential threat? Did we take the threat seriously enough? Email us here.

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February 25

Gunning It
Thankfully, crime in Australia is not as big a problem as it is in countries like the United States. And it is that relative feeling of security which enables us all to enjoy our grey nomad adventures with reasonable peace of mind … even when we are camping alone in remote areas.
The tradition of gun carrying is also nowhere as entrenched in our society as it is in America’s so the national park firearm ban in place here is not an issue to most people. Over in the States it is a different story of course and a new federal law has just come into force that will now allow visitors to national parks to carry guns.
Passed as part of the Credit Card Act of 2009, the new law means a person with a permit for a concealed weapon is allowed to carry firearms if the state where the park or refuge is located allows it, as say a state like California does.
Incidentally, in 2008, there were a total of five murders and 24 rapes committed in US national parks. It sounds bad … and it is. But, apparently, there were 275 million visitors to US national parks that year making them - statistically at least - among the safest places to be in America!
I wonder if knowing that your camping neighbour could be carrying a gun would add to your feeling of security … or detract from it. I guess it depends to a large extent on who your neighbours are!
The change in the US also raises the question of how many people still do carry guns when they are travelling here in Australia … regardless of any rules prohibiting it. Certainly, there was a case two or three years ago where a man camping in Cape York was able to save his mother from a crocodile attack by producing a hand gun and shooting it. He obviously travelled with a gun. And there are no doubt many others who do the same … just in case!
What are your views on grey nomads who travel with guns? Have you met many who do so? Should it be allowed to carry guns in national parks here? Email us here with your views.
Incidentally in America there is still some uncertainty over exactly what the new law allows and doesn’t allow.
“We have been working closely with local, state and federal officials to ensure that we clearly understand the provisions of the laws that will now apply to our visitors when they are in the park,” said Don Neubacher, the superintendent at Point Reyes National Seashore. “We encourage every visitor who may wish to bring firearms to the park to do their research ahead of time and ensure that they are aware of and abide by the laws that apply.”

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February 24

Thieves Seize Van
Every now and again, we all need a reminder that security should always be front and foremost in our thoughts. It is all too easy after weeks, months or years on the road without incident to be lulled into a false sense of security.
The facts are that there could well be thieves about wherever you happen to be and that one unguarded moment or the one time you forget to lock up properly or secure your items is when they will strike.
Sometimes, though there is not a lot you can do. As our rigs get more luxurious and more expensive, their desirability to ne’er do wells obviously increases too. And they can be pretty brazen.
A case in point is the theft of an $85,000 caravan from outside a South Guildford home near Perth yesterday. The owners were reportedly woken at 3.50am by the sound of their 2008 model Supreme Territory caravan being towed away.
The caravan, registration number 1TKH477, had been parked on the verge when thieves cut through a padlock which had been used to secure the towing hitch before coupling the caravan to their vehicle.
Police said it was the second caravan to be stolen in Perth's eastern suburbs during the past 10 days.
A nine-metre version of the same caravan was stolen from Advent Park in Maida Vale on February 10 in similar circumstances.
"I strongly urge all caravan owners to consider upgrading their van security as a matter of urgency,” Sergeant Garry Tuffin said.
Food for thought, isn’t it? It is terrible to hear of fellow travel lovers suffering a blow such as this but if any good can come of it, perhaps it is that it increases our awareness of the risks and will help us guard against complacency.
Have you suffered any security problems on your travels? Do you have any good security tips to share with fellow grey nomads. Email us here to share.

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February 23

Long Range Plans
Well it seems like the unofficial capital of the Outback, Longreach in Queensland, is going from strength to strength.
The Stockmans Hall of Fame now wants to build a multi-million dollar entertainment centre capable of attracting world-class horse events.
Chairman David Brook says the venue could also be used by local groups for rodeos, pony clubs and the town's annual show.
"We'd be looking to make this facility into something that could host major events, maybe the World Cup of Polocrosse or campdrafting or whatever," he says. "It would only be really worthwhile doing if it could be a significant facility of world-class that could host a crowd of 3000, perhaps initially."
Great stuff. And it certainly will add to the town’s already long list of attractions. No wonder, Longreach is one of the first names pencilled in on many ‘Grey Nomads’ Big Lap itineraries.
However, as the place grows and thrives, it does raise the question … when does an Outback town cease to become an Outback town and instead become a teeming metropolis?

February 22

Outback Woes
It’s always sad to hear about part of our Ouback heritage dying out … but it seems a Birdsville institution could be about to close its doors.
As many of you have no doubt discovered, the iconic Queesnland town has more than its fair share of genuine characters and quirky attractions.
The Birdsville Working Museum is a case in point. Run by owner John Menzies, for the past 16 years the museum has been showcasing rural machinery, harness-making equipment, toys and household goods dating back to the 1850s.
However, age and health issues have caught up with John, who has been collecting and restoring for more than two decades, and he says he now has to sell his beloved museum.
Of course, he desperately wants his amazing collection to stay together in Birdsville …. but that doesn’t look like it is going to happen.
“I always thought someone would take it on and carry on but it just didn't seem to work out that way, no-one seems to want to do a lot out here," he told the ABC. "There have been people wanting to buy sections to take them away to different places but that’s not what I wanted … I was hoping it would stay here.”
Have you been to John’s museum? What do you think about it possibly closing down? Have you heard of other special places that you have enjoyed on previous trips closing their doors? Is it just a sign of the times? Email us here to share your views.

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February 19

Rabbiting On
It’s not just the roving herds of camels causing havoc in the Outback this year. Many of you will have noticed the massive numbers of rabbits out rummaging for food.
Graziers in parts of western Queensland says rabbit numbers are the biggest they have seen in more than a decade, causing widespread environmental damage.
Henning Kath, from Mount Leonard Station near Beetoota in the state's south-west corner, told the ABC that large numbers of the pest are burrowing into dam walls and destroying pasture.
Mr Kath says calici virus nearly killed off the rabbit population in the late 1990s, but the subsequent drought did not stop the numbers from building up again.
"I reckon they're almost as thick as they were before calici came out and more or less wiped them out," he said. "But they must live on the smell of an oily rag, I suppose. You get bits of rain, plenty of extended dry periods, but it doesn't seem to pull them up very much, they just burrow in and wait for a bit of rain to come along."
Rabbit researcher Glenn Saunders from the New South Wales Invasive Animals CRC says scientists are working on a new biological control.
"What we are going to do over the next three years is look at testing and importing new strains of calici virus into Australia as a replacement for the existing strain," he said.
He says up to 10 different strains will be tested to find the most effective control.
Rabbits are one of Australia’s major agricultural animal pests costing between $600 million and $1 billion annually.
The pest also causes significant environmental damage by destroying native vegetation that normally feeds or shelters native animals and provides protection from soil erosion.
Have any of you noticed, or been affected, by the large numbers of rabbits in the Outback this year? Email us here.

February 16

The Roads less Upgraded
I guess it’s no surprise that the Northern Territory’s Cattlemen's Association is demanding the upgrading of Outback roads. After all, it’s very much in their interests to have access to rural areas improved … particularly at this time of the year.
Indeed, it is not uncommon for more than 50 per cent of the rural road network to experience closures, restrictions, blockages or impeded access and movement.
“When you consider that the rural road network makes up 99 per cent of the NT road network, this is a massive impediment to Territorians’ ability to conduct their business and go about their daily lives,” the Cattlemen’s Association’s Executive Director Luke Bowen said. And don’t forget about us poor old adventure loving grey nomads, Luke.
“This does not only affect the pastoral industry,” he continues. “The rural road network is the lifeblood of rural indigenous communities, the tourism industry and mining sector as well.” Fair play. As if he would overlook us!
It’s amazing to learn though that only 24 per cent of the entire NT rural road network is sealed, leaving 76 per cent dirt and therefore frequently impassable for the entire Wet season or after rainfall.
Mr Bowen says the Association will continue to work with the NT Government to lobby the Federal Government for Infrastructure Australia funding to seal and upgrade more roads in the secondary network, despite the NT being overlooked in last year’s round of grants.
“The NT Government is working with the resources it has but we need the Federal Government to come to the party on this,” he said.
And how!
According to the Northern Territory News, the cost of bitumenising 4500km of NT dirt roads would be about $2 billion. In actual fact, that’s exactly the entire budget of Infrastructure Australia but, apparently, not a "brass razoo" has come the way of NT roads so far.
“Infrastructure Australia is supposed to be about supporting projects of national significance - projects that will set up our nation to face the challenges of an increasingly competitive world,” thunders the NT News. “Surely getting our beef and minerals to market falls under that category.”
Good point … but there are other areas that could do with some of the cash as well. As some of you soaking souls out there might know many outback communities in South Australia have had some of their best rain in a decade. And roads are closing.
According to Innamincka resident John Osborne most roads and airstrips leading to the settlement are closed and trucks have already been stuck there for about three weeks.
He says water is about to flow down the Strzelecki Creek for the first time since the early 1990s.
So is it time for the Federal Government to splash the cash and bitumenise some of these more remote tracks? Would it encourage you to get the van or motorhome further afield? Email us here with your views.

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February 15

Welcome to the Space Age
Caravanning or motorhoming becoming a bit ho-hum? Endless sunsets, sensational scenery, amazing camaraderie not enough for you any more? Are you looking for something a little different to put some extra pizzazz into your Big Lap adventure?
Well, a pair of Austrian designers have come up with a revolutionary camper trailer design that will certainly turn heads as you pull up at your next van park. In fact, judging by the reaction so far to the Mehrzeller, you may have to sell tickets to let people have a look around.
From the outside, the van looks like a polygonal puzzle but inside it looks positively space age … in a very positive and comfortable way. In fact, its luxurious looking interior (complete with HD TV, full kitchen, etc)  will have most veteran grey nomads positively drooling. There is certainly a jumble-of-angles theme going on with random outcroppings, nooks and wall angles making the Mehrzeller feel like something out of a space age movie.
Designers, Christian Freissling and Theresa Kalteis, came up with the Mehrzeller while at the Graz University of Technology as an example of mass customisation. Their word for it is ‘multicellular’.
Buyers would use an online tool — The Configurator — to assemble predesigned pieces, or cells, until they have the look and features they want.
And though the Mehrzeller is just a concept now, its site, www.mehrzeller.com, lists about 40 ‘partners’,  including BMW and 3M. Whether those partners are laying down cash is an open question.
What do you think guys? If you won the Lottery, could you see yourself in one of the honeycombmobiles? Email us here to let us know what you think.

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February 12

Coming Unhitched
Some unkind motorists are fond of saying that the poor old grey nomads should get towing lessons before taking to the open road with a van ... well perhaps the same should apply to would-be thieves.
Apparently, the chancer who tried to make off with a luxury caravan from a yard in Melbourne's southeast lost the luxury vehicle on a sweeping bend while being chased by police.
News Media reports the $65,000 caravan hit a bump, left the road and ended up in wetlands, while the thief sped off. A witness told police the thief had cut through the wire fence of the caravan yard on Springvale Road, Springvale South, in the middle of the night.
"It's alleged the offender hooked up the caravan to his vehicle, believed to be a four-wheel drive and drove out of the gates, making off with the caravan," a police spokeswoman told News Media.
The caravan is an Olympic Seaview model valued at $65,000.
Police were alerted and caught up with the caravan on Gladesville Boulevard in Patterson Lakes and began a short pursuit about 2am.
"The pursuit ended when the caravan broke away from the offender's vehicle on Wells Road, Seaford," the spokeswoman said. "The caravan hit a speed bump on a sweeping bend and ran off the road into wetlands."
The 4WD was last seen travelling south on Francis Street.
No news on the state of the van, though.
Police urge anyone with information to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

February 11

An Exciting Expedition
What is it they say about mad dogs and Englishmen? Keep an eye out on your travels for two British adventurers who are attempting to follow in the footsteps of Burke and Wills in a trek across the Outback.
Former double Olympic rowing champion James Cracknell and TV presenter Ben Fogle plan to set out in October on a walk of more than 6000km from Melbourne to the Gulf of Carpentaria and back.
The pair have apparently already rowed across the Atlantic and competed in a foot race to the South Pole.
Fogle, who hosts the reality TV show Extreme Dreams, told Britain's The Daily Telegraph: "After water and ice we wanted to go somewhere hot. It's the one big environment that we haven't tested."
Robert O'Hara Burke and William Wills set out on their epic journey in August 1860.
They completed the south-north leg, but died during their return.
Like Burke and Wills, the Britons will use camels to carry supplies.
Cracknell said there was "no justification" for launching the expedition, which they are funding themselves while hoping for sponsorship.
"It is just a brilliant place to go, and a brilliant story," he said.
We’ll keep you posted.

February 10

RFDS - Above Blame?
While the vast majority of us (thankfully) will never need its help, it is great to know that the Royal Flying Doctor Service is standing by as we venture into remote, wild and incredibly beautiful country.
There is no doubt that the RFDS performs an incredible job saving lives in often close to impossible conditions. However, it is interesting to note that they apparently don’t always get it right. Residents of tiny William Creek on the Oodnadatta Track, have recently accused the RFDS of putting a man's life at risk by delaying its response to a car accident.
According to a report in the Australian newspaper, the accident occurred back in November last year when a contractor's car rolled over at about 10pm on a stretch of road three kilometres out of the town.
"We thought it was life-threatening because his scalp had been cut all the way around and it looked like he was bleeding from the mouth, the eyes and the nose," said local charter pilot Trevor Wright, who rang 000. “In no uncertain terms I said it was a life-threatening situation."
The call was patched through to police in Port Augusta, 520km away, who then contacted the service. RFDS records show its plane landed at William Creek at 1.45am. Mr Wright has accused the service of unnecessary delay, saying it would have been faster to call an ambulance by road from Coober Pedy, 166km away, than wait for a plane from Port Augusta.
"They should have been there within two hours," he said.
An RFDS spokesman denied its response had been delayed, but said there had been a 30-minute wait on the ground while a doctor tried to reach Mr Wright by phone to confirm the accident's severity.
God bless the RFDS and the amazing work they do. It is an expensive and sometimes dangerous service to operate. And running it is probably a logistical nightmare. Of course, we support them and we are immensely grateful to them. But we also trust them, and ... should the need ever arise ... we expect them to be there for us. After all, our lives may literally be in their hands.
Given the difficulties involved in running the service should the RFDS be above criticism or have we right to expect certain levels of performance? Email us here to share your views.

February 9

The Roads to Ruin?
Kangaroo Island is an unbelievable spot with some incredible scenery and wildlife ... well worth the cost of getting over there according to the thousands of grey nomads who put it on their Big Lap itinerary.
Well, as you do your on-the-road sums you may just have to add a few more dollars to the Kangaroo Island expenditure column if a new dirt road levy proposal gets up. Apparently, there’s a bit of a funding crisis on the island and without some extra money coming in ... some of the deteriorating dirt roads could have to close.
Apparently, the thinking is that it is the multitude of visitors to the island who are using the roads so they should pay for them ... not much thought about the millions those same visitors pour into the local economy each year.
Australia's third largest island is located 110 kilometres southwest of Adelaide and has a permanent population of 4000. However, the growing numbers of tourists - up six per cent to 185,000 last year - has worsened a deteriorating network of mainly dirt roads.
 According to a report in the Sydney Morning Herald, an asset management report has mooted a $10 levy for adult visitors to the island as a way of finding the cash to fix the roads.
"Our biggest complaint from tourists at the moment is roads,” said the island's mayor, Jayne Bates.  "This is just about maintaining our dirt roads which are worn out and still need good maintenance. There is nothing wrong with a good dirt road and that is what we still have. There wouldn't be lots of black tar laid all over the place, that is beyond us."
An impact study conducted after the asset management report found a $10 levy would result in a two per cent drop in tourist numbers.
"Our asset management plans are saying that if we can't find some other income, we will have to start closing roads in 2013," Ms Bates said. "The first process if we weren't able to find some resolution to our problem ... you could probably make them (roads) local-use only to reduce the wear and tear on them. But we don't want to do that either because we actually want to grow our economy and tourism industry."
So, it seems we are both the problem and the solution. Is it fair that grey nomads and others should be slugged with a $10 levy simply for using these roads? Is it just greed and mismanagement or a commonsense solution to a problem? Does it follow then that Kangaroo Island residents who visit the mainland should have to pay to use those roads? If so, where will it all end? Email your views here. It’s an interesting one.

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February 8

All the Rage
A grey nomad swapped his caravan mattress for a bunk in the police watchhouse after an alleged road rage incident which escalated to ramming a police car and shattering two windscreens south west of Brisbane.
Warwick Police Sergeant Shane Reid said a 51-year-old man, formally of Toowoomba, was facing eight charges after he allegedly punched a motorist in the face on Alexandra Drive and later attacked officers at Hendon.
Police pulled the nomad over by the side of the road when he allegedly lashed out, forcing the officers to call for backup under a hail of projectiles. One officer was wounded.
"Without warning, it’s alleged he backed his car into the police vehicle causing substantial damage," Sergeant Reid said.
"The driver then stopped the vehicle and started to throw wood and steel pegs, targeting the police car, shattering the windscreen."
Talk about giving the grey nomads a bad name! It seems that one of our number hasn’t taken to the chilled-out lifestyle the open road offers as well as might be expected! Indeed, police would probably  say that the following gentleman should have enjoyed at least one more relaxed sunset before heading off onto Queensland’s road.
The Warwick Daily News reports that a grey nomad has now swapped his caravan mattress for a bunk in the Warwick Police watchhouse after an alleged road rage incident, which escalated to ramming a police car and shattering two windscreens on Saturday.
Warwick Police said a 51-year-old man, formally of Toowoomba, was facing eight charges after he allegedly punched a motorist in the face on Alexandra Drive and later attacked officers at Hendon.
Following a traffic dispute, the traveller - who was towing a caravan behind his Ute – is alleged to have punched another man in the head, kicked his car and driven off, before later backing his car into a police vehicle and then throwing wood and steel pegs at police car.
Capsicum spray and force was used to arrest the man. He will appear in Warwick Magistrates Court.
The 51-year-old was charged with dangerous operation of a vehicle, acts intended to cause grievously bodily harm, failing to stop his vehicle, obstructing police, two counts of willful damage and resisting arrest. He was also charged with assault occasioning bodily harm.
Wow! The open road is going to sound awfully good by the time he’s answered for all of those alleged crimes!
And the moral of the story. Relax! Enjoy what you are doing. You are very lucky people … so make them most of it.
 

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February 5

It Never Rains but it Pours
How are we all coping with the huge rainfalls in many outback areas? As the saying goes, it’s great for the farmers … but what about us poor old grey nomads?
In the remote cattle stations of Queensland’s far south-west, some of the biggest rainfalls in decades have been recorded. And the effects of the ex-tropical cyclone that has caused the wild weather have also been felt in South Australia.
Catherine Rothwell, from Naryilco Station in south-west Queensland – where they had 100 millimetres in four days – probably summed up the views of drought-ravaged residents best when she said: “It'll just be a really nice change to red dirt".
Ms Rothwell said it had been a nice, steady, soaking rain of the sort she couldn’t remember since she was a little girl.
"It'll be really good for the country because it hasn't actually just poured down and rushed,” she said. “It'll soak right in and grow some really good feed.”
Like we said, great news for the farmers but has everyone else had enough yet?
In central Queensland, some roads were blocked and some residents received food drops as floodwaters continued to isolate parts of the Bundaberg region. And police had to appeal for motorists to take care as floodwaters have cut the road between Bundaberg and Agnes Water.
They are still urging residents to stay away from swollen waterways because conditions can change quickly.
Has anyone out there been affected by the extreme conditions? Drop us a line here to share your experiences.

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February 4

Backpedal for Busselton
It was a nice idea ... but it seems Busselton Shire Council has now abandoned its plan to set aside designated zones to protect the town's dwindling number of caravan parks in the Western Australian beauty spot.
The council's original draft tourism strategy had proposed to establish designated caravan park zones to restrict development on the sites. But a revised draft plan now says the rezoning of land will, in fact, remain voluntary.
It’s a bit of a shame ... but it really should come as no surprise to those who have watched our magnificent and irreplaceable coastal camping areas get gobbled up by developers.  
Shire president Ian Stubbs told the ABC that while the original proposal would not have been fair on park owners, the shire understands the need to save dwindling caravan park numbers.
"We may lose another couple of caravan parks but we're also hoping the State Government will provide some incentives through land tax concessions to encourage people to continue to operate their caravan parks," he said.
I guess there’s always that hope but unless something dramatic happens ... and happens soon ... to stem the tide of coastal caravan park closures it could all be too late. Whereas once the many could afford to stay and enjoy Australian’s coastal magnificence soon that pleasure could be reserved for a few. Shame, shame, shame!

February 3

We are not Dodos!
Okay, so what’s the naughty old Treasury department up to this time? The focus of its just-released Intergenerational Report seems to be on ways to reduce the number of grey nomads strutting their stuff on our highways and byways.
Instead of living the high life and savouring endless sunsets and extended happy hour drinks, the Government instead would have us working longer and longer and longer.
Gulp!
The Treasury report notes that those aged 55 and over are less attached to the labour market than younger workers, and over the next
40 years, labour force participation will fall from 65.1 per cent now to 60.6 per cent in 2050.
"Steps to improve Australia's participation rate will minimise the impact of an ageing population," the report says.
Apparently, Australia is 13th among developed nations in terms of mature-age workforce participation, behind the US, Britain, Canada and New Zealand, which - ministers say - offers considerable room for improvement.
"If we can remove the obstacles for older Australians who want to work, we not only improve the quality of their life but we also strengthen the economy," said Treasurer Wayne Swan as he announced a $43 million package to help older workers maintain their place in the workforce. "Many will choose to leave the workforce, and enjoy a well-earned retirement, for a variety of reasons. But if they want to work, they should be welcomed into the workforce."
Okay, okay. It sounds tempting doesn’t it? Tax breaks, more cash, a greater ability to help out family. But think about what you’ll be missing? Freedom, new friendships, adventure, and a deeper appreciation of the wonderful country in which we live? It’s what we’ve worked hard all of our lives to enjoy. And we should do so for as long as we possibly can.
Fellow travellers, I call upon you all to fight this Government plot to make the carefree grey nomad a thing of the past! We will not be fooled into letting Government sweeteners cheat us out of our birthright. Keep travelling and keep smiling. Let’s show Mr Swan that the grey nomad is not quite ready to go the way of the Dodo!

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February 2

Developing Fears
It’s beginning to look like developers are going to win the day after all in a battle to build over an established Sunshine Coast caravan park.
The Scanlon Property Group has launched a legal appeal against council’s initial refusal to redevelop the caravan site at Peregian Beach into 110 multi-storey dwelling units and a commercial and retail block.
And, according o a report in the Sunshine Coast Daily, a community watchdog group fears redevelopment of the village’s caravan park is pretty much a “done deal”.
Barry Cotterell, of the Peregian Beach Community Association, said he had a fair idea what was contained in a confidential report tabled behind closed doors at a council meeting last week – and it’s not good.
 “I believe council and the developer have been negotiating and council is going to recommend conditions for approval,” Mr Cotterell said. “Unfortunately neither the community nor anyone else is going to be able to stop this because of the expert advice given to council that there is an economic need for this development.”
Mr Cotterell said Scanlon’s and council’s experts prepared a joint report as part of the Planning and Environment Court appeal process, which he claimed was wide of the mark.
Among other things, he said the report cited the need for a video store, florist and a fruit and vegetable outlet.
But Peregian’s previous video store closed down, as did the florist shop, while there was a fruit and vegie shop already in Peregian.
“This suggests that the experts’ research has not been very thorough,” he said.
Mr Cotterell told the Sunshine Coast Daily that while the report claimed the caravan park was not economically viable, it found a need for more commercial space in a CBD that already had a high vacancy rate.
His association last year, collected more than 520 letters of protest in five hours in a bid to strengthen council’s resolve to fight the development.
A council spokeswoman said the confidential agenda item had been referred to the ordinary committee meeting this Thursday for a decision by the full council.
“As this is a confidential item, this is all the information we can provide,” she said.
We’ll keep you posted.

February 1

Tragedy in Ballina
The drowning last week of a couple in Ballina, New South Wales, is yet another tragic reminder of the care we all need to take when swimming in unfamiliar waters.
The middle-aged couple, who were staying at a caravan park next to South Ballina Beach, died when the woman got caught in a rip and the husband then got into trouble while trying to rescue her. The pair’s three children were on the beach watching the horrific events unfold.
Not surprisingly, the Royal Life Saving Society of Australia has been intensifying its warnings to swimmers following a dramatic 71 per cent spike in the number drownings over the Christmas holiday period compared with the same time a year ago.
It says more than 40 people have drowned since Christmas Eve, around a third of them children.
Surf Life Saving spokesman Dean Storey said the latest tragedy was a grim reminder of the risks of swimming at unpatrolled beaches or after patrol hours.
And Westpac Rescue Helicopter pilot, Terry Mortimer, says the beach often has dangerous rips.
"Unfortunately with the lack of education people don't know it because it looks quite calm at the start and it gets quite deep and the waves are unevenly breaking there, and unfortunately, this is what happens," he said.
Of course, grey nomads who enjoy an ocean dip are as vulnerable to treacherous conditions as anybody and the fact that life often consists of staying at unfamiliar locations near unfamiliar waters heightens the need for caution.
Let’s be careful out there.

January 21

A Drive for Understanding
There was an interesting report in the Australasian Trucking News about “lawless” truckies who are reportedly harassing grey nomads on the Newell Highway.
Mobile home owner Raymond Moore claims the Newell has been turned into an “outlaw zone” filled with B-doubles tearing down the road at speeds of 130km/h.
He told ATN that truckies are tailgating caravan and mobile home drivers and threatening them if they do not get out of their way.
And now he wants speeds cut. Mr Moore says he and other travellers are taking their complaints to the NSW Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA) to urge greater on-road enforcement and for trucks to be restricted to a top speed of 90km/h.
The highway’s speed limit was recently cut from 110km/h to 100km/h.
Although a spokesperson for the RTA says the roads department has received some complaints about truck drivers using the highway, there are no plans to reduce the speed limit to 90km/h.
However, the RTA spokesperson says enforcement numbers will be increased during the next three years and regular RTA inspections will continue. But Mr Moore is adamant the problem is a real one in need of urgent attention.
“They are lawless out there. It’s the only way you can describe them,” Moore says of truck drivers. “The speed these guys are travelling at on the Newell Highway is mind boggling.”
According to Moore, an elderly man was harassed to the point where he refused to get back on the road because he was a “nervous wreck”.
“The truck driver came up and tormented the hell out of him,” Moore says. “He was there for six days too frightened to move.”
Moore says he has in the past attempted to help truck drivers while on the road and that he grew up in a family that respected the profession.
But since packing up and driving around Australia, Moore says he has lost all respect for them.
“It’s not just me it’s the whole caravan and mobile home community,” he says.
The chairman of the Australian Caravan Club, Lionel Musell, says there have been issues between travellers and truck drivers for a few years.
But he says the group educates its members to help truck drivers by not getting in their way.
Rather than calling for speed limits to be cut, the manager of the NSW branch of the Australian Trucking Association (ATA NSW), Jill Lewis, says there should be a focus on educating drivers.
Lewis says she is unaware of significant incidents between truckies and grey nomads on the Newell.
“Most truck drivers are professional and drive to the conditions of the road,” she says.
“I don’t know reducing the speed another 10km/h will make a lot of difference.”
The spokesperson for the RTA says the NSW Government has invested more than $50 million this financial year to improve safety on the Newell, following a $30 million safety investment announced lat year.
“The NSW Government has invested more than $250 million on safety and maintenance upgrades on the Newell in the past five years,” the spokesperson says.

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January 20

The Heat is On
The recent heatwave which has left much of the country positively baking may be a sign of things to come if the meteorologists are right.
Indeed, the Bureau of Meteorology says recent figures showing Australia has experienced its hottest decade since records began in 1910 are clear evidence of climate change.
The Bureau's annual report has found the average temperature over the past 10 years was 0.48 degrees Celsius above average. 2009 was Australia's second-warmest year on record, with the annual mean temperature 0.90C above average.
Climatologist David Jones told the ABC that each decade since the 1940s has been warmer than the previous one. And he has warned that this year is set to be even hotter, with temperatures likely to be between 0.5 and 1 degrees above average.
"There's no doubt about global warming, the planet's been warming now for most of the last century," he said.
Of course, the whole issue of global warming is a very serious one with many long-term implications. But, putting those aside for one moment, the warmer climate is also having a huge impact on grey nomads in the short term. All of you who were on the road sweating through the last week or two can testify to that! There is an increased bushfire risk, of course, but there are also issues such as the simple matter of getting some decent sleep … particularly if you are staying away from powered sites. So, how has the heatwave affected you? Do you find yourself getting more irritable with your partner? Have you got any tips for keeping your cool when the mercury rises? Email us here with your thoughts.

January 15

Road Train Crash
Well, stories like this one aren’t going to do much for any of you already nervous of sharing the bitumen or dirt with scary looking road trains.
The Stuart Highway in the Northern Territory was left with a scar 20 metres long after the trailer of a moving road train crashed and tore through the bitumen. The NT News reports that debris was scattered across the entire road where the three-carrier truck crashed - about 6 kilometres south of Elliott.
The driver is believed to have lost control over his road train just after 2.30am when some wheels on the last trailer drifted onto the soft dirt of the road shoulder. The trailer was then dragged along the road, gouging a 20m-long and 30cm-deep scar in the bitumen before rolling and spilling its cargo across both lanes.
The driver escaped uninjured.
Alice Springs acting superintendent Darrell Kerr said the cause of the crash was still unclear.
"Investigations are still ongoing, so we don't know the actual cause of why one of the trailers has become wobbly and it rolled," he said. "There is some damage to the axle and the wheels on one of the trailers but at this stage we don't know what actually caused that - whether it was a fault beforehand or caused during the accident."
Police and fire and emergency response groups from Elliott and Tennant Creek rushed to the accident scene.
Together with staff of the NT Infrastructure Department they spent a day cleaning up the scene and redirecting traffic. A crane was also believed to having been called to remove the flipped trailer.
Have you had any close encounters with road trains? Share your esperience by emailing us here. Any tips for safe driving when the ships of the road are out and about? Email us  here.

January 14

Battling Bushfire Gawkers
In a land where bushfires are an ever-present danger and their devastating consequences all too widely known, it beggars belief that blaze ‘sightseers’ are such a hindrance to emergency services that legislation may be required to deal with the problem.
Sadly, it’s not a joke. A push is being made to impose a 'gawkers fine' on sightseers who hang around bushfire zones.
According to the ABC, the Port Lincoln mayor Peter Davis has met South Australia's Premier and Opposition Leader to try to win bipartisan support for such a fine.
It seems that firefighters battling a blaze which destroyed houses at Port Lincoln recently were hampered by sightseers who congested roads to get a closer view of the bushfire.
Mr Davis says people caught by using their mobile phone cameras at bushfire scenes should be fined hundreds of dollars.
"I've taken steps with the Premier and with [Opposition Leader] Isobel Redmond for a bipartisan policy when Parliament re-sits to immediately enforce the capacity of emergency service personnel to photograph these idiots' number plates and you'll get a 'gawkers fine'," he said.
So, what do you make of the suggestion? Is a gawkers’ fine a good idea? Or is it wrong to stop people taking photos of whatever they like and look at whatever they like whenever they like? Have you ever been a bushfire gawker? Email us here with your views on the move?

January 13

The Comeback Campsite
We have followed the Agnes Water caravan park saga pretty closely in these columns over the months and years, and it is an enormous pleasure to report on what looks like being a happy ending.
There was much despair and gnashing of teeth when the iconic beachfront park in the Queensland beauty spot was closed down several years ago to make way for a proposed luxury development. The voices of hundreds – if not thousands – of disappointed grey nomads and travellers who had stayed at the park regularly didn’t seem to count for much as the ‘Closed’ signs went up. But money talks. The prime site stood empty for six years and the town lost millions in tourism dollars before the former developer eventually went bust and the resort plan finally flopped.
It was time for a massive re-think which led to the birth of the First Point Caravan Park on the same spot as the old park. It opened just before Christmas and, according to developer Dan Murphy, it is already a big hit and has given a welcome boost to the town’s economy.
 “We were completely booked during Christmas and New Year, and even now it’s sitting at around 90%,” Mr Murphy said, adding that 25,000 people used to visit the old Agnes Water Caravan Park annually before it was unceremoniously closed.
Locals have certainly noticed things pick up since the 300-person park emerged.
Agnes Water Post Office owner Mike Allen is among the business people in the area who welcomes the park’s opening.
“You used to see the grey nomad trail come in to town, the caravan park was booked out two and three years ahead and the place was lively,” he told the Bundaberg News Mail. “That disappeared when the old park shut but it’s definitely picking up again,”
Oh yes, optimism is returning with the advent of First Point.
 “The economy changed for the worst when it shut down and word spread on the grapevine –  people weren’t coming back.” Mr Allen said. “As a business owner I can say we are all very pleased it has re-opened.”
And as lovers of beautiful coastal camping spots we can certainly echo those sentiments. So, a warm welcome back to a caravan park at Agnes Water  … hopefully you will be just the first of many coastal camping spot comebacks!

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January 12

Bushfire Alert Activated
Campsites in Victoria's iconic Grampians National Park are among those to have been evacuated as temperatures in the state soar, and new bushfire alert systems come into effect.
The Wimmera district in western Victoria is under the state's first ‘code red’ catastrophic fire warning as residents brace for the worst. Other parks to close include Lake Hindmarsh Reserve and the Little Desert National Park.
A total fire ban has been declared across Victoria, with temperatures in the Wimmera area set to hit the mid-40s and strong northerly winds forecast.
With national parks closing visitors are evacuating campsites and The Halls Gap Caravan and Tourist Park had an influx of 20 campers on Sunday night, as grey nomads and other travellers were forced to find alternative accommodation.
The Country Fire Authority's chief officer Russell Rees says people must act quickly.
"We are concerned about their lives, the lives of their loved ones, their own lives and we want people to take action," he told the Sydney Morning Herald. "We want everyone to understand that you do not wait around for a fire and then get on the road. Being on the road during a fire is the most dangerous place to be."
In South Australia, fire crews in Adelaide's north have extinguished several blazes believed to be deliberately lit, as the state's catastrophic fire warnings also come into effect.
Fire authorities are anticipating the state's worst fire conditions in five years.
Ten of the state's 15 fire districts will be under catastrophic conditions, another three extreme, while the remaining two districts have been issued a severe warning.
South Australians living in fire districts issued with a catastrophic warning are being urged to consider leaving their homes.
Dangerous times indeed, and none of us should need any reminding, given the tragic events of recent years, about the need for vigilance and care when in areas vulnerable to bushfire.
Have you been affected by the park closures? Email us here with your experiences.

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January 11

Van Parks Get a Lift
As prime land along the Victorian coastline is snapped up by developers for houses or hotels, it’s a real refreshing change to find a council prepared to save and even to improve its iconic beachside caravan parks.
Over the past 100 years or so, thousands of grey nomads and other travellers have enjoyed magical times at camping grounds by the sea at Warrnambool in Victoria …
and it looks like they might be doing so for at least another century.
Warrnambool City Council has pledged to provide affordable family coastal holiday facilities for the foreseeable future.
"Some of the facilities are old and tired and it's time to invest more in them,” said the council’s Tourism Services Manager Peter Abbott. "We want to make sure we do it to best practice rather than just patching holes ... the council wants to build infrastructure for the future, not look at the past."
Hallelujah!
"Affordable coastal holidays are becoming harder to get,” he said. “Crown land foreshore parks like Warrnambool's are becoming more and more unique."
We’re glad somebody in authority has noticed!
Applications have now been called for a consultant to come up with a recommended plan for co-ordinated investment in improving Surf Side Holiday and Shipwreck Bay caravan parks in the next five years with government and council funds.
Shipwreck Bay, with 520 camp sites, is open from Christmas to Easter to handle the peak holiday periods while the Surfside Holiday Park, with 680 camp sites and 24 cabins, runs all year.
A consultant will be hired for about $35,000 to produce a blueprint for modernising the parks which are expected to generate $1.87 million in site fees this financial year giving the city council a net revenue of $744,000.
Oh, and the council is also calling for ideas from tourists to help improve facilities. So, if you know the area, then help to make sure the powers-that-be get it right. Email: wbool_city@warrnambool.vic.gov.au
And, in case you are wondering, Mr Abbott said there was absolutely no intention for the council to hand over its management role of the Crown land assets to private operators. "We want to do an assessment of all the facilities and what can be done to lift the standards,” he said. “The council is committed to the development of all its parks.”

January 7

Take Your Pick
What do you all make of the decision by the Industrial Relations Commission to keep existing pay methods in place?
Certainly, fruit growers across Victoria are celebrating after Australia's industrial relations body decided to change their minds and will now not to bring in hourly rates for fruit-pickers rather than paying for the amount of fruit picked.
The industry had said the change have forced many growers out of business and cost thousands of fruit-picking jobs. The ABC says Victorian horticulture industry grows from employing 50,000 to 100,000 people during annual harvests.
The Victorian Farmers Federation's horticulture president, Rien Silverstein, says farmers who employ those workers would have been threatened by the change.
"We would have gone broke as many others would have if you'd have to pay casual rates for fruit-picking. It just isn't a viable way to work," he said. "There are people that do pick really well - they do pick seven or eight bins a day - and if they were working on casual rates, they wouldn't come. They couldn't earn good money as they do when they're earning piece-rate work."
Email us here with your views.

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January 5

Preparation is the Key
The ABC recently reported that a new Queensland study has found 'grey nomads' may need to be better prepared before they set off on their journeys.
Dr Patricia Obst, from the Centre for Accident Research and Road Safety at the Queensland University of Technology, says few carried first-aid kits or rated their first-aid knowledge as adequate.
She says more than 600 travellers over 55 were surveyed about their health and preparation for driving rural roads.
"Of that sample, around 90 per cent of them actually did tow caravans and only around 50 per cent did have extensive towing experience," she said.
"When we looked into that a little bit more, we did find some concerning things such as around 40 per cent of those caravaners didn't carry equipment such as sway bars and weight distribution hitches which are fairly essential safety items."
Dr Obst said 'grey nomads' could also benefit from driver education programs that dealt with handling road trains and the narrow bitumen roads they are likely to encounter in the bush.
Does anyone out there on the road now wish that they had taken a first aid course or a towing course before they set off?  Do you think driver education programs highlighting specific ‘bush driving’ issues should be offered to nomads? Email us here with your views.

December 31

Best wishes for 2010
Happy New Year to all of you wonderful grey nomads. I’m guessing and hoping that your New Year’s Resolutions list will be reading something like this … travel more, worry less … and good on you for it.  Glancing into the crystal ball, I am sure that 2010 is going to be another great year when you are going to meet some wonderful new friends, visit some unbelievable new places, and learn to relax just that little bit more. We are all so blessed and so lucky to be able to live and to travel in such an incredibly special country.
2010 also promises to be an exciting and interesting year on the grey nomads website. We have some exciting changes planned here that will hopefully enhance both your real-life traveling and your online travelling experiences. 2009 has been a fantastic year on the site in general and on the forum in particular. We have seen membership grow steadily and interest grow spectacularly. Questions have been answered, friendships made, and would-be grey nomads inspired. And, above all, it has been fun. Thank you all so much for your fantastic support over the past 12 months. This site ultimately belongs to you and it is all of you who have helped to make it such a very special place. Have a wonderful, safe and positive 2010. 

Jobs Drying Up
The devastating effects of the drought in so many parts of Australia are being felt in a massive number of rural communities and, inevitably, they are also having an impact on the grey nomad experience.
While subtle signs of hard times are omnipresent, it sometimes takes something dramatic like a business closure or mass job lay-offs to underline just what an effect the drought and the troubling economic times are having in the bush.
Just this week, one such dramatic event occurred when Roger Fletcher confirmed the axing of up to 300 jobs at Dubbo-based Fletcher International Exports.
According to local media reports, Mr Fletcher, the self-made former drover who built Australia’s largest meat empire over 30 years, was stony faced and battling to contain his emotions as he announced the news.
The night shift will go "some time after Christmas", traineeships are to be suspended and employment will no longer be offered to the likes of grey nomads and students.
As well as drought , rising costs and plummeting sheep numbers are to blame for the cutbacks at Dubbo’s largest employer.
"It would be wrong to keep processing at our current rate but we value our employees and will endeavour to keep all permanent staff in work,” Mr Fletcher said. “The company will be gearing itself up for when the drought does break. Our aim is to keep the plant running, to stay financial and keep paying our bills.’’
The Fletcher International wool top plant remains unaffected.
Of course, those older travelers who have previously picked up work at Fletchers will be disappointed by the announcement but there are other places to travel to and other jobs to seek out. Those who live permanently in Dubbo and who rely on Fletchers for income full-time will be far more worried. They will not be alone as the drought continues to cause untold pain in the bush.

December 11

Stars and stripes in our eyes
There’s been a fair old ‘hoo hah’ over the news that an American conglomerate has bought five of our most iconic tourist destinations ... and there could be more to follow.
The Sydney Daily Telegraph has been leading the chorus of disapproval, claiming there is no telling what it calls McTourism will end.
It even went so far as to suggest, tongue firmly in cheek I hope, that by around 2020 American tour guides in Far North Queensland will be welcoming tourists to the Great Barrier McReef and pointing out sights such as Woodrow Wilson Island "names after ourlate president". And is Nike Air's Rock really such an outrageous possibility? After all, many Americans do find Uluru a bit hard to pronounce!
Okay, so what’s getting everyone so excited?
Delaware North now owns three islands in the World Heritage listed Great Barrier Reef  – Wilson, Lizard and Heron. The hospitality and food giant has also gobbled up Kings Canyon Resort in Watarrka National Park, midway between Uluru and Alice Springs. And, according to the Daily Telegraph, the ink is almost dry on the contract to buy El Questro Wilderness Park & Homestead on one million acres in WA's Kimberley.
Oh, and just for good measure it now seems that Australia's biggest property trust GPT wants to offload the remainder of the Voyages portfolio, including Ayers Rock Resort, Longitude 131 and Brampton Island.
Delaware North says the purchase of its reef and wilderness properties is part of an overt strategy to move into hotels and resorts in Australia. It certainly does make you wonder what's next.
The Daily Telegraph says it does not mean to imply that Delaware North is incapable of protecting Australia’s pristine assets or that it fails to understand the Australian market ... after all it does have a 20-year history Down Under.
But it is concerned that we appear to be selling off the family jewels? And it questions whether the US government would ever allow a similar ting to happen over there and risk the “Grand Aussie Canyon” or having the Statue of Liberty changed so that it is holding aloft a meat pie.
Is this a ridiculous overreaction by the critics as this is just the global marketplace in operation, or is there something here for us to be nervous about? Email us here with your thoughts.

December 10

Camel Catastrophe
It’s a big week for news on the ships of the desert. Having just learned that thousands of wild camels have been culled after besieging the remote community of Docker River, we now hear that the rotting carcasses of other camels are polluting vital waterholes and sacred sites.
The Central Land Council, which administers Aboriginal land in the nation's arid centre, said the bodies of camels that have died of thirst in the Outback are poisoning water supplies.

the council's land management chief David Alexander told the ABC. "We're ending up with these grisly scenes of camels in every stage of life, death and decay around waterholes."
Thousands of pools, creeks and other water supplies for local indigenous tribes were rendered undrinkable by the decay, with a "significant health risk" when they are refilled by rain, he said.
Without significant rainfall, Alexander said tens of thousands more camels in the drought-gripped region faced a similar fate, with dire environmental and cultural consequences.
"It has the capacity to change the flow of water, it changes the character of these places and some of the specific features around them have their own cultural significance, they have stories associated with them, ceremonial songs," he said.
Native animals were also perishing as a result of the mass deaths, with "massive" impacts on biodiversity, he said.
Central Australia's camels are believed to be the largest wild herd on earth.

December 9

No blaming the navigator
The first GPS system designed specifically for truck drivers in Australia has been released.
ProNav’s PNN-300 features a stack of information over and above the usual content that, at first glance, appears may be useful for grey nomads towing big caravans or driving large motorhomes.
“With safety features that are second to none, ProNav will guide you on your way, ensuring a safe and smooth journey,” said a spokesperson. “Safety features include potential hazard warnings; including steep hills, crosswinds, risk of grounding, and sharp bends, dynamic navigation based on vehicles dimensions and safety camera alerts.”
Sounds good.
Similar models are already available in Europe and United States, and the developer, UK based Navevo, is now launching into Australia. This model features turn-by-turn guidance for drivers of trucks, RVs, trailers, buses, vans and caravans. The mapping data is provided by Navteq.
“ProNav allows a driver to enter the vehicle’s vital statistics, including weight, axle weight, height, length and width, as well as the load being carried to calculate the best route to ensure drivers are not confronted with roads or obstacles not suitable for the vehicle or goods,” said the spokesperson.
Features include a 5-inch touchscreen, Bluetooth hands free calling and FM transmitter, text to speech, fixed safety camera warning and easy to read icons.
All interesting stuff. But anyone thinking the gadget might make a nice stocking filler this Christmas should be warned that its recommended retail price is a hefty $799.
We would love to hear your thoughts on whether a product like this would be useful on your big trips, and whether many of you find the conventional GPS systems to be a must-have. What are they good for and what aren’t they good for? Email us here.

December 8

Getting the hump
In scenes reminsicent of a B-grade horror movie, the residents of the remote Northern Territory community of Docker River are apparently being held hostage by a herd of thirsty, marauding camels desperate for water.
Up to six thousand of the giant beasts have besieged the community and have reportedly taken to sucking the water out of air-conditioning units and have also overrun the airport, where it is impossible to land or take off.
Many members of the community are said to be too frightened to leave their homes, and authorities are planning a cull. However, they have come under fire because the camel carcasses are to be left to rot in the desert.
Docker River resident Ronald Kirkman says there is no doubt the camels are causing trouble.
"Just recently they've started to come for the water, damage the pipes and that and we've got to go without water for maybe one or two days," he said. "When they come to the community that's what women and that are worried about. There's a lot of children around here and you get a stampede of camels coming through. They more or less come into those houses and go right through."
The Central Land Council (CLC) says it will cull 3,000 camels around Docker River with funding from the Northern Territory Government.
The deputy chief executive of the local shire, Des Rogers, says he has been inundated with letters and emails from all over the world calling for the cull to be cancelled.
"I had one the other day from Tokyo basically saying you should leave the camels alone and let the children play with the camels and why can't the children lead the camels out of the community?" he said. "So you know that's a bit on the bizarre side, but it reinforces the fact that people really don't understand the circumstances."
Mr Rogers says the cull is not ideal but must go ahead to give some relief to the people of Docker River.
He insists the camels will be culled in the most humane way possible.
"They do a head shot and then they do a heart and lung shot as well,” he said. “They are very experienced shooters."
While the cull will certainly provide relief for the people of Docker River, experts say it will be only temporary because camel numbers in the desert are rising inexorably.

December 7

Generous to a fault
More praise for kind-hearted grey nomads who are making a difference as they circle this wonderful country of ours.
The welfare organisation Frontier Services which runs a program that links volunteers with rural families needing help has been bowled over by the response from travelling folk like yourselves.
Hundreds of grey nomads have signed up to be partof the national program to lend a hand on rural properties and isolated stations … and it’s making a big difference.
The Charleville-based coordinator, Davida Melksham, told the ABC that while demand for help is growing, so too is the spirit of generosity, with more people than ever offering their services.
"We've had an incredible 12 months this past year - we've placed 308 volunteer placements and that's nationally," she said. "We have on our books now about 780 volunteers - not all of those volunteers are active at any one time of course, but it's quite a pool to be dipping into for people that need a hand.”
Of course, this is just one service that is benefiting from the generosity of spirit, skill and experience of grey nomads. There are many, many others. Well done, guys.

December 4
Fighting the good fight
B usselton in Western Australia has found itself at the forefront of the growing movement to try to retain our historic and much-loved caravan parks ... before it’s too late.
The beautiful beachside town is set to become the template for the preservation of caravan parks throughout the state. The State Treasurer Troy Buswell wants the Busselton shire to hold fire on its draft Local Tourism Planning Strategy (LTPS) to explore land-tax incentives to help retain caravan parks in the region.
Mr Buswell said the intent of the strategy relating to caravan parks, which was to preserve them, was entirely appropriate.
“There is a concern across the state that we may lose caravan parks, but Busselton is perhaps the epicentre of those pressures,” he said. “I think the framework the shire is proposing is definitely heading in the right direction, but the method of forcing people to accept rezoning without any form of compensation, nor respect of their private property rights in my view is not appropriate.”
While the authorities look at how it can use land tax as an incentive for people to move into a new planning framework, Mr Buswell says they has to be mindful of protecting their private property rights.
“The intent of encouraging caravan parks to stay caravan parks is something I think would have broad support right across the state,” he said. “What eventually applies to Busselton will have significant implications across the state in terms of how you use town planning schemes and potentially land tax incentives to preserve caravan parks.”
He said that land tax incentives can play a role in preserving caravan parks as it is one of the significant escalating costs that puts pressure on caravan parks.
Currently caravan parks have a 50 per cent land tax cent relief. The shire’s proposal is that if a caravan park is rezoned caravan park they pay no land tax. Currently they are zoned tourist.
“Owners should be entitled to voluntary, rather than compulsory rezoning,” Mr Buswell said. “But we also have to address the concerns around forcing existing park owners into a new regime, without any mention of compensation. That undermines one of the basic pillars of property ownership.”

November 25

Madness Descends
Have you ever wonders what happens to the idyllic communities of the north when most of us pack up our fishing gear, fold down our awnings, hitch up the van and say goodbye to the dry season as we head south?
Well, according to reports on the ABC, it’s not a pretty picture. Once those consistently perfect temperatures change to become too hot and too sticky, and once those heaving van parks change to become mini ghost towns, it seems the locals begin to suffer from what is known as mango madness.  It is, it seems, a little-documented bout of insanity that strikes with the regularity of Christmas.
Kimberley locals describe it as a type of restlessness that strikes in the build-up to the wet, when the humidity ratchets up but the rain refuses to fall.
It sounds funny but it’s not. It is characterised by sweating, mood swings and unfortunately, all too often, arguments and violence.
Local police say domestic assaults increase on cue from October to December.
Senior Sergeant Rob Neesham from the Broome Police has seen the results first hand.
"The build-up's certainly kicking in and people are starting to get short-fused in how they approach each other. This time of year it always goes pear-shaped," he told the ABC. "We are quite a superstitious bunch and it's all come true for us unfortunately."
Family feuding escalates and drunken brawls play out in full public view in parks across the region.
Last year a team of surgeons from Royal Darwin Hospital tracked hospital admissions over 12 months and matched them up against weather data from the same period.
They found 41 per cent more people were admitted to hospital in the months of October and November than at other times of the year.
"It's also when the mango is harvested, so now it's official," said surgeon Mahiban Thomas. "When there are mangos in the markets there is madness in the streets.”
So, have you dared to dally up north as mango madness descends? Are you a northern-based grey nomad? Should we get out of town when the weather turns? Share your views on the phenomenon (if that’s what it is) by emailing us here.   

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November 24

Hard to pick?
It seems that Australia’s relatively strong performance during the global financial crisis means the fruit pickers among you have got plenty pf competition for jobs this season.
It is being reported that at this stage Australia has an over abundance of seasonal workers this year and well-know picking towns like Young in Victoria have experienced a major influx.
Harvest labour consultant for Central West Community College (CWCC), Katrina Rodwell, says the demand for work has been amazing.
“Growers are saying that there is a huge increase this year in the number of backpackers door knocking their properties for harvest work … one grower alone has reported receiving almost 5,000 enquiries from backpackers since September,” she told the Young Witness. “To meet demand, we are also contacting growers in other towns to link them with workers.”
CWCC has already placed approximately 600 pickers this season and there are over 1,000 positions lodged already for when the season really kicks off.
“This year is a bit of an odd season,” said Ms Rodwell. “Most farmers are saying they are running seven to 10 days behind the past five or six seasons because of the late cold weather in October and the colder nights but farmers are predicting good, quality yields,”
According to media reports, most workers are under 30 years of age, and the main nationalities are French, Korean, German, Canadian, American, British, Irish and Taiwanese.
Interestingly, it seems grey nomad numbers are down this year compared to previous years. So, what’s the story, guys? Is finding a picking position tougher this year than it has been previously? Are there more young foreign backpackers jostling for a crack at the fruit? Send us your views on the outlook for this season’s fruit picking season here.
Incidentally, any of you keen to find out what work is available across the country should check out the National Harvest Line. The number is 1800 062 332 or www.jobsearch.gov.au/harvesttrail

November 21

The Stuff of Nightmares
After years on the road, it’s easy to think you’ve seen it all and done it all … but vigilance must always be the watchword.
You really do never know what is around the corner as a retired Sunshine Coast couple, who were lucky to escape uninjured after their caravan flipped this week, will no doubt testify.
The pair had been living and travelling in their van for the past three years, but their pride and joy was almost totally destroyed when their caravan flipped on the Gore Highway just outside Toowoomba.
“We were driving along and something just went bang,” the man, who did not want to be identified, told the local newspaper. “We’re just so lucky there wasn’t something coming the other way.”
The couple, who were left shock but otherwise unhurt in the drama, had just spent some time visiting their children and were on the first day of their road trip to Western Australia when the accident happened.
“It (travelling in the caravan) has been great until this,” the man said. “We have everything in there. It’s our home. Our beds, computer, kitchen . . . everything. But we’re both alright — that’s the main thing.”
Sergeant Jeremy Sheldrick from Drayton Police said the couple was lucky to escape the crash unharmed.
He said traffic control was put in place while the caravan and four-wheel drive were towed.
While the cause of the crash was yet to be determined, Sgt Sheldrick said it appeared there was an issue with one of the vehicle’s towing pins.
And the lesson. Check, check and check again. Travel safely, everyone.

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November 18

Going For a Song
An Australian-inspired luxury camper trailer is drawing plenty of admiring glance in Europe.
The design of the "Opera” emulates the renowned lines and elegance of the Sydney Opera House and has all the ‘camping necessities’ such as a wine cabinet, warm-air heating, espresso bar and an enclosed teak veranda.
The man behind the camper, Belgian architect Axel Enthoven, says it basically contains every conceivable luxury.
“These include two first class and electrically-adjustable beds that become one with a single simple movement,” he said. “Hot and cold water, ceramic toilet, LED lighting and a mobile hob and barbecue for cooking outside."
Handmade in Geldrop in the Netherlands, the Opera is constructed from materials like hardwood, stainless steel and leather. When opened the camper levels itself electronically and is fully assembled in less than five minutes - without tent pegs, stabilizer jacks and loose tent poles.
The “luxury residence” is 7 metres long, more than 3 metres wide and 3.5 metres high. The unit is aerodynamically-sound for towing and unfolds into a “masterpiece” upon arrival at your chosen camping spot.
The Opera will apparently be produced in limited numbers next year for an undisclosed price.
The exterior looks intriguing, doesn’t it? But I can’t see the grey nomads ditching their traditional caravans and motorhomes in any great numbers in favour of this ... can you?

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November 13

SA Popularity Drifts South
The Flinders Ranges, Kangaroo Island, the York Peninsula, the endless Outback, South Australia has got the lot ... or has it?
In shock horror news, the state has come out bottom of a survey to find the most popular state in the country for domestic visitors. That’s right, folks. Bottom.
Amazingly, just three per cent of Australian travellers said it is their favourite place to visit in the excape.com.au travel survey.
And not a single South Australian location rated a mention in a list of the country's top ten travel destinations, with people preferring to go to Hobart or The Margaret River in Western Australia. The Barossa Valley was the preferred travel destination in SA, followed by Adelaide and McLaren Vale.
Some experts are saying the state is suffering from historic prejudice and geographic disadvantages. The argument goes that South Australia loses out to the sunshine and surf and is at the bottom of the largest island continent, so is not a gateway.
Earlier this year, the South Australian Government released its 2009-2014 tourism plan, setting ambitious industry targets for the next five years.
South Australian Tourism Commission chief executive Andrew McEvoy said while preference for the state was low, SA registered more strongly in the critical area of visitation.
He said another recent survey found SA was ahead of Tasmania, the Northern Territory and the ACT to be the 5th most visited state.
”For us the real measure of success is real people turning up and spending money,” he said. ”In the December quarter the national visitor survey showed that the only state in Australia to grow was SA.
The survey, which polled more than 12,000 people, found the following.

Favourite state in Australia
1. Queensland - 45 per cent
2. Victoria - 13 per cent 
3. Western Australia - 11 per cent 
4. NSW - 10 per cent  
5. Tasmania - 10 per cent 
6. Northern Territory - 5 per cent 
7. South Australia - 3 per cent

Top 10 destinations
1. Surfers Paradise
2. Melbourne
3. Whitsundays
4. Port Douglas
5. Noosa
6. Cairns
7. Sydney
8. Margaret River
9. Hobart
10. Great Ocean Rd

We would love to hear your views or your preferences. Email us here.

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November 12

Koala Crisis
The news this week that koalas could be wiped out within 30 years unless urgent action is taken is sobering indeed.
Researchers say development, climate change, bushfires and deaths from the sexually transmitted disease, Chlamydia, have all combined to send the numbers of wild koalas plummeting. And when they say plummeting, they mean plummeting.  The Australian Koala Foundation said a recent survey showed the population could have dropped by more than half in the past six years.
Previous estimates put the number of koalas at more than 100,000 - but the latest calculations suggest there could now be as few as 43,000.
The Foundation collected field data from 1,800 sites and 80,000 trees to calculate the numbers.
It said that, as well as problems caused by deforestation, hotter, drier conditions attributed to global warming had reduced the nutritional value of their staple food, eucalyptus leaves, leading to malnutrition.
"The koalas are missing everywhere we look,” said Foundation chief Deborah Tabart. “It's really no tree, no me. If you keep cutting down trees you don't have any koalas."
She is hoping the new figures will persuade the government's Threatened Species Steering Committee (TSSC) to list the koala as threatened.
But committee chairman Bob Beeton said a decision was not likely until mid-2010 - and the koala's status as one of the country's favourite animals would not be a factor.
"There's a number of species which are charismatic and emotionally charged. We don't consider that," Mr Beeton was reported as saying by the AFP agency. "We'd consider the koala with the same level of diligence and dedication as if it were the death adder."
That sounds a mite weak. If the figures quoted by the Koala Federation are accurate – that koala numbers have moiré than halved in six years – then surely alarm bells should be ringing loudly and ringing now. And someone should be doing something. What on earth will future generations think of us?

November 11

Beauty and the Beast
Goodness me! Where is this all going to end? It seems that grey nomads and other visitors are now going to be forced to pay to visit world-heritage listed rainforests in New South Wales by money-hungry councils.
Sydney’s Daily Telegraph says a tourist tax is proposed for the Blue Mountains, alongside a raft of money-raising plans, including asking travellers to donate to council coffers as well as rolling out more parking meters in popular tourist destinations.
A report produced by the cash-strapped Blue Mountains City Council states that the cost of fixing ageing infrastructure that provides access to the "natural environment" was outstripping council revenue.
"The travel levy concept particularly identifies the day visitor as a group who visit the city's iconic sites free of charge, utilise public amenities and put pressure on the city's infrastructure without making any form of direct contribution to the city," the report states.
A project brief has been given to a number of consultants who will advise the council on the best way to introduce any possible levy.
However, tourism chiefs are warning it will turn travellers away from popular destinations at a time when the economy is recovering and a strong Australian dollar has made Australia a less attractive destination for international visitors.
Three Sisters Plaza owner Lesli Berger said the council had long targeted tourists - installing its only $4.40 an hour parking meters at the scenic lookout and proposing to charge buses to park there.
"It's a huge disincentive," Mr Berger said.
Blue Mountains Tourism Limited chairman Randall Walker said he did not want a tax imposed on travellers.
"In the past, NSW has had a bed tax, a levy on coaches per passenger and even a toll to access certain areas. All those things have the potential to have a negative impact to reduce demand and visitation," he said.
Blue Mountains City councillor Daniel Miles does not support a travelling tax but would make tourists pay $2 to get into Echo Point.
Well, as all of us who have ventured out to some of Australia’s most magnificent destinations already know, the best things in life are free … or at least they used to be. I guess some of the self-important money-grabbers at some councils think they are entitled to make a dollar out of people visiting this country’s natural wonders.  Maybe some bright spark will soon want to charge us for swimming in the ocean, or looking at the stars, or perhaps enjoying the heat of the sun. Sigh!

November 10

Going Downhill Fast
We were writing in the Nomad last week about how we should all make the most of every day on the road because an unexpected event can, at any time, force us to change – or abandon - our travel plans.
Well, another dramatic reminder of the wisdom of those words occurred in Geelong in Victoria yesterday. Who could have possible foreseen that an out-of-control truck would roll 50 metres down a hill and smash into a parked caravan? Yup, not many people. Luckily, no one was hurt in the drama and, although it was a disaster for the van owners, the crushed caravan actually stopped the truck form crashing into a house and doing even more damage.
Eyewitness Dianne Vine told the Geelong Advertiser that the truck narrowly missed the car she and her husband were in as it rolled down the hill.
"We thought someone was behind the wheel and then we saw a man with a rake chasing after it," Mrs Vine said. "Somehow it managed to dodge a couple of light posts by itself and I would say they would have stopped the truck if it had hit them. After it mounted the kerb it smashed through a couple of side fences and then we heard it hit the caravan."
Joanne Khan, a friend of the owners of the caravan, said the family had only recently returned from their first holiday in the van.
"They were going to clean the van today with the kids helping out," Ms Khan said. "They only bought the caravan a couple of weeks ago and now it's completely destroyed.”
Which all goes to prove that you really never know what’s around the corner.
Of course, the most important thing is that everyone is safe and no one was hurt. Fire crews initially feared the impact of the truck had punctured gas bottles on the caravan but after further inspections found the bottles, while damaged, were safe.
Geelong police said they had interviewed the driver of the vehicle and they would be investigating the incident.
And the moral of story. Don’t park at the bottom of a hill and always check handbrake is on when parking!

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November 4

A viewing area too far?
Have any of you been out to Uluru recently? Apparently, the new $21 million viewing area is causing quite a stir, with many people – including professional photographers – claiming it has been built in entirely the wrong spot.
According to The Australian, the Talinguru Nyakunytjaku viewing area is three kilometres from the Rock and is in shadow in the mornings during winter.
Veteran landscape photo-grapher Ken Duncan says the Talinguru Nyakunytjaku site is a ‘second-rate location at best’
“It only takes us all further moment of carelessness on the road, bad news from the doctor, or even a callous act by others can – in the blink of an eye – turn our easygoing lifestyle on its head.
While, thankfully they have not had an accident or heard bad news on their health, pensioners John and Shirley Seeley certainly know the heartache of seeing their travelling dreams shattered.
The couple, both aged in their 70s, were devastated when their precious caravan, which was parked inside the Seachange Retirement Village at Urangan on Queensland’s Fraser Coast, was stolen in the most brazen of manners.
Whoever snatched the caravan first moved a camper trailer out of the way and then somehow manoeuvred the larger vehicle out of the complex in full view of many apartments.
 “I'm very emotional,” Mrs Seeley told the Fraser Coast Chronicle. “You work hard your whole life for these things; you go without things so you can afford them.”
Her husband said he too was crushed, as the single-axle van had been a big part of the couple's lives since they bought it new in 2006.
The 14-foot Crusader pop-top has taken the Seeleys to inland Australia, to Tasmania and on trips to visit their children.
“It's a big blow,” Mr Seeley said. “We couldn't afford to buy another one like that now.”
It’s a terrible story and one which should sound as a warning to all grey nomads.
None of us know what’s around the corner, so let’s try to make the most of every day and count our blessings.
I, for one, vow never to complain about the distance I have to walk to the amenities block again! How about you? Email us your “I’m so lucky I’ll never complain about ... again” pledges to us here.

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November 3

In the line of fire
As things start to heat up around the country, the bushfire threat grows and we all need to stay alert to the dangers. Not that any of us should need any reminding after the terrible events of last season when 173 people were killed in Victoria by the worst wildfires on record.
As well as being careful with our campfires we need to be ever vigilant to the possibility of fires sweeping through the bushland areas that we most like to visit.
In Victoria, experts are already warning that it could be another bad season.
“We live in one of the world’s most fire-prone areas and all Victorians, no matter where they live or what their fire experience has been, need to prepare,” Premier John Brumby said. “None of us can afford to be complacent.”
You would like to think there was no danger of complacency. Not with the state is still recovering from the ‘Black Saturday’ bushfires that swept through on February 7, destroying more than 2,000 properties.
“After 13 years of drought, combined with the impact of climate change, conditions are dry and we all need to be prepared for an intense fire season, which fire experts are predicting will be at least as bad, if not worse than the season we’ve just experienced,” Gavin Jennings, minister for environment and climate change, said in the statement.
The state government has allocated a record emergency services budget of more than A$700 million ($641 million) to help firefighting efforts, nearly triple 10 years ago, it said in the statement.
A new fire warning system is now in place nationwide with ‘severe’, ‘extreme’ and ‘catastrophic’ warnings clearly communicating the level of danger.
In South Australia’s Riverina district residents are also being urged to prepare their homes for a hot, dry summer with the Rural Fire Service (RFS) warning ‘catastrophic’ fire days can be expected.
Community safety officer for the Riverina Highlands RFS zone, Peter Jones, says there is likely to be advance notice of the most dangerous rating.
"We can make those warnings that potentially in three to four days we will have a catastrophic day, and that's when we really start to get the message out that the weather conditions will be horrible," he said. "The weather bureau is predicting a lot more of those days when temperatures are well into the 40s and as a result of a passing front we really think that wind speeds up to 100 kilometres per hour are really possible this year."
Scary stuff! Let’s be as careful as we can.

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November 2

Luxury at Last

If you’re travelling on a bit of a budget and have always driven past those facility-laden BIG4 caravan parks with a wistful look, then get prepared for a treat.
The holiday park chain is holding its annual night of FREE camping at participating parks on Friday, November 20. The no-strings deal applies to both powered and unpowered sites at many parks are available across the country.
So, if you’re a bush camping specialist maybe it’s time to get ready for the luxury of a hot shower, to prepare to re-charge those batteries (literally), and to get that growing pile of laundry out of the way. Even if you are caravan park regular, it’s well worth taking advantage of this great offer to save yourself a few dollars.
Click here to see which caravan parks are offering the deal in which state. You can book online.
See you there. 

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October 30

Flocking Together
Wow! Are any of you over near Boulia in Queensland’s far west at the moment? The area is being inundated with what many are calling a beautiful plague ... thousands and thousands of budgerigars!
Apparently, this year’s floods along river systems such as the Diamantina and Georgina sparked prolific breeding by the budgies which have been feasting on an abundance of grass seeds.
Desert Channels Queensland spokesman Steve Wilson said the green budgerigars were "virtually everywhere" in "great big clouds that look like a bee swarm".
The birds, it is said, ‘just seemed to turn up’ after rain brought new life to the region and then began to breed.
"I was in Boulia where I saw 17 pairs nesting in a coolibah tree," Mr Wilson said. "They like hollow logs but the need to breed is dominant and one budgie was sitting on four eggs on the ground."
Boulia grazier Ann Britton says the skies are so thick with budgies that it’s a miracle they don’t  collide with each other.
“From a distance they just look like a huge black cloud,” she said. “Up close they look like the natural green budgie but in the distance they look like a huge black wave ... I have been here since 1983 and never seen anything like it."
Not surprisingly, the phenomenon is drawing tourists and birdwatchers to the area in their droves.
We’d be interested to hear any of your first-hand experiences. It sounds amazing. Drop us a line here to share.
What a truly wonderful and endlessly surprising country we are blessed enough to live and travel in!

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October 28

Live and Let Live
Thanks for all the feedback on last week’s ‘Nomad’ discussing how we all feel about occasionally sharing the joys of the open road with large groups of bikies. And, contrary, to what many would expect, we are not quivering under our awnings living in fear of the distant roar of motorbike engines.
Ben probably summed up the way most of you felt when he wrote: “Leave them alone, give them a wave, live and let live.”
Christine agreed, arguing that the bikers are no threat to other road users and campers, but just appear intimidating in such big groups on Harleys.
And she makes a reassuring point. “These guys are usually on a much bigger mission than terrorising nomads in van parks.”
Well, it seems that the Western Australian police certainly think so. When the Finks Motorcycle Club held its national run in Perth over the weekend, they launched a massive police operation to keep an eye on things.
Tens of thousands of dollars and hundreds of man hours have been spent on the operation in which no arrests were made or charges laid.
However, Assistant Police Commissioner Nick Anticich denied the operation had been a waste of resources.
"You've only got to do a bit of research to understand what these people do and get up to in terms of committing serious crimes,” he said.
Not surprisingly, a spokesman for the Finks had earlier labelled the operation overkill and a waste of taxpayer money.
None of which I guess is really any of our concern. We’ll just leave them alone, give them a wave and live and let live.

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October 27

Park helps Possums
A caravan park in Busselton is helping to save forty-six endangered western ringtail possums.  The possums took up residence in the park to enjoy its peppermint trees, but due to overgrazing the trees, and the possums, are now under threat. 
WA Today reported that a meeting between the caravan park, local council, government agencies and the Busselton Possum Centre worked out a way to solve the problem. 
"New WA peppermint trees would be planted in the caravan park, on the road verge and in the Pioneer Cemetery so as to provide additional habitat for these unique creatures," Busselton Shire president Wes Hartley said after the meeting. "Such plantings would be the beginning of a 10-year plan, including a detailed tree replacement program, as a way of addressing the issue."
Other aspects of the plan involved using trunk collards and other deterrents to minimise grazing on the worst affected trees and nutrient plugs to help other trees to recover.
Kookaburra Caravan Park manager Greg Carr said some trees would need to be removed over the next few years when they reached old age and became a safety hazard for campers.
"The proposed new measures should increase the lifespan of these majestic trees that offer much-needed habitat to the western ringtail possum while also providing a pleasant camping experience to visitors," he said.
It’s great when councils, van parks and environmental groups can work together. We will all benefit from their vision – and it sounds like a nice place to camp as well!

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October 23

A Fair Way between Holes
It’s been five years in the planning but the world’s longest golf course (by some margin, I would imagine) the Nullarbor Links, is open for play.
The  brand new 18-hole, par 72-golf course is nearly 850 miles long stretching from Kalgoorlie in West Australia to Ceduna in South Australia. With tees as much as 75 kilometres apart, the course should take between three and four days to complete.
Players are being warned by marketing-savvy promoters not to hit the wild camels that may occasionally wander the course, to avoid wild wombats who, apparently may steal your golf ball, and to hop out of the way of any trespassing kangaroos.
Well, the course sounds pretty exotic and different and that’s just what The Eyre Highway Operators Association (EHOA), a retail-based community organisation, was hoping when it hatched its cunning plan.
“One of the holes is right smack bang in the middle of a sheep station," Alf Caputo, Nullarbor Links project manager, told the Australian news site Perth Now. "You can actually see the sheep. You can see the shearing shed. You can imagine international tourists will have never seen anything like this in their lives."
The EHOA describes the Nullarbor Links course as offering golfers the “quintessential Australian experience".
But others it seems are not convinced.
"It's the most god-awful piece of dirt in the world," said Graeme Archer, the managing director of The Australia Travel Co. "As a publicity stunt [the course] is brilliant but the reality is that much of the highway is flat as a pancake, straight as an arrow and boring as hell."
We’re interested to know you thoughts. Anyone tempted to break up what some consider to be the monotony of a Nullarbor drive with a long game of golf? Or is this just a blatant publicity stunt? And, anyway, how many of you actually take your golf clubs with you on the Big Lap? All of you golfers, drop us a line to let us know whether taking off on a major trip without your clubs is the ultimate no-no? Email us here.

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October 22

Bikies Head West
It’s enough to send shivers down the spine of any self-respecting grey nomad. The roar of countless motorbike engines shatters the peace of the still night air and dozens of leather clad bikers emerge in a cloud of dust. Gulp!
In actual fact the likelihood of such a scenario playing out at your lonely, idyllic camp is very low and in all probability the reality would be nothing like as bad as we like to imagine.
Certainly, that’s the way it seems the early reports of the Finks motorcycle gang who are on their way to Perth for a national rally this weekend. Up to 200 members are expected to attend and there was a huge police presence as a large group rode across the Western Australian-South Australian border a couple of days ago.
The bikies stayed at the Border Village Caravan Park overnight, where about 30 police officers kept the gang members under close surveillance. But park manager Brian Pike said the scene was relatively sedate.
"They stayed for the night then went straight through,” he said. “There were no problems, just calm as."
Reports said the members were searched by police for three hours and one bikie had his motorcycle seized for riding without a license. The group were also breath tested near Eucla.
The Finks sergeant-at-arms, Ferret, told a radio station last week they were heading to WA to visit their brothers.
"If we come to WA, it's only to show our love and respect to our brothers over there and party with them," Ferret said.
Sounds fair enough but I must say I still hope I don’t run into these fellas out on the road. Is the bikie gang in the middle of the night scenario the ultimate grey nomad nightmare? Have any of you had such an experience? What did you do ? What would you do? Is the bikies’ bite worse than their bite?  Email us here with your thoughts.

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October 20

Viva Agnes Water
As previously reported in the Nomad, the little slice of paradise in Queensland known as Agnes Water is to get back its caravan park ... and that’s great news for thousands of camp loving families and grey nomads.
The old caravan park next to Tom Jeffery Park and Agnes Water's main surfing beach closed down five years ago and has stood empty ever since, robbing the small community of much-needed tourism dollars and almost sending small businesses to the wall.
The plans to develop a luxury resort on the prime site went south with the economic downturn and that’s left the way open for an unexpected  return for an iconic camping spot.
Now, the time for talking is over and workers and machines are in situ working like crazy to restore and revamp the site in time for the Christmas school holidays.
The First Point Agnes Water Retreat caravan park will boast 49 caravan sites, 13 tent sites and a refurbished amenities block. There will also be thirteen beachfront cabins.
During the last five years, the camping grounds at the nearby town of 1770 have regularly been booked out, forcing grey nomads and others to go elsewhere.
Local motel owner Mick Seebacher said thousands of visitors and millions of dollars were lost to the community every year the park was not used and it was “terrific for Agnes Water” that it was back.
 “There's been a real positive response around town,” Tosh Murphy, of the 1770 Group, told the Gladstone Observer. “It's going good, we got council approval and it will be open for Christmas.”
Fantastic news. Does this mean that perhaps ... in an incredibly ironic twist of fate ... they will one day be pulling down luxury beachfront developments to create new van parks and camping areas? If so, we will long remember Agnes Water as the point where the tide turned. Keep your fingers crossed.

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October 19

A Winning Formula
Caravan parks and camping areas have featured strongly in a poll conducted by the RACV to find the best place to stay in Victoria.
The motoring organisation asked holiday-makers to nominate their favourite holiday accommodation for the survey and the website registered almost 70,000 visits during a three-month campaign.
RACV Tourism and Travel General Manager Neil James said holiday parks were a favourite among voters with more than quarter of the top 101 places nominated being caravan parks and camping grounds. Favourite caravan park ... and number 5 overall ... was the Boathaven Holiday Resort at Ebden.
Comments from voters included:
“We love staying at Boathaven for the beautiful tropical pool, having fires at night around the camp site, the fantastic camp kitchen and the beautiful location.”
Coming in at number 7 overall was the Big4 Beacon Resort at Queenscliff.
Comments included:
“A fantastic park providing great facilities/activities for all ages and staff who are very friendly, helpful and welcoming”.
While the poll was for all holidaymakers, and people with young families often favour different sorts of parks - with different sorts of facilities - to the ones that many grey nomads would select, it’s pretty clear that the fundamentals are always the same. Friendly, helpful staff, clean facilities, and good locations.
Simple, isn’t it?

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October 16

Gold Fever Heats Up
There’s always been gold in them thar hills but, now it seems, is as good a time as any to start picking some of it up.
With the gold price soaring above $US1000 an ounce, a little bit of prospecting is a very attractive way of topping up the funds ready for the next leg of the grey nomad adventure. And, it seems, many of you have already decided exactly that.
In places like Kalgoorlie over in Western Australia, stores selling metal detectors, pans, picks and other tools of the trade apparently can't keep up with demand. South Australia-based Minelab Metal Detectors said the reinvigorated gold rush had contributed to a six- to eight-week delay in prospectors getting metal detectors, which cost $6150. I guess all of us struck by gold fever for the first time will have to be patient. But others are already ahead of the game.
"There's bloody modern-day gold rushes going on all over the place, there's some rippers," said Sean Ashcroft, president of the WA Amalgamated Prospectors and Leaseholders Association. “There's big gold patches been found up in the Pilbara a few months back and it's just been on for young and old up there. And there's a few close to Kalgoorlie … at the moment its full-on.”
Mr Ashcroft told the Australian newspaper that he estimates non-corporate gold prospecting, involving metal detecting, surface and other forms of small-scale mining, is worth more than $100 million each year in WA.
Matt Cook owns Finders Keepers Gold Prospecting Adventures, which runs tours to the massive Kalgoorlie Consolidated Gold Mine, better known as the Super Pit, on the edge of town. He also sells prospecting equipment and offers training courses.
"I don't normally see any eastern-states visitors until March, April, May but this year, they were starting to roll in the middle of summer, which is not normally when people come to Kalgoorlie,” he said. “It's pretty amazing the amount of visitors coming through. It's just crazy; there are so many people taking up gold prospecting ... almost double last year."
Amateur gold prospectors can earn more than $1000 a week tax-free, and that’s awfully attractive to a lot of people. Over in Victoria, the story is much the same. Ballarat's Mining Exchange Gold Shop owner Cordell Kent said the number of prospectors heading to the region to try their luck has soared.
"We are seeing prospectors on a daily basis," he said.  "A lot of local people are out prospecting but we are also seeing people outside the Ballarat region heading up into our gold fields." You could say we are 158 years into a continuous gold rush. It spikes quite often but there's always more interest when the price is up."
Mr Kent said though it required patience, gold prospecting could provide a lucrative pastime. "We are blessed in Victoria with a lot of Crown land that has historic gold fields on them, so there's still a lot of surface gold to be found.,” he said. “We have had people who have found quite substantial dollar amounts of gold."
Nonetheless, Stuart Hooper who has been digging through the red dirt near Kalgoorlie for years and making a good living out of gold reckons the time of people like him roaming the bush searching out gold is coming to an end as mining companies take long-term leases on more and more land.
"The day of the small prospector is numbered, I think. The corporates are moving in and I think in another 20 years, the little prospectors just won't be around," he said.
Sounds like we’d better get in there quick.

Have you been struck by gold fever? Are you a veteran who has been reaping the benefits of soaring gold prices? Email us here to share your stories. 

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October 15

Slow boat to boom times

The recent partially-inspired-by-the-economic-downturn boom in caravan and camping has apparently not been felt as acutely across the Bass Strait as it has on the mainland.
Tasmanian holiday park owners are reporting that business in the state is fairly stagnant, with rain and expensive ferry fares deterring would-be visitors.
I guess there’s not much the powers-that-be can do about the rain, though.
The Tasmania Mercury reports new national figures showing online inquiries about caravan and camping sites have increased 31 per cent nationwide during the past 12 months. Apparently, online business directory TrueLocal.com.au says the economic downturn is causing Australians to forego overseas in favour of cheaper domestic options.
But Martin McConnon, of Barilla Holiday Park at Cambridge In Tassie is not seeing it. And he says it is the Bass Strait itself that is preventing Tasmania from benefiting from the rise in domestic travel.
"We're not cashing in on this caravan boom because they can't get to us," Mr McConnon said.  "I can't see business increasing because we don't have availability on the boats."
He bemoaned the State Government's decision to scrap the Sydney to Hobart ferry, saying the money brought in by the extra visitors more than made up for the financial losses suffered by the service.
"We invested in the business in the past when there were three ferries but I'm not looking at investing any more in the powered-site industry," Mr McConnon told the Tasmania Mercury.
While similar operations were flourishing interstate, Mr McConnon said his business only grew 1 per cent over the past year.
Statistics released by TrueLocal.com.au showed Victoria and Queensland were the most popular spots for caravanners and campers, followed by New South Wales.
Are you being scared off Tassie by the ferry fares? Do you think the incredible beauty there makes it a price worth paying? Is the state’s reputation for poor weather the real problem? Email us here to share your views on Tassie’s supposed relative lack of visitors.

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October 14

The Whole Package
Thanks to all of you who responded to the recent ‘Nomad’ about the Big Question ... as in why do grey nomads hit the road. The general consensus was that it was an impossible task to try to put such a large and diverse group of interesting individuals in a box with a label.
Annie’s response was fairly typical.
“I think a fair few of us do this because we are a bit outside of the box as it were,” she wrote. “Make more friends, see more places, experience all sorts of work options, have more time... the pluses go on!”
Spot on, Annie. But just as we assert our individuality and uniqueness under the larger grey nomad banner, the tendency of others to clump us together as one unthinking flock grows.
A recent piece in the Townsville Bulletin was a classic of the genre.
“The grey nomads are heading south,” it began. “It's a migration that is even more telling than Christmas is on its way from festive season decorations going up in the stores. The travelling hordes are heading back to their southern homelands where they will graze away the summer in RSL and bowls clubs, waiting for April when once again they will instinctively start the long haul northwards to the land of winter sunshine, battling pot-holed roads and risking life, limb and $300,000 mobile homes as they pass semi-trailers on the north's notorious narrow bridges.”
Are we really all that predictable? Do we all drive those luxury rigs? 
The paper spoke to a tourism expert form the Gulf fishing port of Karumba.
“The town's caravan parks are now empty ... they've all gone,” said Billy Rutherford. “As soon as it started getting hot, they bolted.''
I guess newspaper columnists further south will now start looking for easy copy and cheap laughs writing about the terrible driving habits of all grey nomads next.
Sigh!

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October 13

No Free for All
It seems like our friends across the Tasman Sea are facing similar challenges to ourselves when it comes to the gradual demise of free camping opportunities.
Freedom camping as it is known in New Zealand is coming under threat from new regulations and by-laws which threaten transgressors with  fines and unwelcome visits from council rangers.
The latest move – to outlaw ‘freedom camping’ such as pitching a tent on the beach or parking by the side of the road on the Coromandel Peninsula which lies within striking distance of Auckland on the North Island has outraged caravan lovers and campervan owners.
Those found free camping instead of staying overnight at designated camping grounds will from now be slapped with a $40 fine, says a new bylaw from the Thames Coromandel District Council.
Already exclamations of outrage have come from the tourism industry, who reject any blanket moves which have the potential to cripple the newly recovering holiday sector.
And the Kiwi campers are ready to fight.
"The issuing of infringement notices is only the start of the problem for Council," said Dick Waters, New Zealand Motor Caravan Association President. "The legal battles that this by-law will generate will be mammoth. What is camping and what is parking overnight in a registered motorhome vehicle fully compliant with all regulations?"
Labelling the move ‘backwards’ he asks how camping will be defined and how a by-law can overrule a Government Act and, crucially, what the flow-on effect will be on the area’s tourism image.
The NZCMA estimates that family groups spend over $90 million dollars throughout NZ in any one year, and considering many of those fall under the camping and motorhome category, Mr Waters suggests that these new laws could detract from Coromandel's appeal.
KEA Campers adds that this move is ill-advised, ill-timed, and may not necessarily help the council's eco-management ideals.
"Blanket bans of this sort ignore operators who advocate a leave-no-trace approach to nature tourism, and ensure every area of their business adheres to principles of sustainability," adds KEA Campers CEO, Grant Brady. "These bans send a message that New Zealand is making it harder for visitors to enjoy its natural heritage, at a time when we should be encouraging people to fall in love with our beautiful country."
Too right, Grant. Nonetheless, it seems that the economic downturn is having a similar effect in New Zealand as it is having here and in other parts of the world ... people are embracing the caravanning and camping holiday-at-home culture.
Department of Conservation programme manager Peter Carter, who oversees campsites in the Coromandel, said there had been many early inquiries about camping and he was expecting to have to turn people away this summer.
"Last year our rangers noticed a lot of new campers coming in and we don't know if it's the recession,” he said. “Perhaps DoC campsites are becoming more sought-after as people look for cheaper holidays.”
Yes, Peter, I’m sure DoC campsites are affordable compared to a nice hotel room or an overseas airline ticket, but a lot less so when compared to the under-threat delights of ‘freedom’ camping.

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October 12

Parasite Warning
There’s growing alarm about a parasite that is infecting people in Australia's north, including it seems travellers like grey nomads.
Some people are even calling Strongyloides a silent killer that is not being taken seriously enough by health authorities.
The parasite, a worm only 2-2.5 mm long, crawls in through intact skin and breeds in the body indefinitely. According to the ABC, it makes people sick, and if they are given the wrong drugs it can be fatal.
The available evidence suggests more than a third of people in some remote Northern Territory communities have it.
Strongyloides travels in faeces and in the soil or grass where sanitation is bad.  It burrows through intact skin and crawls up into the heart and lungs, before being coughed and swallowed into the gut, where it breeds indefinitely.
One Australian study tracked returned prisoners of war, and found they were still carrying strongyloides 35 years later.
Medical texts list symptoms from rashes to abdominal pain or breathing difficulties, and say if people with strongyloides are given immuno suppressive drugs, it can be fatal.
West Australian pathologist Miles Beaman has seen cases of grey nomads bringing strongyloides back from their travels in the territory and it going undiagnosed.
“Because the doctors they have initially consulted aren't familiar with acute strongyloidiasis, the diagnosis has often taken many months to be made,” he said. “Some of these patients have even seen gastrointestinal specialists and still the diagnosis hasn't been made.”
Mr Beaman says that as the parasite can actually penetrate intact skin,  just walking barefoot say on the lawn at a caravan park is all you'd need to get strongyloidiasis.
The manual the Northern Territory Government gives doctors  says that people with the parasite should be treated  once they show symptoms.
However , the  instructions given in the medical textbook Harrison's says "even in the asymptomatic state" it must be treated because of the potential for fatal "hyperinfection". Campaigners are, unsurprisingly, calling for a much more pro-active approach to combating the epidemic.
But the Territory's Health Department believes other diseases are more important, and that limited health dollars are better spent elsewhere.
"There are other, more important priorities," the Health Department's Dr Peter Markey said. "There's diabetes, there's heart disease, there's rheumatic heart disease which kills people."
Health Minister Kon Vatskalis believes a special education campaign is not needed because general hygiene campaigns should get the necessary message across.
"We continue to run campaigns about hygiene, washing hands, washing vegetables, don't let dogs come into the houses," he said.
If awareness is key in beating this issue, then please let’s be aware. This sounds like a nasty one that we want to avoid at all costs. Let’s put our shoes or thongs on, and hope that action will be taken by the authorities to eradicate this problem which is clearly having a massive, and sometimes tragic, impact on many communities in the north. If anyone is interested in learning more about other parasites in northern Australia such as hookworms, there is a discussion on our forum in the 'Health and Wellbeing' section (http://www.activeboard.com/forum.spark?aBID=51933&p=3&topicID=30645879)

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October 9

The Big Question
Okay guys, we know you’re all out there. We see you cheerfully waving as we pass you on the highway; you give us some great tips on where the great camping spots are; we chew the fat chat with you at the amenities block; and we even have the odd happy hour beverage together ... but why are we grey nomads out on the road?
Of course, everybody is different and we all have our own personal circumstances that led us to answer the call of the wild! Nonetheless, that doesn’t stop some people from trying to work out what makes a grey nomad tick ... or travel. In 2005, an academic study by Onyx and Leonard attempted to list the grey nomad motivations to travel ... and they even spoke to some real travellers. They reasons listed for embarking on a grey nomad adventure were:

1. Freedom - to go at own pace, independent, make own choices.
   “We don’t travel more than 200 km per day because we’ve got the time now. You’ve got time to smell the flowers as they say.” (Female, 52).
   
2. Adventure – discovering new places, diversity of landforms.
   “There is still a lot of frontiers left…you can go out in the desert, be miles from anywhere and you can go places with a 4wd that not too many other people have been…yes, adventure, and the people you meet in places like this. It’s fantastic.” (Male, 68)
   
3. Beauty – scenery, desert, sunsets, rich birdlife, stars at night, wonder at vastness and diversity of the country.
    “Just seeing Australia, like just seeing the sun go down on those rocks…look at that colour, isn’t it beautiful” (Couple, both 63)
   
4. Learning – about history of various towns and geophysical landforms.
   “I paint as I travel, learning about the culture, the history, the geography, the animals and birds, I’ve taken hundreds of photos of different birds of which I do paintings…some are in galleries.” (Male, 69)
   
5. Social networks – majority travelled with spouse (93%).
   Meeting other people was important, word of mouth important for best places to visit and stay.
    “Once you camp somewhere and you get to know your neighbour and you really talk to them. We’ve kept in contact with a few of them …from all walks of life. (Female, 60).
   
   So, has that got you guys covered? Any other reasons you are travelling? Or do you think it is both unnecessary and impossible to pigeon-hole such a broad range of people from such a broad range of backgrounds? Email us here with your thoughts.

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October 8

Crocodile tears
Thanks to all of you who emailed in following yesterday’s ‘Nomad’ about the amazing crocodile attack in Kakadu National Park.
It seems that there is plenty of evidence to suggest that many fishermen and our fellow travellers are still engaging in outrageous and outright dangerous behaviour in croc country despite the numerous warnings and obvious perils. Commonsense it seems can be a rare commodity. While the most recent attack was – incredibly – not fatal, the next one may well be. And, until people learn to respect their environment and the dangers that exist in it – there most certainly will be a ‘next one’.
Many of you were also keen to draw attention to the fact that just a few days earlier, Environment Minister Peter Garrett had executed what the papers like to call “a death roll” on safari crocodile hunting plans in the Northern Territory.
Mr Garrett rejected a draft saltwater crocodile management plan, released in April by the NT government, which proposed a five-year trial to allow tourists to hunt up to 25 large crocs.
The Sydney Morning Herald reported that, if successful, the moves would have legalised the game hunting of crocs for the first time since 1971, with local Aboriginal communities set to benefit from money generated by the safaris.
Safari hunters were expected to pay up to $25,000 for safari hunts. The NT Government had asked the Commonwealth to allow the hunting of crocodiles with a minimum size of 3.5 metres. Hunters would have used rifles fitted with telescopic sights and shots aimed at the head would have had to be taken at no more than 50 metres from the animal.
An indigenous guide would have then been available back up the hunter “with arms to shoulder” to finish off the crocodile in the event the hunter only wounded it.
However, Mr Garrett used his powers to quash the plan, saying it was not a viable way to manage the reptiles. The number of salties are believed to have swelled from 3,000 to 75,000 in the last 30 years.
"My strong view was that safari hunting for crocodiles was not an effective management plan to deal with issues around the management of crocodile populations," Mr Garrett said.
Instead, the minister accepted other aspects of the management plan, including the harvesting of 50,000 eggs, 400 juveniles and 500 hatchlings.
Do you think Mr Garrett has made the right decision? Does something have to be done to control the crocodile population? What can be done … or should be done … to control the reckless behaviour of some travellers in croc country? Email us here.

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October 7

The Great Escape
You have to say there are some awfully brave and quick-thinking fellow campers out there ... and that’s reassuring to know in case you ever find yourself in a fix when out on the road.
Case in point is the amazing escape this week of a 57-year-old man from the jaws of a croc at a croc-infested billabong in Kakadu National Park. The foolhardy camper was ignoring the park's crocodile warning signs and taking a bit of a risky dip when he was attacked.
He told police later that the croc latched on to his armwhen he put it out in front of him in an attempt to protect himself. Campers on the other side of the bank then jumped in a boat and went out and dragged the man to safety. His rescuers took him to his nearby campsite and provided medical treatment.
The man, who is travelling through the NT from Western Australia, suffered bone-deep puncture wounds to his right arm.
According to a report in the Northern Territory News, the attack happened at the bush campsite at Bucket Billabong off the Arnhem Highway near Jabiru, about 250km southeast of Darwin.
The victim is understood to have driven himself to the Jabiru Health Clinic to receive further treatment about noon and was discharged about three hours later.
According to eyewitness the man suffered what was called a ‘significant’ bite rather than just a nip.
Territory Police Duty Superintendent John Emeny said the man is lucky to have survived to tell his story.
"He's a silly boy, because the area is signposted and infested with crocs," he said.
The attack comes just three days after the Northern Territory News ran a story “Don't say you weren't warned” telling of large crocs being in an area where fishos have been photographed wading.
It beggars belief, doesn’t it?  

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October 6

Grounds for Camping
It’s no secret that more and more of our historic and much-loved beachfront caravan parks are shutting down for one reason or another. And, I guess it’s no secret either that – when new ‘replacement’ parks do open a few kilometres away from the prime development land once occupied by happy camper like you and I - it’s more often than not the new the bells and whistles resort-style parks … not always the first choice of many budget-minded grey nomads.
Being all that as it may, it’s still a little surprising – and worrying – to hear tourism bigwigs hail these new resort-style, away-from-the-beach, parks as the future of Australian camping.
And that’s what’s happened following the opening of the new Big 4 Bellarine Holiday Park at Marcus Hill in Victoria, with tourism operators claiming the unique framework of the park will change the way the industry looks at accommodation.
Bellarine Tourism president Hugo Armstrong said the central position of the park was a step away from the traditional beachside caravan parks.
"I think there's room for both models but being in a farming area between Queenscliff, Ocean Grove, Drysdale and Point Lonsdale gives families so many easily accessible options for their holiday," Mr Armstrong told the Geelong Advertiser "For the sheer size of the project they'll need that farmland as well, and that's something they wouldn't be able to get within a town boundary."
With at least five caravan parks on the Surf Coast and Bellarine closing throughout the past 10 years, Bellarine Park owner Tim Bone said location was an important part of the project.
“Quite simply a lot of caravan parks are based in prime real estate that developers want to get their hands on," Mr Bone said. "With this holiday park we wanted to avoid those areas and go for somewhere central with a lot of free space."
Mr Bone said feedback from seasoned travellers had revealed the park was a one of a kind in Australia.
"The most pleasing thing is we get people who have travelled the country that tell us they've never seen anything like this," Mr Bone said. "It's been a long time coming but we're really pleased with the result."
The Geelong Advertiser says the park was built to be family friendly, and the grounds include an indoor swimming pool, a toddler play room, football and soccer goals, a movie room and a walking track.
"What we want to ensure is that there is something for everyone to do," said owner Sophie Bone.
"The kids have the pool and the playroom, older people have bocce and croquet and we're working on a room for teenagers as well."
Mr Armstrong said the opening of the park was a major step forward for Bellarine tourism.
"It's huge for the Bellarine because people will get word that this place is top of the range and will want to visit the region just because of it."
So, is this the future of camping in Australia? Will the prospect of bocce and croquet entice you to stay at Big 4 Bellarine? Is there, as the Bellarine tourism chief claims, room for both camping models that gives everyone a bit of what they want, or is this just a case of campers being effectively forced away from free natural attractions in order to stay at places surrounded by  with artificial, man-made and costly attractions?  Isn’t this the exact opposite of what camping should be about? Email us here with your views.

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October 2

The Alice Wants You
If there are any of you feeling the pinch from that sinking super, then there ls at least one Aussie town that reckons it’s got just the job for you.
Alice Springs has issued a call for any hard-working adventurous Aussies seeking a change of pace to pull up stumps and move to the iconic Centralian town.
The "Alice: Get a Life" campaign - launched yesterday - is targeting people across the nation looking for a job and a change. And the reason behind the campaign? Well, as mayor Damien Ryan sees it, there are jobs going begging in The Alice - nearly 100 were advertised last week alone.
And here’s where we could come in. Because the town's rental and housing market is tight as a drum, Alice Springs is particularly on the look-out for people in caravans.
Mr Ryan said this covers anyone from those affected by the Black Saturday bushfires, or people forced by the global financial crisis to downsize, to the ubiquitous grey nomads.
"We're just saying if you want to try something different ... spend a year here," he said.
So, as long as you are keen to work and can tow your home there, head to the Centre.
The Northern Territory Newspaper is even comparing the call for workers to an epic American-style migration call.
“So, as the sonnet engraved inside America's Statue of Liberty puts it,” says the newspaper, “'the homeless, tempest-tost' should visit www.alicegetalife.com.au for more information.”

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September 30

Opera in the Outback
Just because we spend our days and nights battling through clouds of red dust, taking torchlit jaunts to the drop dunny, and swallowing mouthfuls of pesky flies with our lunch, doesn’t mean we can’t take in a bit of culture on the road, does it? No, of course, it doesn’t.
Case in point. I expect to see crowds of you at Undara in northern Queensland next month dressed to the nines (and wearing grey nomad stickers on your suits and dresses) enjoying the ninth Opera in the Outback event. I’ll let the official website paint the picture.
“As the sun slowly makes its way below the distant horizon of the tropical savannah bushland, the stage is set for some of Australia’s most accomplished operatic performers to shine.”
Wow! The event takes place on October 8-10 in the stunning Ooramin Place Amphitheatre which will apparently echo with the sounds of Melbourne based opera company, Opera, in a performance promising to be as grand as the starlit sky of the Gulf Savannah.
Friday night will begin with the lighter of the two evenings featuring classic Broadway and light opera entitled “Timeless Tunes – Ancient Land”. The main event will be the Saturday night performance of Puccini’s classic “La Bohème”.
For the first time, the event will begin with a theatre performance of locally written play “When the Wheels fall off the World” on the Thursday night.
 Unlike opera-house dress codes, anything goes for the Opera in the Outback - from black-tie to casual.
It sounds all very Australian, doesn’t it? Be warned though, prices aren’t cheap. Get more info from res@undara.com.au
Are any of you planning a trip out to the event? Drop us a line here to let us know if you are going or have been there in previous years. Oh, and those of you who were in Winton last Friday for the Dunny Derby should still be able to make it!

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September 29

Take Care in the Country
Just following on from last week’s ‘Nomad’ about the perceived ill-preparedness of some grey nomads for driving long distances in rural Australia, a recent article in Sydney’s Daily Telegraph illustrates the scope of the dangers in all too graphic fashion.
The piece revealed that sixty-nine people have lost their lives in the western police region of New South Wales in fewer than nine months. Almost seven lives a month have been taken away, affecting the future of hundreds. And you can bet your bottom dollar that the stats would be broadly similar in other parts of rural Australia.
Apparently, in one awful 48-hour period a week or so ago, four people died in three separate accidents, including a road-safety campaigner and former country mayor. Three weeks earlier, in a horror smash near Parkes, four lives were taken in one accident. It could have been more, with one couple lucky to survive a side-swipe and car rollover.
The story, written by 2UE radio personality Steve Price, said single-vehicle accidents with solo drivers featured prominently in the western region's road accident statistics. He said some of the accidents have ended up with vehicles hitting trees, suggesting either fatigue or vehicle failure.
Unfortunately, it seems the rising country road toll is largely being put down to tiredness or motorists being unable to handle road conditions ... and that inevitably leads to mention of the grey nomads.
“Increasing numbers of retired Australians are taking to the country's bush roads after a life of driving on suburban streets and many of these retirees simply hook caravans to the back of four-wheel-drive vehicles and go bush,” Mr Price said. “It seems many of them underestimate the distances they need to travel, the condition of the roads and the dangers waiting for them out there. People try to travel too far in a day and get fatigued, driving into late evening with blinding sunsets and wildlife posing dangers.”
He points out that unlike most professional, licensed drivers who must maintain log books and strict driving hours, what he calls “these happy-go-lucky adventurers” just take off without being taught how to safely tow heavy caravans or drive bulky camper-vans properly.
Mr Price’s article is not just another grey nomad driver bashing article. It appears to be borne out of genuine anguish at the tragedies that unfold on our country roads with alarming regularity.
He is at pains to point out that it is not just the grey nomads posing the problem.
“In the Outback, massive road trains thunder along inadequate roads that are either poorly maintained or not maintained at all, trying to meet impossible deadlines for bosses,” he writes. “We also have P-plate novices with no country driving experience and, as always, the drunks and speed demons.”
The answer. Well top policeman, Assistant Commissioner Steve Bradshaw, says we all need to slow down, to think what we are doing, and take more care in planning long trips.
And he also has a warning about driver distractions like mobile phones and CD players. People get too easily distracted and cruise control and air-conditioning in modern cars have also made it easier to lose concentration.
The death toll is real. The anguish felt by the numerous families touched by deaths on our country roads is raw and frightening. However ready we think we are, however careful we think we are being, we must all ask ourselves if we can do more to keep ourselves and others safe on the roads.  It’s not about blaming one section of the driving public, it’s about all of us standing up and doing what we can. As Mr Price rightly points out, if the same death toll was caused from violent crime, drug abuse, or a deadly disease, there would be a national outcry. Let’s all do our bit

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September 25

The Drive for Safer Roads
We all know that jokes about grey nomads and their driving habits have become pretty standard for the normally younger, seemingly-always-in-a-rush, breed of road user. And while it’s easy to brush it all off with a shrug and a “they’ll learn” thought or comment, is there an uncomfortable grain of truth beneath the snide remarks?
How prepared really are we to tackle the rigours of driving large rigs on unfamiliar roads for sometimes ridiculously long distances? Well, the Queensland University of Technology Centre for Accident Research and Road Safety has investigated the issue, and its recent report suggests we may not be as ready as we should be.
Indeed, the Centre’s recent reports says many older drivers are ill prepared take to the road for their dream trip round Australia, and have had little experience in caravan-towing or driving in rural conditions.
Psychology student Nadine Brayley and Dr Patricia Obst surveyed 631 travellers aged 55 and over who classified themselves as "grey nomads" (about 30 per cent) or "recreational vehicle travellers" (younger group) about their health and their preparation for and knowledge of safe driving towing a large vehicle on rural roads.
“While 92 per cent of our survey sample towed caravans only about 50 per cent of them had had extensive towing experience,” Dr Obst said. “And most had had little experience in driving on unsealed or narrow, bitumen roads.”
Ms Brayley said obvious gaps were found in rural driving road safety knowledge when survey participants were asked about dealing with road trains, wildlife on the road, or strong cross winds when towing a long vehicle.
“However, only 36 per cent said they felt a high need for further information on safe driving,” Ms Brayley said. “There are formal road safety courses available for towing large vehicles and driving in rural and remote areas but participants said they preferred to get information in less formal, costly and time-consuming ways.”
Dr Obst said another area of concern was that although a health scare had been the catalyst for taking off to see the world for many participants, 78 per cent did not take first aid kits and most rated their first aid knowledge as only 'adequate' or 'low'.
“They also carried little safety equipment. Their most common safety item was a communication device - 50 per cent had Next G mobiles, 60 per cent had receiver radios and 35 per cent had laptops with mobile broadband,” she said.
Dr Obst said grey nomads were not a defined population on crash databases so no specific road crash statistics existed for them.
The study was prompted by concerns that no one had studied grey nomads' road safety issues and the effects a combination of age-related deterioration, driving large vehicles, towing and unfamiliar roads had on grey nomads' involvement in road crashes.
“Grey nomads cannot use the normal mechanisms older drivers use to compensate for age-related deterioration such as limited driving in familiar places and conditions,” Dr Obst said.
“Although not wanting to attend formal courses, 92 per cent of survey participants wanted further information on a host of road safety and health issues including the safest ways to drive on different road widths, rural road etiquette, for example when dealing with fast and slow vehicles on narrow roads, as well as information on towing and preventing driver fatigue.”
The centre’s findings has prompted a call for free driving and safety education at places where  travellers meet such as caravan parks.
Any thoughts anyone? Email us here.

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September 24

A Rig Revolution?
Here’s an interesting one for all you lovers of ground-breaking rig designs. The Heku CarCamp is a cross between a fifth wheeler, a motorhome and a caravan and it’s being hailed as the perfect way to eliminate the ‘snaking’ experience that drivers feel when towing a caravan.
It basically entails a specially fitted ‘caravan-like’ housing unit being coupled with a standard Opel Astra. It is attached to the car by two towbars on the side, to give a snug fit. The housing isn't welded to the car so removing a few screws will detach your home on wheels. Heku says this results in an aerodynamic profile that gives the CarCamp stability and handling similar to a large sedan.  The company says the CarCamp has the ability to travel safely at speeds of 120km/h.
Is this the solution to some of the driving stability concerns that grey nomads have on long drives when a giant road train whizzes by in the opposite direction? Only time will tell. Please drop us a line if you spot one of these machines on the open road ... but with prices ranging from $74,000 to $95,000 ... we’re not holding our breath!
Will the Heku CarCamp catch on? Email us here with your views.

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September 22

A Late Great Drive?
Well, a claim by a tourism bigwig that that The Grand Pacific Drive (GPD) - which currently wends its way along the way the southern News South Wales coast - could easily knock the Great Ocean Road off its perch as one of the country's most scenic routes has raised a few eyebrows.
The GPD begins at the Royal National Park and skirts along the eastern coast for some 150 kilometres to Nowra. However, Tourism Wollongong chairman Jim Eddy says he is working with travel industry groups in the Eurobodalla Shire and organisers of the Sydney Melbourne Touring campaign to extend the Grand Pacific Drive signposting all the way along the coast into Victoria.
"If you extend it through to Melbourne, it is a spectacular drive and much longer than the Great Ocean Road," Mr Eddy says.  “When you compare the scenic qualities of the Grand Pacific Drive, it is far superior to the Great Ocean Road.”
Yikes! It’s a big claim and a bold to move to challenge the seemingly unquestionable supremacy of the Great Ocean Road, which incidentally stretches just 243km from Torquay, south of Geelong, to Allansford, east of Warrnambool.
But Mr Eddy goes further. While even its biggest critics have to admit that  the Great Ocean Road’s highlights, including the Twelve Apostles, Great Otway National Park and some of Australia's highest sea cliffs are highly impressive, the Tourism Wollongong chief reckons the weather somewhat takes the gloss of nature’s handiwork.
"I have done the Great Ocean Road about three or four times and I have only had one day that was a beautiful day with that mist that settles around the Apostles," Mr Eddy told the Illawarra Mercury. "The rest of the time, the weather was dreadful."
The newspaper then gets in on the act by attacking the “notoriously bad” summer traffic along the Great Ocean Road, and claiming that Victoria's famed Twelve Apostles are “falling to bits”.
Wow! The gloves are really coming off, it seems. From national treasure to congested, crumbling, foggy disappointment in one blistering assault.
The Grand Pacific Drive champions claim that their favoured route boasts, in a much smaller area, the Five Islands, Royal National Park, the Sea Cliff Bridge, some world-class beaches, and the Kiama blowhole.
Mr Eddy said with a bit of money to spend on marketing, the Grand Pacific Drive could become a key route for us grey nomads.
"The Victorian Government has spent an absolute fortune on the Great Ocean Road, including the walking trails and the tourist facilities along the route and we have spent next to nothing on the Grand Pacific Drive, except a bit of signage," Mr Eddy said. "So the potential for the Grand Pacific Drive is enormous."
Right then. A couple of issues raised here which you can help us sort out.
Firstly, is the Grand Pacific Drive as wonderful as Mr Eddy claims and should it be on all of our must-drive lists? Secondly, was it unnecessary and unwise to attack the attributes of a national icon instead of just focusing on the positives of what is clearly another spectacular coastal drive?
And thirdly, is the Great Ocean Road really an over-rated, over-hyped piece of road which doesn’t deserve the almost unquestioned adulation which is routinely heaped upon it?
It’s an interesting topic. Email us here to have your say.

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September 20

A Good Move
As one or two of our illustrious forum members have found, moving campervans from Point A to Point B for rental companies can be a great way to enjoy a very cheap trip.
There has reportedly been a 50 per cent rise in the number of requests for relocations since the onset of the economic downturn ... and time-flexible grey nomads are often at the front of the queue.
Around this time there are plenty of campervan relocation opportunities as many rental companies needing to get vehicles to certain places in time for the upcoming school holidays.
“Just before Christmas and Easter there's also a lot of relocations going on,” said DriveNow.com.au managing director, Russell Matters. “Every winter everybody heads north and in summer people tend to congregate south so after the summer season they have to get campervans up to places like Cairns, Darwin and Broome, and at the end of winter they need to get places like Melbourne, Tasmania and Perth.”
Mr Matters told News International that van re-locating volunteers needed to get a vehicle to a destination by a certain time but there is some flexibility.
“A typical relocation from Sydney to Melbourne would be in the three-day range so you do have the opportunity to do some touring, but not a great deal,” he said. ”It suits people who are looking at getting to a destination and enjoying that destination ... you get to see a bit of the countryside.”
News International spoke to one happy camper, Mark Liddle was happy to relocate a campervan from his hometown to Sydney and enjoy the sights with his travelling companion Jess Kaufman along the way.
They hired a four berth Britz campervan with air-conditioning, a gas stove and microwave through standbycars.com.au for a measly $5 a day.
“We had a fair bit of stuff to bring and this allowed us to do it cheaply and to have a nice trip,” Mark said.  “It's not a leisurely holiday because you have to do a fair bit of driving, but waking up in a campervan on a totally remote beach that you have all to yourself is just cool.”
We hear you there, Mark. We hear you there.

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September 17

Camping Out is In
With events like the Penrith Caravan, Camping and Holiday Expo which ended last weekend  experiencing record crowds and exhibitors reporting record sales, people are queuing up to hail the dawn of a new ‘camping is king’ era.
Not least among them is Deputy Chair of the Tourism Industry Council and CEO of the Caravan and Camping Industry Association, Barry Baillie.
“Unlike other tourism sectors which have suffered in visitation over the past year, caravan and camping tourism has experienced increased interest from first time campers as well as avid enthusiasts looking for more affordable getaways,” he says.  “Australians continue to travel, but now they are looking for holidays that won’t break the bank and that will still offer the entire family a unique experience.”
And that means we’ll have more company in the campsites as more value conscious consumers hit the road instead of the skies.
Apparently, camping specialist, Anaconda, reported increases in sales of 40% in comparison to the 2008 Penrith Expo while camper trailer manufacturers, The Complete Campsite, also reported an increase of 40% in sales in addition to a significant number of post Expo sales.
Aidan Saggers from 7th Street Caravans also exhibited at the Penrith Expo and commented that the company had quadrupled their sales in comparison to sales figures from the 2008 show.
 “The abolition of stamp duty by the NSW Government in July this year has really had a positive impact on caravan sales over the past two months as well as at the Penrith Expo,” Mr Saggers said.
Caravan and camping tourism has been the fastest growing domestic tourism sector in Australia for some years and is tipped to boost the slump in domestic tourism in years to come.
Well, we sure ain’t going to be lonely out there, are we?

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September 16

Farewell to a Trailblazer
I know like many of you, I was deeply saddened to hear of the death of Mike Leyland earlier this week.
Mike – who was 68 – and his brother Mal were widely credited with inspiring the grey nomad phenomenon with their quirky TV travel shows back in the ’70s and ’80s. Their popularity was at its peak when the Outback was still seen as a forbidding, remote frontier, and their documentaries brought it into people's homes and got everyone clued up on just what a four-wheel-drive could do and where it could go.
Mike – who died of complications of Parkinson's disease – and Mal were best known for their television show ‘Ask The Leyland Brothers’ which ran from 1976 to 1984 and, at the peak of its popularity, was watched by more than 2.5 million people.
The series is said to have bridged a cultural chasm between the city and country life, offering city folk a chance to write in and “ask the Leyland brothers'' to visit parts of Australia they could only dream of.
In many ways, the Leyland brothers blazed a trail that many of us have, in some small way, followed.
The replica of Uluru that many of you will have passed on the Pacific Highway at Karuah, north of Newcastle, was actually built by the brothers. The pair plunged their family savings into a 40-hectare theme park there in 1990 but sadly lost $3 million in the venture and went bankrupt in 1992.
Mike Leyland, an adventurer and a character, will be missed, but his legacy certainly lives on ... and we - and our generally tamer on-the-road escapades - are all proof of that.

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September 15

Fumes Spark Blaze
Well, this picture supplied by the Northern Territory Police really says it all, doesn’t it?
Caravans, motorhomes and trailers can go up in flames in minutes, if not seconds, and the photographed horror incident on the Stuart Highway this week demonstrates that fact perfectly.
It happened at the Banka Banka Station, 110 kilometres north of Tennant Creek. Police say a 35-year-old man was putting fuel into a generator when some fumes caught fire. The caravan caught quickly alight causing a gas bottle inside it to explode.
The man managed to rescue his wife and two children - aged three and one - who were inside the caravan at the time but he suffered burns to his arms and legs during the incident. He was flown to Alice Springs Hospital for treatment and is said to be in a stable condition.
His 30-year-old wife also suffered minor burns..
And, as you might have guessed, the fire completely destroyed the caravan and the four-wheel drive car attached to it.
Obviously, the whole incident – although extremely nasty – could have been a whole lot worse.
Let’s all be that extra bit more careful and extra bit more vigilant.

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September 14

An Auction Plan
The iconic Seawinds Caravan Park at Blacks Beach near Mackay – which has been under the same ownership for 27 years – has been finally sold ... but grey nomads will still be able to call the idyllic spot ‘home’ when they are in the area.
Despite fears that a developer would muscle in on this little slice of paradise and build luxury tourist cabins, the new owners are apparently planning to keep Seawinds as a caravan park.
A group of buyers from Victoria, represented by their agent Craig Dawson, shelled out well over two-and-a-half million dollars for the 2.274 hectare property which has 80 metres of beach front. It has council approval for 72 beach houses and is zoned Special Activities (Tourism) that means it cannot be used for private homes.
The park, which has been owned by Cheryl Bowland and her husband for nearly three decades  generated a net profit of $272,000 last financial year. This year it is expected to generate a profit of $300,000.
With figures like that, it should come as no surprise that the place will be kept operating as a caravan park ... but it does. It begs the question that if a park in Mackay can be so wonderfully viable then why can’t the other fast disappearing beachfront camping spots? Hopefully, this means the end of the development madness that has seen so many wonderful parks demolished and built over, and so many future holidaymakers denied the opportunity to enjoy these magnificent coastal parks the way we have.

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September 10

Wonderful Walgett
The small community of Walgett, west of Moree in inland northern New South Wales, is hatching a cunning plan to lure more grey nomads to town.
The council is developing two primitive camping grounds for overnight or short stay visitors. Eight camp sites will be created at the Collarenebri Showground and sporting ground, along with a caravan dump point. And four camp sites will be established at Trevallion Park in Walgett.
Mayor Ian Woodcock told the ABC that neither town has a caravan park and he hopes the sites will encourage travellers to stop.
"There are always people looking for somewhere to camp and just camp overnight, so they just don't pull over on the side of the road,” he said. “At Trevallion Park, they've made it available and called it a primitive camping area where there's only just a certain number of people or caravans or units can park there for the night but it's very helpful to them."
He says the camp sites could also be popular with pickers during the harvest season.
"People move from one area to another with their harvesting gear and that, they need somewhere to pull up,” he said. “These areas will also be very handy for those types of situations."
Hats off to Walgett Shire Council for putting some thought into how they can make life easier for long-term travellers and perhaps persuade them to stay a while. It’s not rocket science though, is it? Simply offer people a place to camp rather than taking those areas that already exist away from them. Other blatantly less grey nomad welcoming towns should take note.

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September 8

Traps Deadly for Platypus
Blimey! It seems that we may inadvertently be putting a number of our iconic Aussie creatures at risk and we’ve been asked to change our ways.
It seems that ‘opera house’ traps and different kinds of enclosed yabby traps are killing platypus, as well as other native species such as turtles, Australian water-rats and water birds ... and grey nomads are among those at whom the finger of suspicion is being pointed.
According to a conservation coalition, including the Australian Platypus Conservancy and the Wildlife Preservation Society of Queensland, up to five dead platypuses have been recovered from a single trap and ways are being sought to reduce the death toll. 
Platypuses are particularly vulnerable to being killed because yabbies form part of their natural diet.
 “Once lured into a trap, a platypus will drown in less than three minutes,” said Dr Melody Serena from the Australian Platypus Conservancy.  “If a breeding female is killed in this way during the summer months (which is the most common time of the year for such traps to be set) then any dependent babies waiting in the nursery burrow for her return will slowly starve to death”.
While the platypus is not regarded as a threatened species, numbers have already declined in many places because of habitat degradation, while prolonged drought and major floods are creating further difficulties.  In this context, unnecessary deaths caused by yabby traps can potentially tip the balance against the long-term survival of some local platypus populations, especially in small streams where overall numbers are often quite low anyway.
One of Australia’s leading platypus biologists, Dr Tom Grant from the University of NSW, says there is considerable confusion about the use of yabby traps because of different regulations in each state and even within parts of the same state.
“In essence,” he said, “opera house traps have been banned in public waters in Victoria, the ACT, much of NSW and all of Tasmania because of the threat that they pose to aquatic wildlife.”
Dr Grant says that these traps are still legal in Queensland and until there is uniform national legislation, it is imperative that anglers make themselves fully aware of the regulations in the state where they are yabbying since heavy fines and/or prison sentences can apply for illegal use of traps and nets. 
“This is particularly important for interstate travellers,” he said. “Fisheries inspectors have already reported problems with some Queensland grey nomads bringing their opera house nets with them when they visit Tasmania.” 
The platypus conservation coalition believes that recreational anglers should consider using hoop-style lift nets or baited lines with no hooks as alternatives to opera house traps.
It appears then that the platypus is dependent on water bodies for its food and with predictions suggesting that much of its present range will become drier as climate change progresses, the platypus needs all the help it can get.  Eliminating deaths in yabby traps will make an important contribution to the long-term survival of this unique mammal.
Let’s make sure we do the right thing here.

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September 7

Thieves Hit the Beach
Sad to report that the growing menace of caravan park and camping ground thieves shows no sign of diminishing.
Police in the grey nomad favourite of Coffs Harbour are urging beachgoers and campers to lock it or lose it following a recent spike in motor vehicle break-ins at beachside car parks.
According to the Coffs Coast Advocate, vehicles left at Park Beach, Diggers, Sandy and Emerald beaches have fallen prey to thieves ... even in the middle of the day.
Their smash and grabs have netted GPS systems, wallets, mobile phones and cash and, of course this is a problem that is rearing its ugly head all over the country. The days when we could all leave our rigs unlocked and our gear laying around when we went for a swim or a bushwalk are well and truly gone … or perhaps we were just too trusting all along and some of us have been extraordinarily lucky..
Anyway, Coffs Clarence crime prevention officer Senior Constable Kehani Smith says the dangers are real, and it’s not just long-term travelers who are at risk.
“There have been instances where people spending time at the beach have left their vehicles unattended just to check the surf and come back to find their windows smashed, or car locks tampered with,” Snr Const. Smith said.
She said the recent incidents also serve as a reminder to the general community to keep a look out and report suspicious activity to police.
“Coming into spring and summer we notice that these sorts of crimes occur more frequently,” Snr Const. Smith said.
The police warning serves as a timely reminder at Emerald Beach, which is hosting the World Wave Ski Titles attracting hundreds of competitors and spectators.
Those camping at caravan parks are strongly reminded to secure their property.

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August 31

Stamp of Approval
Well, it is no surprise to learn that the New South Wales Government’s decision to axe stamp duty on caravans has resulted in a boom for the local tourism industry.
The state’s Treasurer Eric Roozendaal said caravan registrations had jumped 33 per cent since stamp duty on the vehicles was abolished on July 1, leading to a new trend in caravanning holidays.
The Melbourne Age newspaper reports that the economy has experienced a healthy boost as people increasingly turn their backs on overseas trips.
RTA figures show that $887,053 has been waived since the stamp duty was axed, with 1,574 new and transferred caravan registrations in July 2009, compared with 1,182 at the same time last year.
"NSW families have saved almost $1 million because of this decision - in just one month alone," Mr Roozendaal told The Age. "Small businesses in cities and towns across New South Wales will reap the benefit as more people holiday locally, and that has a significant flow-on effect for the state's economy.”
The caravan and camping industry is the fastest growing domestic tourism sector, with an average of 2,600 caravans sold each year in NSW.
"It was a commonsense initiative - which saved New South Wales families money and, just as importantly, will support jobs in the caravan retail and servicing industries," Mr Roozendaal said.

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August 25

A Camel Solution?
Well, after all of the hoo-ha about the Government’s plan to cull camels from the air and the accusations of waste and cruelty … an Egyptian company has come forward with a plan to build the country’s first camel-specific abattoir in South Australia.
Over the next two years, Magdiens, one of Egypt's major meat importers, says it will build a $15 million state of the art slaughterhouse in the Spencer Gulf region.
The abattoir will process up to 100,000 feral camels, half a million feral goats and about 400,000 sheep each year. Magdy Ashram, from Magdiens, says he hopes the Federal Government will now reconsider its decision to spend $19 million on feral camel culling.
"They have experienced a lot of attempts to have commercial industry for camels for the last eight years and it was not successful," he told the ABC. "They are talking about taking 100,000 head per year and that's what I'm going to do in the slaughterhouse. So that's a good solution for them without doing a killing and leaving carcasses on the desert for dogs and dingoes to eat."
Mr Ashram says overseas markets are already lined up for the meat, and Aboriginal communities have agreed to muster the animals.
He says he is looking for a suitable location for the abattoir.
"When we start, we'll have about 200 jobs and when we go full capacity we might go to 400,” he said. “And then you'll have the benefits for the Aboriginal people that are going to get the camels, they're going to get work, they will get money, so there's a lot of benefits for everyone."

The Nomadeers will be taking a short break. The Nomad will return on Saturday. 

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August 24

... And We're Off
Any of you out there gearing up for the Outback racing season?  The Simpson Desert Carnival, which starts with the Birdsville Races on September 4-5, continues at Bedourie on September 11-12 and then at Betoota on September 19, is by all accounts in for a bumper year.
Anyone who has been there says it is an experience not to be forgotten and … while perhaps it is not everyone’s cup of tea … it is generally regarded as one of those things that you simply have to try at some stage of your Big Lap.
Diamantina Shire – a 95,000sq km area around Birdsville and Bedourie – has reportedly become the ‘in’ destination for outback travellers after one of the best autumn rain seasons in years, and visitor numbers for July triple the average.
"We have had a massive year," the shire's tourism and development manager Brian Mooney told News International media. "Grey nomads are our major market, but a new breed of traveller has been coming through ... business people in their 40s, travelling with their families.”
Marketers and caravanning and recreational vehicle industry groups also report that large numbers of grey nomads are on the road and are spending longer in the communities they visit.
"We knew the Outback would be a fabulous destination after floods this year,” said Mr Mooney. “And we were marketing the extra birdlife and so on well before it happened."
Oh, incidentally, Betoota, with a population of just … well, er … zero, is being billed as the new place to be.  The old Cobb & Co town, which has only one building (a pub, closed in 1997), will compete with illustrious neighbours Birdsville and Bedourie for the limelight during the Simpson Desert Racing Carnival.
The Betoota racetrack has toilets and a shower but, as you would expect from a town with virtually no buildings, accommodation options are limited to the rig you’re travelling in. Sounds like my kind of town!

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August 21

Picking a fight on the farms
If the fruitpickers among you were rubbing their hands in anticipation of much improved wages following Labor's recent overhaul of awards, then you had better put those plans for a new de-luxe rig on hold.
 Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard is reportedly preparing to intervene in the matter following the outrage expressed by the horticulture sector, and growing fears that the proposed revamp will send thousands of fruit and vegetable businesses across the country to the wall.
After agreeing to give special treatment to the restaurant sector, Ms Gillard's office now says she will intervene in horticulture if she is satisfied that the "framework laid down by the government for award modernisation has not been followed".
Horticulture Australia Council chairman Stuart Swaddling says the industry is ‘outraged’ that Ms Gillard had not already taken action, as the proposed award - to operate from January - iss the "single biggest calamity that the horticulture industry nationally has faced in its history".
According to the Council’s estimates, fruit and vegetable businesses are facing increased labour costs of at least 25 per cent and, in many cases, 30 to 35 per cent. It estimates between one-quarter and one-third of the sector's 30,000 growers could be made unviable after January.
Among the sector's chief concerns are that the new award proposes that ordinary pay rates for packing-house employees will apply from 6am to 6pm from Monday to Friday. Growers believe they will be forced to pay employees double time on Sundays.
Mr Swaddling told the Australian newspaper that the horticulture industry deserved special consideration because fruit and vegetables need to be picked and packed seven days a week when ripe. He argues that the new award has stipulated a limited span of working hours at ordinary rates, which makes it economically impossible for crops to be harvested at their peak.
"Many growers currently utilise pieceworkers, who get paid according to the amount they pick,” he told the Australian. “This is a very equitable arrangement, and popular with both growers and workers ... the new award is structured so that this is no longer a viable option and will seriously disadvantage workers such as grey nomads and professional pickers."
Hmmmm!
"No other business sector in Australia could be expected to wear such major cost increases as these without dire consequences,” Mr Swaddling said. “Moreover, our industry has a limited capacity to pass these increases on.”
So, what do the fruitpickers among you think of all the goings-on? Are you happy with the current rates and conditions? Is it high time the system was overhauled so that pickers and packers get paid a fairer rate and - if the extra cost is passed onto the consumer - then so be it? Or do you feel that the farmers and horticultural industry has a legitimate gripe here. Email us your thoughts here.

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August 20

The next big thing?
It seems that along with fruitpicking, fossicking and enjoying happy hour drinks under the awning, geocaching might need to be added to the list of favoured grey nomad pursuits.
For those of you not in the know, geocaching is effectively using a hand-held GPS receiver to locate map co-ordinates in order to find secreted caches containing logbooks and more.
The ‘treasures’ may be found hidden in hollow logs, beneath a bush or stuck to a pole, or camouflaged to look like something else ... and this all adds to the fun of the hunt.
According to a recent report in the Melbourne Age newspaper, geocaching owes its origins to the US Government's move in May 2000 to lift restrictions on the accuracy of non-military GPS receivers. The finer accuracy - now usually within a few metres instead of up to 100 metres - opened the door for the new hobby, allowing geocachers to use mapping co-ordinates to find small hidden containers, known as a cache, that other people had previously hidden.
The activity apparently reached Australia a week later, with the first cache hidden at Lane Cove, NSW. It is estimated there are now 20,000 caches hidden around the nation.
It is perhaps no surprise that grey nomads with their love of adventure and fun, their affinity with the outdoors, and their growing tech savviness, are among the pursuit’s most ardent followers.
And entry-level GPS unit capable of having waypoints entered into them, are relatively affordable ... starting at between $150 and $200 new.
The Age says that as well as a logbook, caches - which can be as small as a thumbnail or as large as a 20-litre bucket - may contain small trinkets for ‘swaps’ (finders should replace anything they take).
Caches are rated according to terrain and difficulty. There are rules: for example, caches must never be buried, hidden inside a building or put in a dangerous place and geocachers must be careful not to attract undue attention when opening one.
Many stashes are linked to a historical site or a landmark — there are caches associated with former tram routes through Geelong, while another series in Melbourne is based on sites associated with the filming of Mad Max.
Craig Rathbone who volunteers as a developer on the website, Geocaching Australia, estimates there are about 3500 active geocachers in Australia, with about 1250 of them accessing the Geocaching Australia site daily.
Mr Rathbone says the activity attracts a broad range of people, from eight-year-olds with their parents to 80-year-old grey nomads travelling around Australia.
"Some people do it to go somewhere they've never been," Mr Rathbone says. "Some do it for the puzzles and some do it for a nice bushwalk with a reward at the end."
So, is the next big thing for grey nomads? Are you a geocacher? Would you like to be a geocacher? Email us here. We would love to put up some more information about this intriguing pursuit.

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August 19

Ready, willing and able
Thanks to all of you who wrote in in response to our story earlier this week on litter, and more specifically on the free distribution of Keep Australia Beautiful’s ‘Outback Packs’ that encourage road and rest-stop users to clean up during their journey.
We asked the question: “Are grey nomads the litter busters?” And the answer is a resounding “Yup, we’re happy to do our bit.”
Gary was typical in declaring the initiative ‘a fantastic idea’.
“I also think it would be a good idea to canvas all those companies that hire out any type of camping vehicle to take this on board,” he writes. “Perhaps, as part of the standard equipment, providing a small shovel would be a good inclusion.”
Not a bad suggestion and, from what you tell us, there are no shortage of areas that could do with a good tidy up.
Mike and Ellie report being quite alarmed at the amount of rubbish they encountered on their recent jaunt north from Perth.
“We were very conscious of litter almost everywhere,” they write. “The visible amount of toilet paper littering overnight rest areas was also quite alarming.”
Again, they thought it was a great idea to encourage all travellers – not just grey nomads - to engage in the clean-up.
Like many of you, Bob hasn’t bothered to wait for any kit to arrive to do his bit.
“I habitually take other people's litter out of Ewingar (one of my favourite camping spots),” he writes. “But what I encounter is nowhere to put it, as the bins on the Bruxner Highway have narrow openings so I am forced to leave my 'Rover Garden' bags besides them rather than in them.”
Again, it seems that there are no shortage of people willing to do the right thing ... even to the extent of picking up the mess left behind by the thoughtless and ignorant minority. But if there are not adequate places to put the collected rubbish, then it’s always going to be a losing battle. We have all seen bins at roadside stops that are simply overflowing, either due to unexpectedly heavy demand or inadequate collection frequency. This is the sort of issue that also needs to be addressed.
There may be an army of willing litter busters criss-crossing this great country but the authorities need to play their part too, and make sure that keeping this country beautiful is near the top of their priority lists. Giving us all tongs and plastic bags is a great initiative which can - and will - make a difference, but it is certainly not the complete solution. Catching a few of the litterbugs in the act and caning them with some severely hefty fines might help, though.

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August 18

Under the hammer
Sigh! It looks like it could be a case of another one biting the dust as a prime beachfront caravan park with 50 camp sites and two cabins is set to go under the auctioneer’s hammer.
The Seawinds Caravan Park at Blacks Beach in Mackay will be auctioned off on September 10, bringing another happy holidaying era to an end. The park sitting on 80 metres of secluded beachfront has been owned by a Brisbane-based couple for about 25 years. However, it has council approval for 72 beach houses, making it a prime redevelopment target. At least the land will not be bought for private homes as it has been zoned Special Activities (Tourism) which means it can provide holiday accommodation only.
Mackay Tourism CEO David Phillips said if Seawinds Caravan Park was redeveloped it would be a “regrettable loss”.
Currently there are only 12 caravan parks in the Mackay Tourism region, which stretches as far west as Clermont.
“We are very aware of the problem of a lack of caravan parks which is of great significance to the leisure tourism market,” Mr Phillips told the Mackay Daily Mercury. “We have lost a few caravan parks in recent years but that is a trend across the country, particularly beach-front locations which are very desirable for developers.”
CB Richard Ellis real estate agent Peter Ward is expecting the 2.274-hectare property will go for about $3 million.
He said the first week of the sales campaign had generated interest locally and nationally.
“It is a very rare opportunity to buy an absolute beachfront site,” he said. “The price bracket would make this an ideal investment for a syndicate of locals who could take advantage of the immediate cash flow afforded by the park operation while they assess the optimum time to commence any redevelopment projects.”
Well, we’ve said it before and we’ll say it again. Once these iconic parts of Australia’s history and culture are gone they won’t be coming back. And we’ll all be the poorer for that!

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Are we the litter busters?
Sick of seeing beautiful camping spots, rest areas and scenic lookouts ruined by unsightly litter? You are not alone ... and there is a growing feeling that the thoughtful and appreciative majority should do something about it.
Keep Australia Beautiful’s ‘Outback Packs’, which were initially trialled in South Australia, are now being made available elsewhere in the country ... most recently in the north-west of Western Australia.
The free Outback Pack is a compact clean-up kit containing gloves, tongs,trowel, heavy duty plastic bags and information about road safety, vegetation and habitat protection.  The kit encourages road and rest-stop users to clean up during their journey, especially in more remote areas.
Of course, grey nomads are likely to be at the frontline of the endless litter battle.  Keep Australia Beautiful Council chair Mel Hay said grey nomads were obviously among those who often visited remote areas and encountered litter in what were otherwise pristine landscapes, and so could make a difference.  
“Western Australia has many of Australia’s most amazing natural features, unfortunately it also has the most litter ... it is an absolute shame,” he said.  “I strongly encourage travellers to not only be responsible for their own rubbish and dispose of it properly but also to be proactive – pick up one of these packs and help clean up the litter that is a blight on our spectacular landscape.”  
The Outback Packs also include a questionnaire and survey form and the data gathered will provide KAB with information to assist them in devising litter-reduction strategies.
Port Hedland Visitor Centre Manager Kelly Howlett said the Outback Packs were a great initiative and the Pilbara Visitor Centres of  Port Hedland, Roebourne, Newman and Karratha, all rushed to be involved.
“By making these kits available to travellers to the area, if litter hot spot areas are seen - be it local rest areas, camping areas, rivers and national parks, the litter can be collected and the hot spot area reported back to the relevant management authority,” she said. “That way we have got a lot more eyes, hands and ultimately resources to look after our unique natural environment areas.”  
Almost 200 kits have been already distributed to travellers from the Port Hedland Visitor Centre and it is hoped that the pilot scheme is well enough received to receive long-term funding.
For further information and/or to get a free Outback Pack please contact Port Hedland Visitor Centre 08 9173 1711.
So, have you found litter to be major issue on your travels? Does it spoil your enjoyment of certain places? What can and should be done?  Are you prepared to help clean up the mess? Email us here with your thoughts.

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August 14

A Big Lap must-see?
The massive success of this week’s rodeo at Mt Isa in northern Queensland shows a couple of things ... firstly, the recession isn’t stopping people from having a good time and, secondly, grey nomads will travel an awful long way  to enjoy a good show.
The theme of this year’s three-day event was ‘buck the recession’ and the fact that more than 20,000 people walked through the gates proved that that’s exactly what the biggest rodeo in the southern hemisphere did.
Manager of Outback at Isa Brian Atherinos said all accommodation was booked out for the event and the extra camping grounds set up on the golf club and sports ovals were well received by grey nomads.
“For the first 10 days of August alone we’ve had more than 3,500 people through the visitor information centre,” Brian said. “They’ve been asking mainly about the rodeo but also about accommodation and tours and attractions in the area so it’s been a busy time for us as it always is at this time of year ... and all the local businesses are certainly seeing the benefits.”
Indeed, Mount Isa’s population more than doubled for the event which also features music acts, sideshows and other entertainment, and the rodeo generated around $2.5 million for the local economy. Oh, and a good time was had by all!
The Xstrata Mount Isa Rotary Rodeo is held over the second weekend in August each year.
Were you at the rodeo? Would you go again? What other ‘events’ are must-do’s when you are planning your Big Lap Calendar? How much do they add to the overall experience? Email us here.

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August 13

Birdsville Flying High
Those of you who have travelled out to Birdsville will have no doubt revelled in its unique atmosphere and enjoyed mixing with the unique characters who live there … and you’re probably looking forward to getting back out there some time soon.
But what is it about the place that makes it so special … and so successful? Well, the town and the surrounding Diamantina Shire is being held up as an example of what can be achieved in remote regions, and researchers arethere in Queensland's far west seeking answers about the long-term viability of remote towns.
Southern Cross University researcher Grant Cairncross says he and his team are looking to see what Birdsville is doing well and whether its secret formula is transferable to other remote area communities across Australia.
"The first thing you notice when you get there is it's huge - it's twice the size of Denmark and yet it's got a population of 350-360," said. "The unemployment rate is probably 2.5 per cent over the whole shire and of course when you compare that to what is going on elsewhere in Australia, it is very low."
Dr Cairncross says the local council has worked hard to promote jobs and Indigenous culture.
"The other thing that leapt out was how smooth relations between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people were," he said. "This is a strategy taken by the current and previous shire councils to ensure that everybody living in that shire has a place in that shire and are seen as being valuable."
Dr Cairncross says the fact there is virtually no unemployment is a credit to the local council.
"There's a very proactive council and previous proactive councils," he said. "They've been incredibly forward thinking in the way they've gone about trying to ensure that they have plenty of work for people in the shire.”
Birdsville, of course, is the best-known part of the Diamantina shire. Thousands of people including a healthy dose of grey nomads travel to the town to experience outback Australia - not to mention the legendary Birdsville Races in September.
John Hanna is a bartender at the Birdsville Hotel and he agrees life is very good in the Diamantina.
"It is just a very friendly place,” he said. “Everybody just takes you as you are and it is adventurous .. you don't expect to find anything quite as big and as tidy when you come out here."
Whatever the local government is doing out in Birdsville it seems like they’re doing it right. So hats off to them. See you out there.

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August 10

Holiday Hits an Unhitch
We have had the misfortune over the past few weeks to report on what seems to be a growing number of thefts from RVs and campsites.
Well, it seems our friends across the world are suffering a similar menace ... and nowhere more so than in the UK where there has been a spate of thefts of the actual caravans themselves.
But how about this one for taking the biscuit? A holidaying family who had stopped to take a break at a motorway service station returned a few minutes later to discover thieves had unhitched their caravan from their car and towed it away.
The Dethleff caravan, worth about $12,000 was stolen from Clacket Lane services on the M25 near Limpsfield. Surrey Police said the family were on their way to Dover and the caravan was packed with equipment.
Det Con Julian Knowles said the theft had left the family "devastated".
"It cannot be underestimated how brazen this theft was,” he said. “The caravan was unhitched from the family's car and driven away within a very short amount of time."
He appealed to caravan enthusiasts who may be offered a white Dethleffs for sale at a heavily reduced price to contact police immediately.
“This is an incredibly unusual theft to occur and I am sure someone will know where this caravan and contents are or who was responsible,” he said. "With your help we can reunite this family with their possessions and hopefully they can salvage something of their summer holiday together."
Have any of you heard of such a thing happening here? It really is coming to something when you can’t stop to get a cup of tea without worrying about whether your whole rig is going to disappear. Although, as we are learning very quickly, it pays to remain ever-vigilant and ever-aware of the dangers!
The Nomad will not be updated for a couple of days. Normal service will be resumed on Thursday.

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August 7

Close Call near Cairns
The need for extreme caution while towing a caravan – or nay large rig – has again been highlighted following a nasty accident on the banks of Lake Tinaroo near Cairns in northern Queensland.
A couple narrowly missed a head-on collision with another vehicle on the unsealed Danbulla Rd, only to career 15m down an embankment. Miraculously, the pair walked away from their smashed-up 4WD and caravan without injuries.
The Cairns Post says that particular road is plagued with blind corners and narrow sections that are barely wide enough for two cars to pass. Not surprisingly, the accident has again raised safety concerns about large rigs there.
The driver of the 4WD, which flew down the embankment, was too shaken to speak to the media in the aftermath of the accident but the driver of the second vehicle said the experience was terrifying.
Peter Lovatt, from South Australia, said the two vehicles had no room to move or time to stop when they confronted each other on a blind bend.
"I was so relieved when they got out of the car," he told the Cairns Post. "He (the driver of 4WD) went down the embankment, slammed on his brakes but then he just went over the side."
The 51-year-old driver and his 50-year-old passenger escaped with minor injuries and were taken to Atherton Hospital as a precaution.
Dalrymple member Shane Knuth said there needed to be a sign to warn drivers.
"There are a lot of roads on the Tableland that are dangerous for vehicles towing caravans," he said. "There really needs to be appropriate signs in place."
Tablelands Regional Council mayor Tom Gilmore said yesterday the council would inspect the road to make sure it was safe.
Any experience of that stretch of road guys? Email us here.

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August 6

Camel Cull Controversy
Well, poor old Kevin Rudd has been labelled a serial killer on US television, guilty of ‘camelcide’. Amazing. The bizarre blast at least shines a spotlight on the growing camel problem the outback faces ... and it at least asks questions about what the best solution might be.
In the Simpson, Gibson and Tanami deserts, more than a million camels are roaming wild across three million square kilometres, and their numbers are expected to double with each coming decade.
They are the enemy of conservationists and threaten to overrun several of the nation's most remote Aboriginal communities.
Environment Minister Peter Garrett recently committed $19m towards the most significant effort to control camel numbers since the animals were introduced to Australia in the 19th century.
"In a nutshell, we're faced with a crisis at the moment," Glenn Edwards, the public servant in the Territory's Environment Department in charge of camel management, told the Australian newspaper. "The camel numbers and impacts have crept up on us. There needs to be massive intervention and it needs to happen relatively quickly to bring the situation in hand."
Experts say the rising camel population has the potential to wipe out parts of Australia's unique desert ecosystem.
Under current plans for mass aerial culling, camels would be shot from the air and their carcasses left to rot ... and it is that – rather than the need to control the animals - which has got some people scratching their heads.
As well as the possibility of the animals suffering there are also concerns about the waste of meat ... in a world where people are starving. It’s certainly an issue CNBC anchor woman Erin Burnett raised in her recent anti-Rudd tirade.
Nonetheless, as plans gather pace for a mass camel cull, there are those who spy a burgeoning commercial opportunity.
"The way I see it, there is a billion dollars in camel meat wandering around the central desert," says Harvey Douglas, who owns a mobile abattoir and wants to kick-start a remote industry he says would provide up to 400 jobs a year, mostly to indigenous people.
"The world has a need for low-cost protein," Mr Douglas says. "There's a huge requirement out there. We give Afghanistan $88m a year in aid money; the government has just promised $20m for camel control. Let's put the $20m into processing meat, and let's take some of the aid money and put it into buying meat. Problem solved -- you've got your environmental benefit, you're employing people and you've supplied meat for aid programs in Afghanistan ... and it hasn't cost the Australian government one single cent."
Kym Schwartzkopff, senior wildlife officer with the NT Environment Department, also works as an aerial shooter and agrees this would be a waste.
But he is not convinced Mr Douglas's plan to harness camels as a resource is feasible. "The only trouble is the ability of the abattoir to keep up with the shooters as they go," he told The Australian. "To actually get vehicles out to where we were shooting would be next to impossible."
Any views out there? Have any of you had a close encounter with a camels or seen the damage they have done? Is the Rudd Government’s approach to the problem plain wrong, or is it just good that someone is taking the bull by the horns and actually doing something before the problem really gets out of hand? Email us here with your views.

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August 4

On Safari in WA
If you’re in Western Australia at the moment keep an eye out for those magnificent men and in their desert-conquering machines.
More than 100 competitors from around the world will be spending the next week in the WA outback, participating in the gruelling Dakar-style 3,700km Australasian Safari. 
Competitors in their four-wheel drives, motorbikes and quad-bikes will test their driving skills against the challenging terrain from Perth to Geraldton, Meekathara, Mt Magnet, Leonora and Laverton, before concluding in Kalgoorlie. 
“After each day’s racing, about 500 competitors, support crew and officials will convene at a designated bivouac camp site that will double as the event’s service park, generating an economic boost for the regional towns along the route,” Tourism Minister Liz Constable told the media. “The Australasian Safari is a cost effective way to promote regional WA with the global television broadcast to millions of viewers.” 
The Minister said a lot of attention would be focused on Annie Seel, known in her native Sweden as the “Rally Princess”. 
Ms Seel completed the Dakar in South America in January on her KTM bike and, despite a broken hand and nose, battered and bruised body and a damaged bike, she finished 76th. She will be competing in Australia for the first time. 
Alongside the competitive element of the Australasian Safari is the non-competitive Adventure Tour, involving 18 participants.  It is open to anyone with a 4WD or bike and a sense of adventure. I wonder if any grey nomads are among them? 
Dr Constable said the Australasian Safari featured among the 2009 events that were estimated to attract more than 850,000 spectators in WA, lure visitors to stay almost 300,000 nights and generate over 2,000 hours of television broadcast to millions of viewers in more than 100 countries.
Drop us a line here if you come across any sign of the rac.

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August 3

Thieves target Travellers
Sadly, it’s time to report another nasty little reminder about the need for anti-theft vigilance when touring this great country of ours.
One of the next things about taking the Big Lap is the wonderful people you encounter at nearly every turn. Unfortunately though, sometimes this seemingly never-ending friendliness can lull us into a false sense of security. It is always worth reminding ourselves - particularly when we are carrying video cameras, GPS devices, laptops and the like - that we can attract unwanted attention from thieves.
A spate of break-ins at two Hervey Bay caravans last week is a timely reminder of the dangers. Police say “professional offenders” netted thousands of dollars worth of hi-tech goods during their mini crime spree in Queensland.
Acting Senior Sergeant Darryn Morris told the Fraser Coast Chronicle that 15 vehicles and five caravans were broken into at the Truro Street parks, and GPS devices, a laptop, an LCD television, a video camera and other valuable items to the value of $8000 were stolen.
 “It's unusual to have so many vehicles in such a small area the victims of something like this,” he said. We are seeking the help of the public ... we have door-knocked the area but nothing has come from that as yet. No one has seen anything unusual.”
Atg Snr Sgt Morris said most of the caravan victims were nearby when the thefts took place in the annexes.
He said GPS devices had been targeted and described them as a “readily available item” like the car radio of yesteryear.
“I wouldn't leave $400 on the dashboard of my car; I wouldn't leave a GPS there either,” he said.
It is believed that it was mainly tourists who were affected by the spate of break-ins.
So, have you ever suffered at the hands of thieves while travelling? Are you too trusting? Is it time to change our ways and run a tighter ship security wise? Email us here with your thoughts.

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