Halls Gap Lakeside Tourist Park is offering stranded travellers a refuge.
As many grey nomads find themselves stranded by ever-changing travel restrictions and ever stricter regulations around everyday life, caravan parks have been a lifesaver to many.
For full-time travellers who have sold their homes, or rented them out, or those simply unable to get to where they want to, the question has commonly been ‘what exactly are we supposed to do now?’.
With their long-term travel dreams abruptly put on hold, many have been looking for a safe haven as they try to figure out what their best way forward is. Most caravan parks have remained open as they are currently considered an ‘essential service’ and are able to provide refuge for desperate travellers.
The crisis is clearly having a huge impact on caravan parks as businesses, and it remains it be seen what the long-term consequences will be as sites continue to empty.
With the various levels of government repeatedly stressing the need for non-essential travel to cease and for tourists to go home, there are clearly difficult times ahead for the industry.
The owner of the popular Halls Gap Lakeside Tourist Park in Victoria, Josephina McDonald, has seen hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of bookings cancelled in the last few days.
She admits that there have been times when she has been reduced to tears as events totally beyond her control threaten her livelihood and the business that she and husband, Rohan, have worked so hard to build up over the past eight years.
However, on Monday morning Rohan and Josephina sat down together and decided it was time to take a pro-active approach as they looked towards an uncertain future.
“We really just looked at the bigger picture and the enormity of what was happening here and around the world,” said Josephina. “The Government isn’t simply trying to be mean by stopping people travelling, they are doing it for a reason, they don’t want people going on holiday and spreading the coronavirus … they are trying to protect the entire Australian community.”
It was at that point that the couple realised that closing their caravan park was the socially responsible thing to do … but at the same time they knew there was an estimated 75,000 people out on the road today who call their caravan or motorhome home.
“Off the top of our heads, we knew we had someone on Site 1 from Queensland who had sold his home to travel and who would have nowhere to go,” said Josephina. “There was another traveller from Belgium who couldn’t get back home … where were they supposed to go?”
The solution the couple came up with was to close the park for all ‘holidaymakers’ and to keep it open for all ‘essential’ travellers, those people who were genuinely stranded.
From tomorrow, the park will close to ‘holidaymakers’ and all bookings up until June 26 … and possibly longer … have been cancelled.
People wishing to stay will now have to fill out a form to show that they are genuinely in a difficult position because of the new restrictions, and they will be charged $20 a site per night. Josephina hopes this will help travellers, and also allow the park to get sufficient income to prevent it from having to lay off all of its staff.
There will be some important rules though as the McDonalds remember their primary goal is to do their part to ensure the virus doesn’t spread.
‘Although we do have six ensuite sites, this is primarily for people who are self-contained in their caravans and motorhomes and we will be closing some facilities,” said Josephine. “And we will obviously be enforcing social distancing guidelines.”
Although the park has 100 sites, it will only be allowing occupancy at half of them to ensure guests have adequate space between each other. The park also has 50 cabins.
Other things will be worked out as they go along. The laundry room will stay open but with strict regulations in place about who uses it, when, and how; and campfires might still be allowed at the park as long as they are just for people staying at one site rather than a communal affair.
“I already feel so much better realising that we are all in this together and that we can do a bit to help some people who are at a loss about what to do,” said Josephina. “It is not going to be easy but we have already had people saying how grateful they are for what we are doing.”
Josephina hopes that other parks will embrace the idea of restricting travel for holidaymakers, while offering a vital long-term option for those caught out by the impacts of the pandemic and eager to ‘sit it out’ for a while.
And, as for the future?
“This is a tough time but we are determined to keep going and when this terrible virus is all over it is going to be full steam ahead,” said Josephina. “I am sure travellers who might have been going a bit stir crazy will be desperately keen to get out and about again, and also to show their support for businesses that will have had a tough time, just like they did after the bushfires.”
Unfortunately we had to cancel our trip and head back to Qld with our caravan before they shut the border. We also can’t go to Ireland as well. But as I said to hubby at least we haven’t lost a job or a business. I think what this caravan owner is doing is amazing. We all have to think outside the box. Stay safe everyone.
Pat yourself on the back well done and $20 a night is very reasonable.
Congratulations and God bless you both as you do your part in this crisis situation. We are Grey Nomads but have a home so will not be requiring your services but will be pleased to support you in the future. We have previously stayed with you as also our family has done. . Rosemary
Let’s hope other caravan parks follow their lead. Well done.
I am not a Grey Nomad, nor essential traveller – but I have so much respect and praise for the stance you have taken, and decision to use your park constructively to address the big picture. Please, Please ignore anyone who criticizes you for this – they simple have a limited understanding of the circumstances of some people. Although I have never been to your park, my family does enjoy visiting new places either by tent or cabin – We will definitely add your park to NEXT on our places to stay list once the corona-threat passes. Thankyou!
Afternoon Rohan and Josephina. We had planned a trip up north for approx 6 months whilst our daughter and husband built their new home. They have 2 children. We offered them the family home and they have to get out of their rental on 30th April. At present we have 2 weeks at Yarrawonga and possibly a couple at Cobram (if they are still going to be open) To say we are “homeless is true and were wondering if we would be eligible to take up your kind offer to stay at your park whilst this uncertain time continues. We are totally self sufficient with shower, toilet and washing machine. Could you please let us know if we would be accepted to stay at your park