With plans afoot to introduce a $10 fee at a hitherto free camping area between Stanthorpe and Warwick in Queensland, a wider debate about the value of grey nomads has kicked off.
Southern Downs councillors have signalled the potential implementation of the new fee to stop at Jim Mitchell Park near Dalveen. The fee would cover the council maintaining amenities such as toilets and water, access at the park, as well as acting as a revenue stream for the council.
However, members of the Southern Downs Residents Action Group Facebook page said paid camping could lead to campers, especially grey nomads, looking elsewhere.
“As RV people ourselves we would not stay in Dalveen but go elsewhere if we needed to stop overnight,” Ellie Clark said.  “Grey nomads bring income to small towns so why penalise them?”
The Warwick Daily News reports that one councillor at the meeting argued that what should actually be under discussion was ways to provide more options for camping and caravanning around the region.
“These smaller villages are gateways to our region, and if we offered camping options visitors could spend few days in our region,” said Councillor Sheryl Windle. “I would like to suggest hold a forum for representatives from each interested village to come together to brainstorm ideas about implementing camping.”
Cr Windle said towns like Dalveen and Leyburn already had camp areas established.
The Daily News reports that the idea gained support from some other councillors, including Vic Pennisi.
“For me this is starting with a blank sheet of paper and not starting out with a predetermined view on how we would implement camping in different areas of the region.” Cr Pennisi said. “This is an opportunity to get it right.”
However, the council’s engineering services director, Peter See, warned it was important that the council specified what type of camping would be allowed in each area.
“In the past in Dalveen we’ve had complaints about backpackers staying in Jim Mitchell Park long term,” he said. “The council would need to police it in some way so we need to be careful in what we are after in this policy when you say camping.”
Yes it would put me off.
People are getting so gready aren’t you collecting enough taxes to give something back to the community.
You will be hitting up mostly the elderly again.
Yes I’m sick off councils money grabs we spend money on food fuel shopping etc in local towns if there were no grey nomades small towns would lose money im sure towns people like us coming to there towns
$5.00 is fair for a safe camp with toilets and water. We always leave a donation
In general, I don’t have a problem with the $10 p.n. I just like to question the idea behind it. Is the park developed specifically for camping and are the toilets specifically put there for overnight campers or were these facilities there before for the good of the local community? If they were there before, who did the maintenance on those facilities and why is it now transformed in a free camping area? Was it the idea that campers spend money in the township like in other places? If that hasn’t worked out for the township, why have that free camping area? I hope for the township that things won’t turn out the same as in Tiaro and Bauple where they started charging campers and had to reverse that because the shops didn’t get visitors anymore. In most of these places the retail sector is doing good because of the campers and councils acknowledge that and start thinking that they can have a piece of the cake as well. Dalveen is not a big place with lots of attractions. I stay there for the night, won’t have a problem with paying the $10 but leave the next day and have my lunch, dinner or coffee with my piece of cake at another place.
The sooner someone compiles a book on the good the bad and the ugly the better.I will certainly give them a miss and head for the next RV Friendly town and spend my money there.Cheers Stevo
Mathematical idea,if every caravan put a $5.00,donation in the box when asked,every free camp would have hot showers,loos etc.Come on you lot,only 30% of nomads pay or leave donations anyway,we had more respect for each other in the playground.Yep can’t wait to see the responces,example,standing in the que Winton Post Office today over heard two locals commenting how they disliked the tourists,no toilet paper in the public toilets.Try being a solo male nomad,nobody talks to you,if its not bolted,it disappears,how about some truths posted here and we cleaned out acts up.
The answer is always simple to me…spend your dollars elsewhere that look after grey nomads. That what we do. We have our own blacklist of places to avoid and this one will be added to it.
$5 would be better just for water and a toilet , $10 if there is a hot shower available. We would stay there overnight .
If I have to pay $10 a night to free camp, I may as well pay $20 a nt in a caravan park with power
If you can find one for $20 powered ?
maybe they should have a look at Lyrup in SA put in a few powered sites with a limit the camp there has toilets no hot water and 4 powered sites first in best dressed 72hr stop over $5 per night and were lined up waiting great spot on power as well as unpowered
Over the past 5 years we have done quite a lot of travelling. We were away for 6 months last year. We keep a diary and tally our outgoings and estimate we spend between $1000 & $1200 dollars each week, this covers fuel, food, caravan parks etc., etc. We do appreciate free camps every now and again. We stayed at Dalveen for a night 4 years ago. This year we stopped at Dalveen for our lunch break and traveled a little further up the road and stocked up on fruit and veg and fuelled up. Our dollars are shared along the way at most towns, so we know our contributions well and truly compensates for the occassional free camp. Our friends do exactly the same so please do not impose a cost.
We free camped around tassie for six weeks this year. All levels of government there realize how much money travellers bring to the state. We would move on and buy food fuel and services elsewhere.
Cold shower time – it’s only ten bucks! if it helps cover maintenance and the place is actually looked after and provides good facilities, I wouldn’t have a problem with $10 per night.
A small community in rural Victoria have the right idea. $10 for 1 night, stay the next 2 for free. Encourages the Grey Nomads to stay & spend.
$5 donation for water, toilets, garbage collection and mown grass ok. We found Warwick info centre very anti nomads, asked us to go to caravan park to get water, went to Inglewood where they valued our dollar..
Go to Blackall town camp, self contained only with dump point $10 night, go to Morven power water showers and toilet $10 or shower toilet $5 a night, good value all but best of all Yaraka cleanest park around, concrete pad, power, water and swimming pool $3 night, different costs and ideas for different places, go where it suits you and accept the swings and roundabouts of the costs.
That park was a park before it became a free camp area which is extremely popular with grey nomads, but unfortunately back-packers who get fruit picking jobs in the area outstay their welcome in it, have done for quite a few years. The park is named after my Uncle who I feel would be saddened by the thought of asking folk to pay $10 night for a toilet and water. It’s not a large area and just below the highway 100 mtrs or so. Until not that long ago a local resident kept it mown & another resident helped create the lovely gardens around the village. The local community raise funds for their volluntary fire service every friday night in the village hall there and it’s a great friendly night – this may also suffer if campers weren’t there. Unfortunately the village now only supports a post office & antique type of shop, no not much else on offer although there is more a few klms down the road.
Would it put me off? Absolutely. Why not rather have a donation box? You’ll find many will still make a contribution rather than making it mandatory. The quickest way to dry up money coming into your town is to start charging travellers for the
privilege of spending it!