The search for a dump point can sometimes be a bit of a hassle for self-contained, long-term travellers … but there are signs that the issue is at least being recognised.
As well as some smaller towns installing the facility, new service centres are increasingly recognising the needs of caravanners and motorhomers.
The new $15m service station be built in Nuriootpa in South Australia’s Barossa Valley is a case in point.
The development – set for the corner of Belvidere Road and the Sturt Highway – will include a dump point, an electric vehicle charging station and a picnic area… as well as a car, truck and dog wash, fuel bowsers, and fast food outlets.
Access Planning director David Hutchison said he expected the complex to be completed by the end of the year.
He said the development would be the first of its kind in SA for driver convenience and safety, replicating large interstate highway stops.
“It’s the first formal highway rest stop that’s been constructed in South Australia, if you look interstate, just about every state has highway rest stops which involve fast food outlets and provide large areas for people to relax and properly take a break,” Mr Hutchison. “What’s also important is the highway safety aspect as well, providing somewhere where people can have a break, it’s an hour out of Adelaide and right at the end of the dual section of roadway before the road narrows down to single lanes.”
Last year, a giant new Mobil-branded Highway Service Centre opened at Coolac in New South Wales and it also put RV users front and centre of its plans. It boasts a free dump point for travellers, as well as a public laundry, ample parking for caravans and trailers, and a dog walking park.
“There is a changing pattern to regional travel with more and more people taking to the roads with their caravans and motorhomes,” Developers’ Representative, Ian Farrar, said at the time. “What we knew as ‘truck stops’ are developing and need to cater for a broader customer base of recreational travellers.”
He said that it was being acknowledged that with more people away from their home bases for extended periods, highway service centre developers needed to do more meet the needs of these customers.
“Into the future we will be looking into a greater of diversification of services offered in highway service centres,” he said. “We are currently looking at a number of innovative ideas to improve the traveller’s experience at a number of our projects … and we would also welcome any ideas or suggestions from recreational travellers as to what services they may appreciate.”
Water filling station
Clearer sign posts and also easier entrances for caravaners so you know exactly where to pull up.
Dump points that are accessible by large RVs such as 5th wheels. And dump points that can be used by RVs with blackwater tanks that are reliant on gravity for emptying. So please build the dump points on ground level.
MORE PARKING LOTS.
I run 16.5 metres.
At the new BP centre @ Ballina NSW they have a dump point ,water etc. But only about 4 spaces to park.
Clearly, not enough.
Likewise @ Caltex Chindera NSW they have a mass amount of truck parking, but little or nothing for travellers.