The rise of the grey nomad lifestyle has seen the rapid emergence of ‘permanent’ accommodation options that serve as a base for some long-term travellers.
And it is no surprise then that the area that claims to be Australia’s RV capital has just opened a new purpose-built, nomad-friendly village.
The first stage of the Oceanside RV Lifestyle Village at Burnett Heads in Queensland is now complete and the local Mayor, Jack Dempsey, has been eager to emphasise the Bundaberg region’s RV credentials.
He told local media that in 2020, the 4670 postcode area had more than 5200 caravan and campervan registrations compared with 4450 in 2015.
“There are now 7.5 registrations for every 100 households in Bundaberg,” he said. “This is the largest number of registrations for any postcode in Australia, the second being Mandurah in WA with 4890, followed by Hervey Bay with 4851.”
He said the new RV Lifestyle Village would cater for some of this rising demand, and will feature 487 home sites when completed. The RV Lifestyle Village is a staged construction which is expected to be completed within the next few years.
When travellers are ‘at home’, they will eventually be able to enjoy including a lagoon pool, gymnasium, art studio, lawn bowls, and a games room.
Mayor Dempsey told Bundaberg Now that the council recognised the opportunities that go with encouraging developments such as RV Lifestyle Village.
“Every year, except last year because of the pandemic, we have the annual migration of grey nomads to the Bundaberg Region,” he said. “People from New South Wales, Victoria, Canberra and South Australia head north to escape the cold weather … in addition to our wonderful climate, they enjoy the friendship and camaraderie that goes with sharing an experience.”
The Mayor said the council had been actively seeking to make the Bundaberg Region RV friendly by creating more parking spaces and providing amenities.
The Elliott Heads Holiday Park, east of Bundaberg, has also been undergoing some major renovations in accordance with the council’s masterplan.
Mayor Dempsey said future improvements for the park would include reconfiguration of its camping and caravan sites to cater for the increased size of modern caravans.
“The Elliott Heads Holiday Park has long been popular with visitors, making it one of the Bundaberg region’s major tourism drawcards and this five-year masterplan will ensure it retains that popularity by meeting the needs of contemporary tourists,” he said.
Will it be priced for rural Queenslanders or just southerners with pockets full of ready cash?
I would say pockets full of ready cash, Linda and plenty of it sadly.
Does the mayor intend to make council caravan parks pet friendly? Do councils not realise how many grey nomads travel with pets, they are cutting out a large portion of the traveller market by this policy.
Yes you can buy a decent 4 bedroom home in the same town with enough yard to store your van for the same price – and you actually own the land, not just the building.
I support everything Maryborough and Bundaberg have done for long term travellers and make the choice that I will always make a point to support the area if travelling nearby