With fears over fuel prices and fuel availability keeping some grey nomads off the road, it is not just regional caravan parks feeling the effects, it is caravan repairers, too.
One RV repair operation in Port Lincoln in South Australia, for example, says business has dropped 50% from this year to last, and things aren’t likely to improve dramatically until the Middle East conflict is officially over and the Strait of Hormuz fully opened.
The business’s manager, Sharlene Anthony, told the ABC that people were too scared to make those long-haul trips to places like Darwin and Perth.
“They think they’ll get stuck somewhere without fuel, or that fuel will be too expensive and their budgets will blow out,” she said.
Concern over fuel prices, and availability, is deterring some grey nomads from travelling in remote areas. PIC: Dozza
The ABC also spoke to Port Augusta caravan repair shop owner, Shannon Page, who reported a 20% downturn in demand, despite the city’s ideal location for travellers.
“A normal Monday for the last 10 years, we’d normally have six or seven caravans lined up, we’ve noticed that hasn’t really been happening,” he said. “We’re not doing as many over the counter sales and we’re getting a lot of cancellations.”
Peter Clay, from the Caravan Industry Association of Australia (CIAA), told the ABC that businesses more than a two-hour drive from major city centres were struggling, while those nearer were reaping the rewards of closer-to-home travel.
“The challenge for a place like South Australia or regional New South Wales is that they’re transit states for seasonal migration and Big Lap travel,” he said. “So, if people are staying closer to home, more remote businesses will feel the impact.”
The initial fears over fuel prices when prices at the bowser skyrocketed overnight have subsided somewhat since the Government reduced the fuel excise, and secured fuel supplies … but difficult times could still lie ahead.
The Government excise reduction is due to run out on July 1 and, while there continues to be talks of a deal between the US and Iran, it is fair to say that the situation remains highly unpredictable.
And that leaves grey nomads, as they have been for several months, facing an almost impossible quandary.
The subject has sparked plenty of discussion on Grey Nomads social media channels … and has been doing for some time.
“We are just north of Perth heading north and are carrying on,” said one correspondent. “We can’t go home as that’s 4,000 kilometres away on the east coast … we’ll take it day by day and if it gets crazy we are prepared to sit it out along the west coast somewhere.”
Others said they were just being a lot more careful with their fuel consumption.
“We are already thousands of kilometres from home so the plan is to keep going,” said one. “Instead of doing lots of day trips that we would normally do we are just enjoying the area around where we are currently camped until we need to move on to the next booking we have … not panicking yet just not wasting what we have.”
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Lower numbers to port Lincoln area may have something to do with the mouse plague as well
Hi
All of us can ever do is keep our fingers crossed ,
We moving 4wds & caravans & Motorhomes Australia wide every week & doing 5000km week every week , the only time I could not buy diesel was in Wodonga one night probably the first week it all started.
This week WA , next week Cairns, following week Darwin & week after that going Broome.I personally think that fuel in WA has not jumped up as much as it has in NSW & Vic, don’t forget the bulk of GST Australia takes comes out of WA so they make sure it is ok there.
One my drivers & his wife left Qld on 4 month Australia lap few weeks ago & he was Vic. River roadhouse last night & he has not had any dramas yet.
Go on your holiday & enjoy it, caravan parks are quieter than normal , HOORAY !
Agree, get out and enjoy life, don’t put your plans on hold because if not now then when?
Travelling around the block since October. We have seen a dramatic devline in vans on the road. Especially from Esperance eastwards. Previous times we did this you would see a van every few minutes. Now sometimes 15 to 20 minutes before traffic. The Bungles caravan park closed down because they were losing money. On our travels never a problem obtaining fuel.