With the debate heating up over whether or not the arrival of more cabins is ‘spoiling’ the atmosphere in some caravan parks, the pressure for operators to get the balance right has never been more intense.
On the one hand, it is hard for many to resist the year-round profit cabins can deliver. On the other hand, however, the unique ambience of Australian caravan parks is not a commodity that should be lightly cast aside. While cabins may be the flavour of the month now, the magic of the traditional camping ground will not be easily re-captured if tastes change again.
It is a dilemma that parks like the Lake Conjola Entrance Holiday Park on the New South Wales south coast are all too well aware of. With grey nomads an important part of its business, the park has been determined to protect its holiday ‘vibe’. While it does have a range of cabin accommodation, managers Brad and Hayley MacDougall say they have been bucking the general trend by recently removing 10 permanent vans. In their place, they have installed eight extra large, 11-metre-long powered sites, and they are also constructing several new ‘ensuite van sites’.
“Looking at the grey nomad market, we saw an opportunity to provide larger sites,” said Brad. “We aim to have the grey nomads stay here for extended periods and feel our facilities need to reflect what this market wants.”
He says other parks were being tempted to get more cabins and have less powered sites because of the large income that cabins and lifestyle living accommodation can generate.
“Permanent residents are weighing up the pros and cons of cabins V caravans cabins help us generate a continual year round income,” he said. “This is important in the cooler months when your park is under-utilised and the grey nomads have gone north or are waiting for the weather to warm up.”
The MacDougalls say the secret is to make sure the space is shared fairly.
“The atmosphere at Lake Conjola is very special with guests treating each other like members of a travelling family,” said Brad. “This would not be the case if the park was completely occupied with cabins and permanent holiday vans.”
I suppose there is a need for cabins in some areas perhaps in or closer to larger towns or cities, but generally speaking, I would prefer parks to invest in larger sites. I think the presence of cabins takes away from the relaxed casual atmosphere that “real” caravan parks have. I sort of put cabins in the same category of c.v.parks that have jumping pillows, multiple swimming pools and the variety of bicycles and peddle carts that some parks have. But, like I said there probably is a need for such parks in certain areas, but if it’s just that they can generate more income then maybe park owners should be receiving more assistance/consideration from councils who would obviously benefit from the “Grey Nomads” spending some time & money in their towns. Cheers Sundy
Caravan Park owners complain about Free Camps, Showgrounds, Private Land, etc. taking away there Business. So what do they think they are doing to Motels, Hotels with accommodation, when they put in Cabins. They are poaching there Customers too.
Chucker,
Very good point, hadn’t thought of the motel/hotel angle, but how true !!.
And I know of at least one park in Nth. Qld. that even has a small cafe on site with breakfast and lunch available. Cheers Sundy