That was then! Queues to get into caravan parks aren't as common these days.
While the number of grey nomads exploring Australia always seems to be rising, not all caravan parks in Western Australia are seeing the surge in demand they might have hoped for.
Last month, research commissioned by the Caravan Industry Association of WA showed occupancy rates had actually dropped significantly in recent years. Peak-season bookings were down 10% since 2008, while off-peak bookings were down 7%.
In grey nomad hotspots like Broome, long-term residents say the decline is noticeable. Ron Beacham, who has owned and operated the Cable Beach Caravan Park for 17 years, is one of them.
“There haven’t been the people lining up to get in, like we have known at other times,” he told the ABC. “In the past it’s been unbelievable, the number of people competing for a campsite … they’re just not here in quite the same numbers now.”
While there are many theories as to why this may be the case, the Caravan Industry Association of WA says families being tempted by increasingly affordable Asian getaways is a major factor.
“You’d have to say it’s the cheaper airfares to South East Asia, and of course Bali,” the association’s chief executive, Simon Glossop, told the ABC. “People used to take four weeks’ holiday, and go away… with their family for four weeks camping, but now people are taking a week’s leave, they’re going on shorter overseas holidays.”
Caravan parks say they are also struggling with higher costs for power and water, and are facing more regulations to comply with. The Caravan Industry Benchmark Report showed all of these factors were contributing to shrinking profit margins for park owners.
Last year, the WA Government launched its $35 million Caravan and Camping Action Plan to encourage caravan and camping holidays within WA by expanding camping areas in national parks, streamlining the approvals process for new parks to be established, and upskilling caravan park managers and staff.
Meanwhile, back at Cable Beach Caravan Park, Ron Beacham remains philosophical as the ‘grey nomad season’ starts to kick into top gear.
“These things do go up and down,” he said. “But at the end of the day, there’ll always be people who want to come to a place where it’s 30 degrees and sunny all year around.”
Parks that take dogs are always full.
Always have to book to get into all year round.
Umm, while the costs are rising for the caravan parks, so are the costs rising for the grey nomads. Try providing areas for totally self contained caravans. You know, the ones that generate their own power, use gas from their own bottles and even carry and use their own washing machine! All they require is fresh water, a place to empty their black water, a sullage drain for their grey (including shower) water. Charge overnight stays appropriately for what facilities are required. Don’t charge everyone the same fees irrespective of what facilities they require.
I totally agree
Spot on
And unfortunately there are those in our brethren who would still take advantage of facilities provided. There is an argument for and against this. Everyone is responsible for themselves and as I always say we have choices. Stay and pay or not. We are masters of our own destiny and destinations so travel, enjoy, be happy , free camp when you can and use parks when you have to. Most of all stop grumbling and enjoy your life
We agree, that’s why people try and free camp
Suggest the nightly cost in these parks are prohibitive….after all most grey nomads are on pensions and our income has not increased at the same rate as park charges.
Caravan parks, councils and governments all combined are guilty of milking the dollars from grey nomads at an ever increasing rate. We never go to National Parks anymore even though our taxes paid for them in the first place. We have an “avoid list” of towns and places and it is growing all the time. We tell other travelers too. So the word spreads. More and more grey nomads are becoming self contained and don’t need expensive services anymore.
Curious. Why don’t u visit national parks? Is it just the cost? I plan to free camp as much as possible, but NP’s will be high on my hit list when I start travelling.
Agree with others about charging less for self sifficient vans
I agree les i am self contained have a teardrop , always look for free camp site leave only my foot print , i cannot aford caravan parks , just occasionally. Cheers Dee
I agree with Colin. WA is on the nose for the majority of eastern states visitors. The vast distance to travel & then the anti free camping regs & the greed of caravan parks, including the WA Gov’s pro caravan park attitude. & negativity. Well what do you expect.
Tochee. Been trying to get that message out for years.
Now KARMA Has caught up with with the greedy.
Good riddens to bad rubbish.
If you want greed just watch our TAIL LIGHTS.
you reap what you sow
Maybe people are finally voting with their feet and not going to these over priced parks
Maybe the parks costs have increased but seriously $40 plus a night is exorbitant
Don’t go to Airline Beach then, have a look on wikicamps it seems one out of town park is charging $65 for a powered site and most of the others are at least $40
More and more vans and motorhomes are fully self contained. You will find free camps are now heavily utilised, along with National parks and State forests. All gets back to the $$$
Stayed at parks in Broome after travelling from Darwin to find the costs for a “small” site very expensive and the facilities “tired”. More and more long distance/longer term caravanners are looking to “free camp” and why not when the caravan is designed for that purpose. The caravan park operators need to get with the programme.
Well its been said for long enough and now here as well Broome is too expensive. Even posts on forums like this have comments such as “avoid Broome if you dont want to be ripped off”or “its not worth the cost of CP prices”. Nothing to do with families going overseas for holidays.
We travel with a dog and cat. Therefore, no caravan park was available to us in Broome. At the height of the season up in northern WA we were quoted $80 per night and the diesel to get there is very costly. Tired facilities and grumpy operators are just not worth paying the money. We only got to Geraldton, turned back and headed over the Nullarbor.
NPs around Australia would get more visitors if they had an area just outside of the parks for dog owners to safely leave their beloved traveling companions. But most of all the attitude of most of the WA population is ‘we only want you for your dollars and can’t wait for you to go back east’. We were there for two years and finally got the hint.
Caravan Park owner told me many years ago, when people stop coming thru the gate ….”we must be charging to much!!, Also at cable beach can’t park because of backpackers had all the parking and never moved the 2 weeks we stayed in town !!
Grey Nomad for 12 years. Went to Broome on first trip. Felt ripped off with not much choice of camping options. Top dollar prices. Real monopoly. Should be just a bit cheaper after we’ve spent so much to get there.Not much for dogs. Generally felt WA was aggressive and dismissive of nomads unless you cough up big camping fees everynight. On the road we hear people say give Broome a big miss and we agree that we won’t go back. So sorry for the nice people in WA.
Yes, totally agree. The word is out now and common knowledge amongst us all. Avoid Broome like the plague.
Its a shame really for many are now turnrd off by those ripped off in the past.
The peak season is well advertised as pretty full because of all the WA people heading north for the winter. Some of the prices are very high which encourages more people of a budget to go Free Camping. Some parks REALLY cram them in – Coral Bay is atrocious.