As many grey nomads are keenly aware, the danger posed by potential bushfires is a real one as they venture out into regional areas.
That threat was again highlighted last Tuesday when a caravan park in Dadswells Bridge on the edge of Victoria’s Grampians National Park had to be evacuated as an out-of-control fire approached.
Horsham Rural City Council reports that the quick thinking of park managers, Dale and Katey Exon, helped make the situation less stressful for guests.
While Katey took the couple’s preschool-age kids to safety in nearby Stawell, Dale stood his ground at the park.
The council says he activated the sprinklers on the lush lawns surrounding the park’s entrance, a desperate measure to halt the fire’s advance. It says the relentless 50km/h westerly winds then pushed the flames perilously close to the park’s boundary.
Fire threatens the tiny houses at Grampians Edge Caravan Park. PIC: Horsham Rural City Council
Firefighters were quickly on the scene and successfully protected the park from the fire … but it was a close thing.
“We were very lucky,” said Dale, who believes the drama has also highlighted the issue of insufficient phone coverage in the Dadswells Bridge area.
While the caravan park boasts satellite internet for guests, the lack of reliable phone service during the fire underscored the community’s vulnerability. Some residents received emergency SMS warnings, but others remained in the dark.
“If one good thing comes out of the fire, it might be that we have some upgrades to the mobile coverage here,” said Dale.
Despite the scare, Dale and Katey – who have poured their hearts into the Grampians Edge Caravan Park, enhancing it over the years with a collection of tiny houses – say the caravan park will be open again this weekend.
“We’ve been running around all week, and the park looks as good as ever,” Dale said.
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As they are on wheels ,they should be able to be quickly relocated to safe ground ( If there is such a thing!) Just design in the services to be quickly attached / detached.