Grey nomads told : “Sorry, there’s no room at the inn.”

Published: December 21, 2012

The accommodation crisis that is preventing many grey nomads from staying in Queensland’s Gladstone’s region is set to continue.

With many of the area’s caravan parks already effectively taken over by live-in workers, plans for a new park at Calliope have been put on hold … amid fears tourists wouldn’t get a look in.

“A blind man on a galloping horse can see it’s not going to be used for grey nomads and tourists,” said Gladstone Regional councillor Leo Neill-Ballantine. “If developments like this go ahead, Calliope won’t stay a rural community.”
The Gladstone Observer reported that councillor Maxine Brushe feared any new accommodation facilities would be snapped up by workers.

“I have a real concern that it is just workers accommodation under a different name,” Cr Brushe said. “I think there are very few caravan parks in this region that have tourists in them at all, simply because the accommodation crisis that we are in.”

The councillors were unmoved by claims by the council’s planning department that tourists would be prioritised and that that the development wouldn’t allow for permanent structures on site.

A decision on the caravan park proposal has been deferred until the New Year.

Have you struggled to find a place to stay in resources-boom locations? What is the answer?
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All mining companies should aquire land for the purpose of accomodation, council should set aside such availability, and encourage us Grey Nomads to have access to caravan parks to visit their town and country-side, as “word of mouth” will bring tourist Dollars too! are we 2nd class citizens….to the Mining Boom?

Two ways of looking at it! Some $ must be finding there way into the local coffers! I was a resident in a country district that was dying and grey nomads helped kick it along but we would have loved to have experienced a mining boom. ? Will they last ? The solution could be in stations opening their horse paddocks as ” farm stays”. We scored one in WA,. $ 12 a night. “Down by the creek,mate. There is a power cord there and a long drop. Take your rubbish with you and your welcome to walk around the paddocks & down the creek- here’s a mud map. Enjoy. ” We did. Too many tourists want 5 star accom. for a couple of bob! Cheers.

Totally agree with Geoff. Some travellers want too much for too little. We have stayed at the showgrounds in beautiful Kenilworth, Queensland, for $14 per night with power, water, clean and hot shower facilities (for $1), dump point and nice grassy sites all laid on – just great! Yet campers complained because of the basic shower facilities in the pavilion, or they had to walk too far to use the toilet, or they thought the local IGA store was too dear, and o on… The place is community run, the people are very friendly and the Shire doesn’t interfere, yet it astonished my wife and I how some still wanted more value for a very fair $14 per night. Oh yes, when we rang to book in, we got an apology because the rate was going up by $1 per night as from Jan 1, 2013… Did we complain? No way…!

When near Gladstone there is only one place to stop which is Calliope. They have one of the best freecamps in the coutry.

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