The ‘value’ of the annual influx of free-camping grey nomads into central Queensland has again been called into question.
The ABC reports that many ratepayers in the region reckon they’re footing the bill for grey nomads, in a deal leaving much to be desired.
Kevin Elliott, of the Isaac Regional Council, says the population of the township of St Lawrence, 160 kilometres south of Mackay, doubles to about 300 every night in winter. However, he told the ABC that there were significant costs involved with accommodating the campers for free … and the economic returns were debatable.
“Those people over there probably use more water each night than what the whole town uses,” he said. “There’s at least 100 or 200 people over there every night. There’s a tremendous amount of cost in water and that sort of thing.”
Mr Elliot said that there are some travellers who leave a donation, but he thought it was only a minority of travellers who did so.
However, the ABC spoke to grey nomad, John Montgomery, who said most travellers tried to ‘give more than they took’, and said free camping in towns like St Lawrence is helping keep local businesses alive.
“By getting us to stay in the town and go to the little shops that are there, or have a meal or a beer at the pub, that’s keeping it alive for the locals,” he said. “So instead of paying $40 for a caravan park, .we’ll distribute that $40 among three of four shops.”
Mr Montgomery told the ABC that he and his fellow travellers were always willing to ‘put a few bob back into communities where free camping was on offer.
Whether we stay in the occasional Caravan Park or free camp we spend the same. But if we spend $200-$300 a week on accommodation then we spend less in the towns we visit. We have been on the road for 5 years full time and use a mix of both. It’s our choice where we stay. A lot of small towns with only a caravan park and no free camp we tend to go past. Our caravan park stops are usually in the bigger towns with more services.
Once again a push by the new caravan park owner at Clareview to restrict free camping at Clareview and St Lawerence
I hope this council does not protect this dictatorial van park owner, why should he be a protected species?? I certainly leave a donation & spend money in these towns which provide camping such as this. I would be happy to put money in a metre for water, some other towns do this. We support these local communities. At Clairview I bought cakes & pickles from the lovely ladies in their little shop at the amenity block, the money they raise does go back into the community. There are 3 types of campers, many only use van parks, others who combine van parks & freedom camping & some who only freedom camp. The freedom campers would never have been your customers & will bypass your town & go onto the next town that does welcome them. These people do not understand the power of social media, word of these unfriendly towns travels extremely fast & we will all bypass you.
If we are not welcome we do not stay ,this will cost the small town
$100 for fuel Dinner in the pub$50 sundry groceries and what ever we spend otherwise Regards Mike
we always try to put something back into the area when we free camp
For goodness sake. If we free camp then we spend in the town we are in and often have a meal out at night. The local community benefits from the $40 we otherwise would have spent in the caravan park. We are always happy to provide a gold coin donation for water, fill up with petrol and perhaps buy postcards etc. There is room for both caravan parks and free camping. Free camping doesn’t suit everyone.
We stayed at St Lawrence a couple of weeks ago, won’t be going back, lovely spot, shame about the managers. They cut the water tap off, but no signs about water issues, they just watched people go to use the water and then pounced. We have now decided to give the Bruce Hwy towns a miss and head inland instead. The grocer in town will not get our business again.
why not install a water dispenser like some other towns? $2 for 100 litres seems the norm. If i needed water would be happy to pay small fee.
We free camp when ever we can bugger paying donations. We are free camping of course we do not spend money that is the point of free camping. We buy from the cheapest supermarket in the Cities not prepared to pay small town prices. If the Council want us to visit there towns supply water and camp ground for free.
It is attitudes like this that do nothing to encourage towns to provide areas for us.
I reckon “Dave” is probably the local caravan park manager, or one of his mates. I’ve never met a Grey Nomad traveller with an attitude like that, but I’ve certainly seen the caravan park lobby and its supporters sink to all sorts of depths to negatively influence public opinion.
With an attitude like that Dave you should probably be free camping out in the scrub by yourself
Hey Rick, i agree with you but, dont get sucked in by “DAVE” there is no “DAVE”– this is just another marketing arm of the van park owners lobby.
they dont want us to do, to their bussiness, what they have done to the motel bussiness’s nation wide . We love to donate to the local economy, and prefer to shop, eat, stock up, and we bring our own water..
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I am sick of paying rates and taxes to support other peoples lifestyle and holidays. I can not afford a caravan stop bludging on us pensioner rate payers and start paying your way,
Just a question Gail. How much do you think you benefit from all the money spent by travellers in a small town going to the local van park owners. I think you don’t understand at all how tourism works. And I’m a pensioner too. Could not afford to stay nightly in a caravan park, eat, and put diesel in my (very cheap) van.
idiot
If I free camp the pub and the shop usually get my money but if I use the Caravan park which on the coast are expensive I don’t have any to spend in town, times that by a few hundred and you shop the one that looses.
we stayed there in June and spent money in the town plus made a large donation even though we only filled the water tank and used the dump point. If there is now a problem with the water then we wont be back and another town will benefit.
One question I need to ask before I make comment. If the answer is in the positive then I won’t bother commenting.
Is Mr. Elliot of Isaac council a caravan park owner.
Why don’t they do the Slotted Bucket trick and Get People to drop their Receipts in the bucket and Add up the Value of the receipt’s on a Weekly basis..
I’d Love to know what the value of receipts they get in a Week..
J
Why doesn’t the council charge $10.00 per night and put this money back into the community. We have camped at other community caravan parks where money raised is put back into the town. Plenty of grey nomads willing to caretaker and collect fees.
I live in an area that attracts literally millions of day trippers over the year.
We have some of the best beaches in Australia and they attract people from all over the world.We also have other attractions that cause day trippers to come. There are no parking meters in the towns none at the beach car parks and free parking at all venues.
There is no charge for the water usage by up to 100,000 day trippers per day nor for their use of our public toilets and sewage system. These costs are all borne by the ratepayers in a shire of less than 20,000 half of which are pensioners of some sort.
When I do my yearly interstate travel I expect the same services for free. Whilst interstate I contribute to GST that is distributed to the states I pass through .This year I stayed 8 nights at St Lawrence in 2 lots of 4,
I contributed $10 to the raffles and placed $25 in the donation box. I did not use the toilets or showers , I filled up with 240 litres of water and used the dump point. Meals were purchased at the hotel.
I believe I have more than paid my way but if St Lawrence choose to deny us these facilities we will not travel that boring road again. In fact we start to question if that state really wants tourists at all.
This is a great debate that in the end comes down to a question of rights. Do caravan park owners have the right to complain about free campers (and their supposed impact or lack of it) and likewise for the rights of free campers whether they choose to make a contributon or not for the *free* camp. It’s important to try to give everyone a fair go. Myself, i try to support the smaller towns and business when I travel. I always leave a donation if one is asked for and I always try to keep the site clean if free camping. I regard this as me giving back for receiving a fair go in the first place. I am happy to make a small purchase in town if i am free camping because I reckon it’s only fair and I get a cheap night anyway. Just my thoughts but I reckon if we are all fair to everyone(whatever that looks like) in our travels then we all get a better experience all round.
Given the angst that the council/managers are creating, why don’t they ask that all campers who stay here, place their receipts of what they have spent in and around the township and this should prove beyond any doubt that we nomads do contribute in a large way to the upkeep of the town and they should then not be so “penny pinching” or “protect” the minority Person ? People in the town.
We come from Busselton in WA. Our city council doesn’t allow free camping anywhere in the council. Caravan Parks or the highway.
I’m sure some of you have been to Busso and have wanted to stay for a while in the busy times but can’t get into a park. What do you do? you have to head inland to areas that haven’t got a swimming hole because the river is stagnant. At least in QLD if you go far enough inland you can stay in a fair priced park and use the local pools and give those communities a dollar or two for food and drink. Bugger the stuck up coastal towns. Ps if you don’t supply water people won’t stay too long.
Perhaps the business people of St Lawrence need to come and board and let Kevin Elliott know how much business grey nomads mean to them. Would be a shame if we left ‘without a trace’. The money spent is cyclic. What we give to one business helps them pay their bills, and the bills to places that grey nomads would not normally support as they don’t have the need for their goods or services. No town can afford to turn away business from any quarter if they hope to survive. If I were a rate payer in this town I would be questioning the ability of someone who is in this position to be able to run a shire with the comments made in this report. It will be the town’s loss if we are not welcome.
Perhaps I should have read some of the responses above. Are these people for real? Gail I would never expect you to pay my taxes and rates if you ever visited my town. You are not financing my lifestyle, I am! And might I say, I work dam hard and many long hours to do so. I don’t know a grey nomad/RVer who can travel without spending money . Some of these earlier comments are just plain ridiculous.
First there were hotels to stay in then camp grounds. Along came motels who took patrons from hotels and camp grounds turned into caravan parks and started putting in cabins which took patrons away from motels so I cant see what caravan parks have a leg to stand on when we freedom camp. Do they let you have a non water or non power site for $5 a nite.