Grey nomads are on the march northwards
The great grey nomad pilgrimage north is under way and it’s looking like being bigger … and earlier … than ever.
As the temperatures in the southern states plummet, the roads heading into Queensland, the Northern Territory and the north of Western Australia are already filling with caravans, campervans and motorhomes.
Caravanning Queensland CEO, Ron Chapman, is confident of a bumper season and reports forward bookings at the state’s caravan parks are up.
Inland towns such as Cunnamulla have started welcoming the grey nomad ‘hordes’ as they head up the Mitchell Highway.
“The influx has started earlier than ever,” Carmel Meurant, tourism manager for the Paroo Shire, said. “I think grey nomads are trying to beat the rush … but they are the rush!”
Although she hasn’t calculated the statistics yet, Ms Meurant says numbers are way up.
“The other interesting thing is that grey nomads seem to be much more relaxed and are travelling slower,” she said. “In previous years, they appeared to be on a schedule but we have noticed that, unless they have already made bookings further north, they are now ready to change their itinerary and meander about.”
Ms Meurant says grey nomads who have travelled through the area on previous occasions are seeking out new experiences such as driving the Natural Science Loop, which winds its way through bird-watching, opal mining and stargazing areas.
It’s a similar story over in the west, especially in popular grey nomad hotspots like Broome.
“The grey nomads have definitely started arriving now,” said Kerrie Pell, manager of Cable Beach Caravan Park. “We are going to be flat out until the end of August.”
However, Ms Pell says many of the park’s regular dry season visitors have transferred their bookings through to next year, choosing instead to take advantage of the strong Aussie dollar and head overseas.
“It has meant people who might not otherwise have found a site are getting lucky,” she said. “We certainly recommend that everyone wanting to come up should pre-book … there are overflow facilities in town, but you don’t want to just take your chances.”
So, is Broome … and everywhere else … ready for ‘grey nomad season’?
“We always look forward to having the grey nomads up,” said Ms Pell. “There is a great atmosphere around the parks, there’s plenty of laughter and everyone has so many different stories to tell.”
