While grey nomads are generally drawn to certain locations by the attractions on offer there, they can also be ‘frightened’ away by a lack of certain amenities.
It has been well established that dump points help keep self-contained travellers in an area, but there is also a growing awareness that public toilets are essential if caravanners and motorhomers without their own facilities are to be persuaded to visit.
It’s an issue that councillors in the beautiful McLaren Vale area, south of Adelaide have been wrestling with … and no solution has yet been found.
Onkaparinga Council recently decided against building a toilet block in Ellis Park in McLaren Vale despite widespread local support. The council said it believed the area was ‘well-serviced with public toilet amenities including council-owned and privately accessible facilities’ … but the McLaren Vale Tourism and Business Association disagrees.
“The current public toilet facilities in our town definitely deter tourism and influence visitors as to whether they should come to our town or not which in turn affects the local business trade in our area,” the Association’s president Sandy Mount told the Southern Times Messenger. “As an Association we are determined to continue lobbying to have a new public toilet facility in the heart of our town — preferably in Ellis Park.”
He told the paper it should include a block of men’s and women’s toilets, disabled toilets, bike facilities for water and air, animal water bowls, as well as an RV dump point.
“This would attract the growing group of older Australian caravan and camping car travellers to our region who do not currently have us on their destination agenda because of lack of facilities in our zone,” Mr Mount said.
During the council debate on the issue, Councillor Richard Peat questioned whether there was ‘a larger issue’ about a lack of adequate signage to direct people to existing facilities.
The Southern Messenger reports that council staff will now prepare a report with the address and locations of all council- owned toilets. The report will determine the cost and ‘worthiness’ of signs pointing the way. People can also download public toilet apps to find the nearest facilities.
McLaren Vale has quite a busy Main Street which would be awkward for RV Parking there is however caravan parking near Coles
Maybe that would be a location for a dump point?