Australia’s caravan parks have been evolving quickly over recent years, and it seems the speed of change is only going to accelerate in the months and years ahead.
With traveller numbers reaching unprecedented levels, combined with a housing crisis, the surging popularity of cabins and glamping, and much, much more, it is safe to say that interesting times lay ahead.
It is against this backdrop, that the Caravan & Residential Parks Victoria (CRPVic) – which represents more than 370 tourist parks – has released a comprehensive policy platform which it says it is aimed at unlocking the next phase of growth in that state.
Caravan parks help drive regional tourism. PIC: Dozza
The Tourist Park Policy Platform – Unlocking Victoria’s Next Generation of Tourist Parks sets out 24 recommendations designed to support ‘investment in new and improved accommodation and strengthen regional economies’.
CRPVic Chief Executive Officer Scott Parker said tourist parks were the cornerstone of regional tourism, providing affordable and flexible accommodation and supporting all other tourism providers and local businesses across the state.
“For far too long, tourist park operators and their businesses have been taken for granted,” he said. “These recommendations, if adopted, will unlock stalled growth by adapting policy settings to keep pace with unprecedented demand and accommodation innovation and bring much needed investment back from interstate.”
The recommendations focus on reforms across planning, Crown land leasing, emerging accommodation such as glamping, and measures to support workforces, environmental sustainability and guest accessibility.
CRPVic General Manager for Tourist Parks, Gary Anderton, said planning reform was central to unlocking the investment the sector desperately needs.
“Right now, there is a clear opportunity to streamline planning pathways for routine upgrades and new accommodation within existing tourist parks,” he said. “Park operators are ready to invest in cabins, eco-accommodation and park improvements, but inconsistent interpretation and lengthy approval processes are slowing projects that should be straightforward.”
CRPVic has also called on the Victorian Government to extend Crown Land lease terms from 21 years to 40 years ‘to unlock long-term investment and modernisation of tourist park infrastructure’, and for more Crown Land lease opportunities be made available ‘to encourage the development of new tourist parks in high-demand regional tourism areas’.
“Areas near lakes, rivers, national parks and coastal corridors could accommodate high-value tourist parks over the next decade that integrate environmental protection with visitor amenity,” it said. “Expansion of Crown Land leasing opportunities provides a managed, environmentally sensitive activation of public land that benefits the broader community.”
The organisation says that recent assessments indicate that each dollar of caravan park revenue is estimated to generate about $1.38 in additional economic activity in the local community, stimulating jobs and business opportunities.
Another recommendation was that the Victorian Government develops improved waterways camping regulations to ‘optimise fairness for regulated tourist parks, environmental protection and consistent compliance across Victoria’.
It said the introduction of waterways camping regulations had highlighted the need to better align environmental management objectives, public access and the role of existing Crown land tourist parks.
“While encouraging public use of waterways is important, there is an opportunity to ensure these settings are applied consistently and support positive outcomes for both visitors and the environment,” it said. “Strengthening coordination and clarity across the system would help address emerging challenges such as inconsistent enforcement, environmental impacts, safety considerations and the interaction with established tourist parks that operate under comprehensive regulatory frameworks.”
Other key recommendations included:
“Insurance affordability and accessibility have emerged as critical challenges to the long-term viability of tourist parks, particularly those operating on Crown Land,” it said.
In Victoria, the tourist park sector provides nearly half of all holiday accommodation, contributing more than $2.6 billion to the state economy and supporting approximately 17,000 jobs.
Click here to see the CRPVic policy document.
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Governments, both Local & State should help caravan parks wherever they can, but only private and family owned parks. Caravan Parks that are franchised or belong to multi-national corporations should be left to their own devices and not benefit from any form of Government help.
Totally agree .. and would help drive competition in the sector..
Private and family owned parks should also be excluded because they are private capitalist enterprises, why should they get any social benefits from the government.
I guess no attempt made to address the rediculous OTT prices caravan parks are charging?
Caravan Parks are overpriced. Look at the prices they are charging, Big4, Discovery/Gday, Kui etc. 2025 off peak in Karratha wanted to charge me $85 per night at a discounted rate. When Questioned I was told it’s tourist season and its dynamic pricing. Biggest crock of shit I’ve ever heard. Karratha does not have a tourist season, it’s a mining town.
In 1992 we went to Broome to spend a week or so looking around. The van park fee was $75.00. We stayed one night and moved on. Most of the parks in WA were expensive then and it appears that things haven’t changed.
Yes the crooks charge 40 of dollars just pitch a god dam tent.
In 2019, we paid $47 for an unpowered site, to pitch a tent, at Coral Bay. We travelled to Kalbarri and got a motel room for $67.
The journey from home to the city is fabulous if taken via regional centres.
There’s lots to see and do and our spending supports these communities.
Once you get to a city to visit family or friends, or attend a concert, a wedding, funeral, birthday event or other, there are very few caravan parks.
There is an abundance of Crown land that could be easily developed by councils to accommodate travellers just as regional centres do.
Without encouraging the larger expensive franchises, and employing an on-site manager.
Yeah and continue to do your darndest to close free and low cost sites.
Bloody van parks are too expensive.
First think all caravan parks all over Australia.stop over charging just to park up on dirt on a unpower site as a sole Traveler u paid as a couple . U no u are getting rip off so u just pay. In wa cost me $58. P/n one night u must check in past 2pm corporate body caravan parks make heaps of money on the back of a fuel crisis and home crisis.
Caravan parks are just to expensive for most travellers,free camps in small towns where the caravan park has closed, or is too small to accommodate one ,should be encouraged, it brings the towns much needed revenue , that way people can save money and then be able to afford a few nights in a caravan park
the caravan parks do a good job, big 4 etc if you have children, nomads don’t have kids just need a site, power and water. the pricing could be altered to suit the needs of the traveller, eg. couple young or retired, family, tent or van, self contained, etc etc. when you get flogged $40/ night or more parks are killing their bread and butter golden egg. most nomads don’t need or want a golden gilded park, as long it clean and tidy, with solar panels and battery technology the need for power is becoming less.
When caravans have their own bathrooms and you carry solar panels and a generator (for times when there is no sunshine) then you DON’T NEED a caravan park at all. We have been full time travellers for just over 23 years and only had to resort to a caravan park twice in that time. We have everything we need and they can’t offer anything that we don’t already have EXCEPT to be squashed into a space where you could reach out and touch the van next to you. NO thankyou. That is exactly why we purchased a caravan with a bathroom and toilet. Why buy a caravan with a bathroom if you are going to use caravan parks ? Makes no sense to me.
We would rather spend our money in the town and not in the Caravan Park
We paid $80 in Broom WA last year, we realise it cost money to run a caravan park, like with your home.
Paragraphs of meaningless wordy woke nonsense. Stop managing caravan oarks like they are sleazy renement precincts..
Larger sites, lower rates and more connection to the natural surroundings.
Stop treating grey nomads like cash cows.
Fairer booking systems to share access.
No restrictive parking on roadways and better ablution blocjs.
Simple stuff made complex by woke office jockeys.
Reading the government document indicate to me that they do not think caravan parks are for caravanners. They seem to think that development of cabins and permanent tents is the main objective. The document reads like it was a task given to some employees to come up with a COMPREHENSIVE document. With the increase in number of caravans, we certainly need more parks. More Government regulation (interference) of this type is unlikely to achieve that.
I believe that many caravan parks have become extremely greedy. Being quoted $114 a night at a popular Sunshine Coast Council owned caravan parks.
Every cent a caravanpark takes is not spend in town.simple.