An increasing number of people want to pack up and hit the road
The grey nomad phenomenon is on the rise, and it seems more people than ever are investing in caravans, motorhomes and camper trailers.
Figures from RVM Australia, the peak body for Australia’s RV manufacturing industry, showed total production of 20,708 caravans and RVs in 2012. The annual production was within 5% of the 30-year record achieved in 2011.
RVM Australia CEO David Duncan said the industry’s continuing strength was built on a healthy demand across the spectrum of locally built RVs, especially for traditional caravans.
“This is the third massive year in a row – 29% above the level reached in 2009 – and early signs for 2013 suggest we can expect another boom year in 2013,” he said. “There seems to be no end to the demand for well-built, well-equipped, good-value RVs. Clearly, people want the relaxing, economical and sociable holidays that RVs make possible.”
Mr Duncan says that traditional caravans are continuing to grow in popularity, with 54.6 per cent of the total, followed by pop-tops at 24.3 per cent and camper trailers at 13.8 per cent, while motorised units of all types account for 5 per cent.
With some towns already full to bursting due to the mining boom and growing nomad numbers, the question some people are already asking is ‘where are all of these extra travellers going to stay?’ It’s a brave caravanner who turns up in towns like Broome without a booking. Tales of long queues outside parks in the mornings are the stuff of legend.
Have you noticed an increase in the number of new caravans and pop-tops on the road? Do you think an accommodation crisis for grey nomads on the road is on the cards? Share your views below.
On a recent trip to Newcastle, my husband counted 200 caravans and motorhomes heading in the ‘other’ direction (south). This was over a 250km stretch. He gave up counting from Sydney on. This was far higher than he usually counts – so yes, there are more new vans on the road. (We didn’t count the ones that were going our way of course but my guess it would have been just as many.)
Clever Grey Nomads prepare their vans to enable them to stay OUT OF caravan parks.
You save well over $10,000 a year, you get to see more of the country and meet more interesting people, besides who wants to be squashed in to a park with the rest of Australia and at those exorbitant rates.
Couldn’t agree more with the previous comment.
We are fully set up for Bush Camping and only want, note I said need not want, a Caravan Park in major centres where one can not bush camp.
There certainly is a huge trend towards the freedom camping aspect of caravanning.
Nothing beats camping beside a river, creek, lake with the camp fire.
John