Like grey nomads, many caravan parks are struggling to keep up with the staggering speed of the events surrounding the coronavirus pandemic and the impact it will have on them.
Louise Hickman and her partner, Mark, manage the Spear Creek Caravan Park located 25 kilometres south-east of Port Augusta on a 7,000-hectare sheep station.
The imposition of border restrictions requiring new arrivals from interstate to self-isolate caught many people completely unaware.
“The weekend was a blur, with things moving so fast,” said Louise. “Mark and I are travellers ourselves and, if we were not based here at the moment, we would have no home to go to.”
She says that the people she has spoken to are simply confused.
“Most travellers and holidaymakers are high-tailing it home,” she said. “Self-isolation in a caravan park is not possible for many reasons.”
However, Louise stressed that people already in South Australia only have to self-isolate if they may have the virus or if they have come into contact with it.
“For all others that have not come into contact with it – which should be most travellers at this stage – whatever state you are in just find a nice caravan park now and relax.”
She says if people not crossing a border will not have to self-isolate.
“I have no idea what the future will bring,” she said. “At the moment, it is day by day and we’ll keep battling on …. everyone just needs to be kind and patient.”
The business itself has seen an extra quite season already, and a flurry of cancellations for the crucial Easter period are presenting huge challenges.
“We are a small business and if we close the doors, in all likelihood they would not be able to open again,” said Louise. “With this in mind we started making plans for the future to keep the park open and running, and we have put together a heavily discounted package for bona fide travellers who are stuck, so hopefully people can find a home for a while and we can still put some money in the bank to at least pay the utility bills.”
Details of the deal can be found here.
I have a friend who relocated to (and is now resident in) Tasmania from Brisbane some months ago and has booked a vehicle spot on the Princess of Tasmania in a weeks time. Now with the border closures how will this effect some one traversing the state to meet a deadline date of passage which is now less than 14 days away? He will have to cross 2 state borders, both of which will require him (by the time he leaves) to self isolate – in each state for 14 days!!
While this may be some what easier to comply with if you are traveling with a caravan, in this instance he is simply moving himself and his car to Tasmania – and has a committed deadline to meet. The Spirit was booked a couple of months ago. Is the an exemption or understanding for this situation? Would this possibly be seen as “essential” given the circumstances. Many travelers returning from holidays driving home would be in this situation and assume that they would self isolate when they arrive home. Interesting scenario and not discussed anywhere on any website. Who indeed would you ask for clarification in each state??
We’re in the same situation so confused
Are there any rules/ laws that impact on travel within a State? We live in our van and are currently on the Sunshine Coast (s.e. Qld) and need to relocate to Cairns, to provide care and support for a seriously ill relative (recently put in ICU for an indefinite period). Who should we contact to get a definitive answer – not looking for opinions/ suggestions. Cheers.
We are in caravan
. Righ.now in QLD trying desperately to get home to Perth. I realise that crossing state borders now is mandatory 14 day isolation. Question :after crossing border where do we self isolate? Can we stay in caravan park in our van,? Don’t have the money to book into hotel for each of states border crossings.
The caravan industry association states in their number 2 COVID bulletin that you can self isolate in a van or Motorhome provided you have bathroom and kitchen onboard. They had been in touch with the gov to clarify this. If you google “can I self isolate in a caravan” you will get this result. If you shop up before you cross over, then I suggest you look at bush/free camps as much as possible which means you only need to find water and dump point.
We are travelling in our caravan now in Darwin. We are planning to travel to WA from Darwin. When we cross the border in Kunnanurra do we have to self isolate /self quarantine for 14 days as stipulated? What does it mean? Can we stay in a caravan park & use the facilities e.g. toilets, showers, laundry?
No you can’t use their amenities only yours
If you cross the bot yes you have to self isolate for 14 days and each caravan park will have rules so abide by them
We are currently in southern WA and home is Brisbane. If we w,ere to head home we would probably need to do 3×14 days self isolation to get there. Are we able to continue our travels north trying to stay as isolated as possible except for getting food.
When you ask “can we continue to travel north”, I’m presuming you mean staying in WA and travelling north through WA. If this is the case, then you are fine at the moment. If you are self contained (own toilet and shower) then now is the time to get into cheap/free camps. Stay away from populated areas and make sure you top up your water at every opportunity as water is scarce after about Carnarvon. The caravan association as confirmed with the government that van parks are an essential service (just like other accomodation places such as motels) but I would be wary of using ammenities other than my own at present. You will need to self isolate once you cross over into NT so make sure you have enough food for 14 days and just hole up somewhere such as Timber Creek. Hope this helps.
From what I have read about travel within WA, the North of WA is out for all non essential travel. There are a lot of indigenous communities. The WA health department will be able to give you the right information. Best of luck
The CLC ( Central Land Council) has revoked all permits for travel within that region, to keep the remote communities safe. Any non-essential movement along the Canning Stock Route & surrounds is out. I can only assume that other regions have followed suit.