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Victorian van parks to shut, but there are exemptions

Published: March 25, 2020

All campsites, caravan parks and campgrounds in Victoria will be closed from midnight under the non-essential travel exclusions.

However there appears to be an exemption which may cover some grey nomads who have been caught out by the ever-stricter travel restrictions being imposed.

The Chief Health Officer has said that the only people permitted to remain will be:

• People staying in caravan parks as interim accommodation where their primary residence is not available (including those of no fixed address and people placed in emergency housing by DHHS); and
• People who already have the caravan park registered as their primary place of residence;

The latest clampdown follows further restrictions on domestic and international travel, with all non-essential travel banned.

The state’s Department of Environment, Land and Water said it was an important move to reduce the risk of infection and slow the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) in the Victorian community. It said compliance with the directive would be s enforceable under section 203 of the Public Health and Wellbeing Act 2008 and penalties apply.

The directive says signage should be displayed at the road entrances and on main buildings indicating that the park or camping ground is closed.

Inspections will occur after this date to ensure that campsites, caravan parks and camping grounds are compliant. Inspections will be carried out by DELWP and Parks Victoria staff and Local Government authorised officers over the coming weeks.

Apparently, if caravan parks and camping grounds operators fail to comply following this, the Victoria Police will be contacted.

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