Authorities in the grey nomad mecca of Broome are acting to ease the town’s ongoing caravan park site crisis.
About 38,000 caravanners and campers reportedly pour into Broome’s parks each year, many of whom are effectively told: ‘there’s no room at the inn”.
After discovering that the accommodation shortage translated into the possibility of less future demand and lost economic benefits, a business plan for a new park was released. Expressions of interest are now being sought from developers willing to transform a prime 13.5ha Cable Beach block of former Crown Land into a caravan park. The proposed park would be build in partnership with the Broome Shire and Tourism WA.
“Caravan and camping holidays are very popular in the State’s north-west,” said Tourism Minister Kim Hames. “Caravan park operators and investors with the necessary skills, design experience and financial resources to deliver a sustainable and functional caravan park are encouraged to make a submission.”
As well as pushing grey nomads out into overflow camping facilities, the long-standing peak-season site shortage in Broome has also led to many short-stay visitors camping on the streets or along Cable Beach. This led to a corresponding increase in littering and vandalism which authorities felt was detracting from Broome’s ‘natural amenity’.
If the tourism venue operators made the price and facilities attractive and safe for the wet season they could market it as the most spectacular time of the year.
The peak season is 01/06 to 30/09 and then everything is almost empty except for the long-termers. There is a definite marketing opportunity for the rest of the year, if they provided safe sites with tie-down chains and shelter facilities if a cyclone should threaten or hit Broome.
There is nothing in this country equal to the excitement of a Kimberley thunderstorm and the ensuing downpours. Not even Darwin has the thunder storms of this magnitude. So energising!
It’s also more pleasant at Broome because of the westerly from the Indian Ocean. While the humidity is high, the breeze keeps it tolerable, compared to Darwin or Cairns.
You gotto be there!