Caravanning Down Under (35-5)
By Wally Callaghan |
RVing
Isn’t Limited to North America – Discover Caravanning
in Australia.
(Thousands of caravanners flock to Queensland’s golden
beaches, located only a stone’s throw from their sites.)
Waking up at six o’clock on a blustery January morning
and hauling my protesting body out of a nice warm bed has never
been my idea of a fun thing to do. The fact that I usually have
inflicted this pain upon myself by volunteering to drive my
grandkids to a cold hockey arena offers me little consolation.
But then I tell myself, if and when they win Olympic gold, these
same kids they just might say “I owe all this to my grandpa.
He drove me everywhere so I dedicate this medal to him.”
Hey, don’t laugh, it could happen – at least it
does on television.
I was in for an entirely different scenario last January thanks
to a long but pleasant flight from Toronto to Sydney, Australia.
It was a little cool when I jumped from my bed at 6:00 a.m.,
but then, all I had to do was flip off the air conditioner,
slip on a pair of sandals and shorts, and head for the great
Australian outdoors. It was summer in the wonderful land “Down
Under!”
Peering out to the horizon, the sun was just rising over the
pounding surf, a great shining orb that promised another beautiful
day. Even at this early hour, the Esplanade and the golden beaches
were alive with joggers, cyclists, skateboarders and families
from the many Caravan (RV) parks that flourish on the beautiful
coastline of Central Queensland. I took a great lungful of the
salt sea air and wondered (very briefly) how cold it was in
Canada.
I headed for breakfast at the local Surf Club where I knew that
these athletic caravanners would soon crowd in, looking for
their first “cuppa” of the day. So I hustled to
get my favorite table with that special view of the ocean and
the spectacular scenery.
As on my previous visits to Australia my Camping Canada RV Lifestyle
shirt generated a lot of interest from caravanners and park
dwellers alike. There were many questions as to how I was enjoying
their country, how my Aussie caravanning experiences compared
with those of Canada, where I was going next, suggestions as
to where I should visit etc. Wherever you are, caravanners are
a friendly, inquisitive and chatty bunch.
(One of Glendale Australia’s Park models at beautiful
Maroochy Palm Holiday Village on the Sunshine Coast north of
Brisbane.)
Eager to hit the road, I steered my camper van rental toward
Brisbane, which is located just north of the appropriately named
Surfer’s Paradise where I had been camping. There I met
Ron Chapman, an old friend from the days when we both worked
in Australia for Glendale Corporation of Strathroy, Ontario.
Glendale had a plant in Queensland that has since been sold
to Australian interests and it now manufactures Park Models
and doublewide housing units. Ron is presently the executive
director for both the Queensland Caravan Association and the
National Caravan Parks Association, and as such, is a great
source of information regarding Australia’s caravan industry.
Over a sumptuous feast of mud crabs, deep-sea scallops, shrimp,
prawns and steak (on the barbie), Ron filled me in on some of
the interesting facts regarding Aussie RVing. He informed me
that there are now approximately 350,000 registered RV owners
in Australia with 2,700 parks and 300,000 sites. Canada with
one-third more population than Australia (32 million to 22 million)
has proportionately more registered owners, (approximately 1,000,000).
The large number of parks and sites in Australia is due to the
almost year-round summer weather, magnificent coastline, and
the numerous accessible beaches of Australia. (Page
Top)
Most of the RV units sold in Australia are towables. Relatively
few are Fifth Wheels, as larger vehicles for towing these units
are not manufactured in that country and have to be imported
– mostly from North America. Naturally, this limits production
and sales of Fifth Wheels.
Most of the towable caravans (similar to our Travel Trailers)
are the “hybrid” type. These are hard side caravans
with pop-up tops and several side extensions. They differ from
our slideouts in that they’re mostly of canvas tent fabrication.
All of these towable units are manufactured in Australia, with
the exception of a few imports from North America and New Zealand.
As in Canada, Park Model sales are increasing as more parks
come on stream and older parks are upgraded and improved. From
the smallest “country” parks to the upscale developments
on the coast, anyone interested in caravanning should have little
difficulty in finding a suitable site with great facilities.
Amenities in most parks certainly don’t take a backseat
to those in North America. Indoor and outdoor swimming pools,
recreation, and leisure and activity centers are common. Youngsters
are catered to with water parks, horseback riding, video arcades,
and of course, babysitting centers.
(A typical hybrid “pop top” caravan on site in a
Queensland park.)
Motorhomes are a growing segment of the market, with rentals
enjoying substantial activity. The latter are available from
dealers at most major locations and there are other companies
that specialize in rentals and tours. Ron mentioned that steadily
increasing numbers of North Americans are visiting Australia
and taking lengthy journeys to enjoy all aspects of their vast,
magnificent country. The Australian Camper Van and Caravan Association
reports that in 2003, 320,000 international visitors stayed
in commercial campgrounds, and that more than 75 percent of
these came in roughly equal numbers from Germany, Britain and
New Zealand with a lesser proportion coming from North America.
After many magical moments, all too soon my trip was over but
I came away from Australia with many happy memories of the wonderful
scenery, lifestyle and the cheerful friendliness of the Aussie
people.
For more information on Queensland, campgrounds, or rental details
in Australia contact: admin@caravanqld.com.au. (Page
Top) |
|
