CARAVANNING NEWS - February 2012 edition


LINKS	REST AREAS	CARAVAN MANUFACTURERS	OWNERS' FORUMS	FUEL PRICES	CARAVAN CLUBS	LIVE TRAFFIC CAMS
Queensland outback	Carnarvon Gorge	Moore Park Beach turtles	Sydney circular	Santa's trip	Formula One interlude	Imbil

Brisbane Weather Forecast, Australia

Caravanning News is registered with the National Library of Australia's PANDORA archive

February 2012

BREAKING NEWS
(For full list of stories,
click here)

Caravanners talk about our 'highway of shame'

A NATIONAL DISGRACE

Story and photos by Dennis Amor

QUEENSLAND'S notorious Bruce Highway has been dubbed Australia's worst highway in a new report. The 'highway of shame', which stretches for 1700km between Brisbane and Cairns, was described as the nation's deadliest road in the independent Australian Road Assessment Program survey carried out on behalf of the Australian Automobile Association. According to the report, it had the highest level of road trauma on the Queensland national network, accounting for 50 percent of casualty crashes and 61 percent of deaths during 2005-09. In fact, the nation's Highway 1 accounted for more than 17 percent of deaths on the entire national network. Caravanning News went on the road to gauge caravanners' reaction.

	Tony and Helke Nicholas of Gympie, Queensland: The state of our number one highway is quite shocking and we try to avoid it and use inland roads as much as possible ... it's an absolute rat race. Many stretches of the highway are in a really poor condition.
	Fred and Shirley Scofield of Rockhampton, Queensland: It's a national disgrace and a death trap. We are scared whenever we have to drive on it. The booming mining industry has resulted in more heavy traffic and wide loads, but the highway is just not designed for this. It's much too narrow.

The highway along the Sunshine State's eastern seaboard carries thousands of caravanners, with their numbers swelling dramatically during the winter months when southerners head north for the winter sunshine. Many say it has been neglected and it has now become Australia's 'highway of shame'. The report said significant investment was required for infrastructure improvements to address safety deficiencies and to cater for increasing traffic demand.

Wages come under Ombudsman scrutiny

By Dennis Amor
Have your say

THE Fair Work Ombudsman has launched a campaign to ensure caravan park owners are not underpaying their workers.

Scores of parks in Queensland will come under the scrutiny of inspectors during the next three months to ensure staff receive their full entitlements.

Hotels and motels will be included in the investigation, which will also focus on overtime pay and penalty rates.

Inspectors will audit records at holiday parks on the Gold and Sunshine coasts, Airlie Beach, Bundaberg, Cairns, Dalby, Gladstone, Hervey Bay, Mt Isa, Rockhampton, Roma, Stanthorpe, St George, Toowoomba and Townsville.

"In Queensland, the accommodation industry is one of the main sources of underpayment complaints to the Fair Work Ombudsman," a Fair Work spokesperson said.

Employers complying with workplace laws would benefit because it would help businesses "compete on a level playing field".

Fair Work Australia often targets employers in industries and regions it knows need intervention, and usually those who employ vulnerable workers.

"Sometimes, we undertake an audit or a series of audits in response to a complaint or information we've been given by an industry association, government minister, the media or other source," it said.

Tragedy prompts plea to caravan park lead-foots

DRIVERS making their way through caravan parks packed with children at play have been urged to take extra care. The plea follows the New Year's Eve death of a five-year-old boy who collided with a car while riding his bicycle at the 244-site BIG4 Inverloch Holiday Park, south-east of Melbourne. While no blame was attributed to the driver, concerns have been raised over some motorists who insist on driving too fast in family-oriented holiday parks. "They just don't give a damn," one angry caravanner told Caravanning News. "I'm surprised there aren't more accidents. Some drivers hare around without a second thought for the safety of anyone, including children."

Gas-guzzlers get flick as lightweights gain favour
GAS-GUZZLING 4WDs are getting the flick as caravanners opt for more lightweight caravans, claims an importer of European-built caravans. R.V. Asia Pacific's Chris Swann attributes a 12 percent rise in Adria caravan sales to people wanting to utilise their existing family sedan or SUV. "People today don't want to change their family vehicle just to be able to tow a caravan," he said.

Cops shed light on caravan theft
A MAN drove straight into the arms of the law while towing a stolen caravan without tail lights through darkened Queensland streets. Police pulled over the utility with caravan in tow shortly before midnight at Harlaxton near Toowoomba to alert the driver about the lack of rear lights. But they soon discovered the new $30,000 Roma poptop had been reported missing from Trail-A-Van in nearby Wilsonton two weeks previously. The 36-year-old driver was arrested and charged with unlawful use of a motor vehicle and entering a premises with intent to commit an indictable offence. It is understood the caravan had been stripped of some parts. Have your say

Caravanning News helps trap caravan crook
AN eagle-eyed Caravanning News reader has helped trap a caravan crook in Victoria. Scott and Maria Smith thought they had seen the last of their Bluestone caravan which was stolen just two weeks before they were due to head off on an east-coast and central-Australia adventure.

Warning after man pinned under RV
CARAVANNERS have again been warned to take safety precautions when working under jacked-up recreational vehicles. This follows an accident in which a 60-year-old Victorian man was pinned under his caravan for more than three hours. He was discovered writhing in pain by a relative at his home in Colac East and airlifted to Melbourne's Alfred hospital with serious internal injuries. An ambulance spokesperson said it appeared jacks under the caravan had given way. He said people should never work under vehicles without making sure they were properly secured, and preferably with some sort of back-up system in case jacks failed. Have your say

Airlie Cove Resort and Van Park Airlie Beach park on market for $8.25m
AN award-winning caravan park at the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef and Whitsunday Islands is on the market. Queensland's Airlie Beach Cove Resort and Van Park, a pet-friendly member of the BIG4 chain, is being advertised at an asking price of $8,250,000. Owner John Beaumont, who has run the park for more than a decade, told Caravanning News there were "three or four" interested buyers. Asked why he was selling the park, he said: "Because I have to." He added that he was leaving the caravan industry but declined to give further details. The four-star, 28-acre park offers 88 caravan sites, 60 cabins and villas plus camping sites. It also has a tennis court, large swimming pool, children's playground and cookhouse. Have your say

Cheeky Ken swaps caravan bed for jail cell
A HOMELESS 26-year-old man's habit of breaking into caravans to sleep has resulted in him being given a bed for free ... behind bars. Cheeky Ken McElroy, of no fixed address, crept into a caravan annexe at the Bendalong Point Tourist Park in New South Wales and enjoyed two nights in comfort, Nowra Local Court heard.

Caravan thieves busy in NSW
CARAVAN owners in New South Wales have been urged to secure their mobile holiday homes after a spate of brazen thefts. Five caravans – all Jaycos – in as many weeks have been stolen from outside homes across the Central Coast, some in broad daylight. The crooks struck at Blackwall, Lisarow, Booker Bay and Wamberal but may have moved to Sydney with reported thefts from the western suburbs. Leading caravan and RV insurer CIL admits thefts are increasing and has urged owners to lock them securely. Meanwhile, Melbourne-based Supreme Caravans is so concerned about the rise in thefts it has posted a special item on its blog page on improving the chances of recovering stolen caravans. Have your say

Caravan on crash barrier

The caravan 'parked' on a roadside crash barrier about half way down a slight incline

CRASH BARRIER SAVES CARAVANNERS

TWO caravanners had a lucky escape when their rig careered out of control in South Australia. The shocked couple clambered out of their sedan unscathed ... but their ageing caravan ended up straddling a roadside crash barrier on the Mt Barker to Strathalbyn Road, about 10km south of Mt Barker. A witness told Caravanning News: "It could have been a lot worse, but luckily the car managed to stay upright. The two occupants seemed quite shaken, which is understandable." Have your say

AFTER THE PORCHE COMES A MERCEDES

The Mercedes and Adria on the Sorrento-Queenscliff ferry in Victoria

ADRIA caravan owners favour the more luxurious tow vehicles, it seems. After last month's Caravanning News story and photo of a Porche hauling an Adria caravan comes news of an Adria 642UP with a 2009 Mercedes 320 CDI tug. "Yes we do get some very strange looks when we are touring around and a lot of questions when we pull into caravan parks," owner John Fraser said. "We are quite a novelty! I have towed 'vans with a Pathfinder, Pajero and Prado and none perform as well as the Mercedes. The Adria has also exceeded our expectations. We have travelled 12,000km with no problems. Between the power of the Mercedes and the light weight of the Adria, touring is a pleasure, not like some caravanners towing three tonnes at 70 km ... all red faced and white knuckles clenching their steering wheel." John and wife Debbie live part-time at Sorrento, Victoria, and part-time at Queensland's Surfers Paradise. Have your say

Two die in horror crash involving caravan
POLICE have appealed for witnesses to a horror crash involving a vehicle and a ute towing a caravan on Queensland's Brisbane Valley Highway at Toogoolawah in which two people were killed. An 18-year-old woman passenger died at the scene while a 45-year-old male passenger died two days later at Royal Brisbane Hospital. The 18-year-old female driver and a 12-year-old boy also in the vehicle both received treatment for minor injuries. All four were from the Toowoomba area. Police said it appeared their vehicle was heading south when it careered out of control and collided with a utility towing a caravan heading north. The caravanners – a 64-year-old man and a 59-year-old woman – were not injured, police said. Have your say

Aussies help caravan's sad demise

AUSSIE caravanners have helped bring a once gleaming caravan to a miserable, though spectacular, end in the UK. They were among 10 million fans of TV's popular Top Gear show who rose to the occasion when the programme promised to blow up a caravan if its Facebook site hit 10 million 'Likes'. One Queenslander who registered told Caravanning News: "We all know the show's frontmen Clarkson, Hammond and May have an inherent hate of caravans ... and it seems millions of others share their loathing. But it's all in fun." A You Tube video shows The Stig pushing down a detonator handle and the caravan exploding into a million pieces, though its chassis, tyres and wheels survived remarkable well. Click on the graphic to see the video. Have your say

ACC members plan new border branch
A MEETING at the Hume Caravan Park in NSW this month will discuss plans to form a new Border Region branch of Australian Caravan Club. Caravanners and other RV owners are expected to vote on February 25 to launch the group following last year's successful Border RV Expo when local RVers became members of the ACC.

Reel good news for caravanning fishers
A QUEENSLAND caravan park is making sure fishers are well catered for next year. Twenty-five thousand barramundi fingerlings were released into Lake Monduran as part of Lake Monduran Holiday Park’s Sponsor a Baby Barra program. Manager of the park, just off the Bruce Highway north of Gin Gin, Rob Howell said the fingerlings would reach legal size within 15 months and he was expecting a bumper fishing season in 2013. Have your say

TripAdvisor accolade testament to 'great team'
CAIRNS Holiday Park has hit number one in its TripAdvisor category with an average feedback rating of five stars and no negative reviews. The park beat 76 other specialty lodgings at the tropical northern holiday destination to take the coveted top spot. Park manager Bob Bastian said it was testament to his great team.

'Mind-blowing' attendance leads to bigger show
AUSTRALIA'S popular series of caravan and camping shows get underway this month. And with its move to a new venue after last year's 'mind-blowing' attendance, visitors to the second Newcastle Caravan, Camping and Holiday Expo from February 17 to 19 can expect to immerse themselves in a wonderland of all-things RV.

Caravanners quizzed in climate-change survey
HUNDREDS of caravanners are being surveyed at coastal caravan parks in Victoria to help better understand challenges of climate change. Holidaymakers at Barwon Heads and Portarlington were among the first to take part in the benchmark research project by Western Coastal Board to understand the value and highlight the importance of coastal caravan parks and camping grounds.

Safety checklist makes for trouble-free journeys
TYRES, brakes and lights are among the top items for attention on a new caravan safety checklist available from the Recreational Vehicle Manufacturers Association of Australia. President Richard Raven said a pre-holiday safety check should be part of regular maintenance for any caravan or camper trailer.

PathFinder forges international partnership
MELBOURNE'S PathFinder OutDoor Destinations has forged a link with an American company to improve the outdoor holiday experience. The Melbourne company, co-founded by former BIG4 chief executive Terry Goodall, has joined forces with Virginia-based Best Parks in America with the idea of creating an international network aimed at promoting the growth of quality outdoor properties and experiences in Australia, New Zealand, the US and Canada. Mr Goodall was a guiding light who led the BIG4 caravan park and resort chain to its pinnacle of success.

Deputy mayor hits troubled waters over closure idea
OUTRAGED caravanners have blasted a deputy mayor for suggesting a popular Queensland caravan park be axed to enable an adjoining water park to be expanded. Hervey Bay's David Dalgleish came under fire after he called for the council-owned 175-site beachfront Pialba Beachfront Caravan Park next to the WetSide Water Park to be scrapped. "Is this man for real?" queried one angry caravanner. "Hervey Bay already bulges at the seams with caravanners during peak periods ... where's he planning to put us all?" And another told Caravanning News: "It is one of the most popular holiday destinations for grey nomads. It would be plain daft to close it." But Cr Dalgleish remained unrepentant, saying: "There are still other places for them to stay on the Esplanade." Have your say

Road trip app makes planning caravan trips a breeze
A NEW mobile telephone app offers instant itineraries for caravanners and campers. Travel journalist and guide book author Lee Atkinson has published a comprehensive, user-friendly guide to the best Australian road trips in an iPhone and iPad application called Australian Road Trips. "As well as following the detailed itineraries on the apps, users can design their own individual road trips with the caravan and camping filter," she told Caravanning News.

Kidspot mums vote BIG4 tops
BIG4 Holiday Parks has scooped the Kidspot Best of Award for 2011 after mothers voted it best family holiday destination nationwide. The holiday park chain's general manager of marketing, Kari Hunter, told Caravanning News the group was "very appreciative" of all the votes received from Kidspot readers. "We are really proud of all our 180 parks who individually provide the quality accommodation, service and facilities that families have become accustomed to at BIG4," she said. "We are always looking to find new ways to provide a full outdoor holiday experience for our guests and are pleased to find out that families across Australia are enjoying what our member parks are providing." Have your say

Fly-in fly-out era benefits WA parks
THE era of fly-in, fly-out workers is having a knock-on effect on some West Australian caravan parks. City of Busselton Council chief executive Mike Archer believes his area could support an airport to cater for miners who fly to the state's north-west to work. "Because we're very much a tourism area a lot of the partners of the mine workers are actually looking for part-time work and they actually help provide a relatively stable workforce for our caravan parks or our tourist accommodation," he told media. Have your say

For stories from the last six editions of Caravanning News, click on the appropriate month:


January 2012	December 2011	November 2011	October 2011	September 2011	August 2011

Editor: Dennis Amor
PO Box 678
Caloundra
Queensland 4551
Australia
Click to send email

CLICK HERE TO SEND COMMENTS OR
STORY IDEAS TO CARAVANNING NEWS

Sign Guestbook View Guestbook

Web pages designed and produced by Dennis Amor

No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted without
the prior written permission of Caravanning News.

NEWS READERSHIP AVERAGES 13,000

MORE and more people are turning to Caravanning News to keep abreast of what's happening in the world of Australian caravanning. Figures show that an average 13,000 visitors log on monthly, accounting for around 100,000 page downloads.

LETTERS TO
THE EDITOR

Tribute to award-winning industry stalwarts

I WOULD like to say how delighted I was to read about the magnificent achievement bestowed upon Marcus and Kaye, as mentioned in a recent edition of Caravanning News (see story here). I have been associated with both Marcus and Kaye now for the past five to six years, having first met Marcus in my capacity as CEO of BIG4 Holiday Parks when he agreed to join the group and since that time we have kept up a close association. I have always been impressed by the tenacity, love of the industry and forthrightness shown by these industry stalwarts and to say these traits – in particular, their tenaciousness – have served them well over the past very difficult 12 months would be the understatement of the year. I have watched the developments of Kurrimine Beach Holiday Park over the past few years and know how much work and effort has been put into this gem of a holiday park in a magnificent coastal location that deserves far greater profile than it currently has. I can only hope that this award and the coverage it receives will go some way to helping tourism to this wonderful piece of the North Queensland coastline and the operators who have been through so much over recent times. Well done Marcus and Kaye, and good luck with your recovery Marcus.

Terry Goodall,
MD – PathFinder OutDoor Destinations.

Problem finding a suitable sign to aid safety

RECENTLY we were advised that it would be an advantage if we carried the sign 'do not overtake turning vehicle' on the rear of our caravan. I've hunted everywhere and can't seem to locate anyone selling these items. Even the RACQ don't know. Can anyone help me please. I know my caravan is not heavy or long enough for them to be compulsory but, as a policeman said, the more safety stuff we carry the fewer reasons the insurance companies can use as an excuse to deny us a claim should the matter arise.

Barrie Sibson.

Watching nature at its very best

DURING a recent caravanning trip to Bundaberg in Queensland we took our two grandchildren for a fascinating evening at the Mon Repos turtle rookery ... and what a fantastic experience. We watched in awe as a loggerhead turtle laid more than 100 eggs on the beach, carefully covered them with sand and went back to the ocean. The kids were awe-struck. And to add to the excitement we were filmed by Channel 9 for its early morning Today show, though we were very disappointed that we weren't actually shown during the programme. It cost us just over $20 for the four of us to see nature at its best. We can fully recommend it as a must for all caravanners.

Glenda and Noel Ready,
NSW.

Vigilance needed to avoid tragedies

THE Inverloch park accident is a dreadful tragedy. My heart goes out to the family of the little one who was killed. I don't know the details, but do know this park very well. The main thoroughfare is straight, wide, and has speed bumps every few meters. It would be virtually impossible to speed there. I fear that this may have been the tragic result of a phenomenon I see all too often in parks that I call the 'all-bets-are-off mentality'. Kids and their parents, in the care-free environment of a caravan park, tend to forget that the the laws of physics still apply and that fast moving, distracted children and unyielding motor vehicles - regardless of their speed - don't mix. Everyone - drivers, children, and parents - must remember that regardless of how relaxed the environment may seem, the same level of caution when traversing what is still essentially a road, must be observed. Responsibility does not rest with one group. All three must remain vigilant if such awful events are to be avoided in the future.

Deborah Christopher.

MORE LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Grey nomads upset by memorial's bird droppings

Light Horsemen memorial

WE are a couple of grey nomads who have just spent a very enjoyable holiday at a Sunshine Coast caravan park in Queensland, several times visiting the impressive RSL club at Caloundra. As a former member of the ADF you can imagine my dismay at seeing the imposing memorial outside the main entrance honouring members of the Light Horsemen and their horses spattered with unsightly bird droppings. We were even more saddened to see these hadn't been removed by the time we left the Sunshine Coast for home a couple of weeks later, despite mentioning it to staff. Shame on the club ... and an insult to our Diggers, we say.

Saddened,
Queensland.

First visit impresses

I HAD ever been to the Caravanning News site before, but when I finally did I found It very informative. Good work .

Gary Hindmarsh,
Abermain, NSW.

Good site with pertinent news

WE had heard about your news site but hadn't gone and read it before. It's a very good site, with lots of news pertinent to all travellers ... short or long-term. Thanks.

Steve and Lois Elphick.

Costa cam suspended

BEING a grey nomad and cruising fan, I just dropped into the web-based Krooz-cams site which streams live video from dozens of cruise ships around the world. Somewhat bemused to see that the Costa Cruises webcam on board Costa Concordia has only been "temporarily" suspended.

Clive Withers
Victoria