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Caravanning News is registered with the National Library of Australia's PANDORA archive |
August 2019 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Readership: Up
to 32,000 monthly
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'No reason why they can't think this stuff through better' TRUCKIE AIRS GRIEVANCES AGAINST NOMADS TRUCKIE Tony Geitenbeek has taken to the transport industry's Big Rig publication to air his grievances against grey nomads. In a letter he accuses them of lacking in forward observation, route planning, road conditions, fatigue management, height awareness and dietary control for alertness. "Being older, there really is no reason why they can't think this stuff through better," he writes. "And here's something that really annoys the crap out of me ... when they stop out front of a Maccas or KFC and then toilet their dogs on the grass areas out front. Not only that but they also rarely pick up after the pooch, nor do they always obey the leash laws." He claims there is "a large subset" of grey nomads who treat their new home on wheels as they would their car, explaining: "I can go there in a car so I can go there in my 'fossil-hut on wheels'." Have your say
Sales are not everythng' CARAVAN SAFETY CHECKS TOP 2000 Story-Photo: Dennis Amor CARAVANNING Queensland has put more than 2000 recreational vehicles under the microscope since introducing its free safety checks more than three years ago. The peak body for the state's caravanning industry, in conjunction with Queensland Transport, saw another hundred or so undergo checks at Maryborough and Bundaberg on the weekend. Chief executive Ron Chapman told Caravanning News: "We are very keen on road safety and have been involved in many initiatives over the years, but this is one of the more popular ones. It is now in its fourth year. Yes, we are interested in sales but that's not everything. We also want buyers to enjoy their RVs properly afterwards and we can do that by making them safe and telling them how to be safe."
Brisbane
RVs up and running again Caravanners give hitchhiker the flick SNAKES ALIVE! COUPLE'S UNWELCOME PASSENGER
By Dennis Amor TWO caravanners found
themselves with an unlikely stowaway as they cruised happily along
Queensland's major highway. Caravanning News caught up with the couple in Gympie, where they plan to attend the upcoming Gympie Muster.
"We have been caravanning for most of our lives but this is the first time we have been confronted by a snake while actually driving," Frances said. "It just kept going round and round the cab. I quickly called the local snake catcher. "It was pretty terrifying. I yelled and my husband screamed. Gav kept going until we could find a safe place to stop. He did a great job keeping us safe on the road. "We've certainly got a great tale to tell around the campfire." Stuart McKenzie from Sunshine Coast Snake Catchers
24/7 said: "They called me and all I could do was listen and encourage
them to stay calm until they could pull over. "I thought at one stage that it might be a tree snake but someone once told me that browns can look like a tree snake ... I wasn't taking any chances," Frances said.
Court told of refund refusals
Judgement
is reserved in Jayco JUSTICE Wheelahan has reserved judgement in the ACCC and Jayco Corporation case. The hearing opened in the Federal Court in Melbourne on July 24. The national product safety regulator has accused the country's biggest manufacturer of caravans and other RVs of "unconscionable conduct" when dealing with unhappy customers. It was alleged four owners were refused refunds or replacement between 2013 and 2015 for their defective Jayco caravans. The ACCC claimed the company did this despite knowing they were defective and not functioning properly, even after repeated repair attempts. The proceedings were launched in November, 2017. Have your say Couple escape serious injuries in highway accident DRAMATIC VIDEO CAPTURES CARAVAN ROLLOVER By Dennis Amor POLICE have released a dramatic video showing a caravan and its tow vehicle coming to grief on Queensland's Bruce Highway. The 31-second footage captured the Kingdom caravan and 4WD as they careered out of control after overtaking another vehicle at Gumlu on July 29. Miraculously the 67-year-old South Australian driver and his passenger escaped with minor injuries. Senior Constable Mark Siddall from the Forensic Crash Unit said that considering the footage, it was amazing they both suffered only cuts and bruises. "The driver of any vehicle is legally responsible for being safe when towing a caravan," he said. While not directly referring to the injured couple, he said caravanners should complete a few short towing trips first, gradually increasing the distance travelled before embarking on a long trip. "This allows you to familiarise yourself with your vehicle and caravan and to understand the feel of the weight of the caravan on the back of your vehicle," he said. Click here or on the photo above to view the video Have your say Production to cease at end of month BAILEY TO STOP BUILDING 'VANS IN AUSTRALIA By Dennis Amor BAILEY Australia is to abandon its caravan manufacturing operations in Australia. This follows a review by the UK-based company which says it will cease building its RVs here at the end of this month or soon after. "Bailey as a brand is not leaving Australia and is merely ceasing its manufacturing operations," it said in a statement. An "orderly wind-down" of its Australian operations had already begun and as many of the customer orders as possible would be honoured. "Appropriate arrangements will be made to deal with existing Bailey owners and any outstanding orders along with employee and supplier commitments," Bailey said. "This will include arrangements being put in place to honour existing warranty, support and service commitments for caravans sold in Australia and New Zealand markets." It was exploring "various options" under which the company could continue to operate in both countries. Dealers contacted by Caravanning News today appeared shocked by the news but declined to comment. Bailey has been producing leisure vehicles for 70 years in the UK where it employs around 450 staff. The statement thanked everyone who had supported and become loyal customers. Members of Bailey Australia Owners group were said to be "shocked and saddened" by the news. More information would be made public in coming weeks, it added. Bailey UK was the first European manufacturer to enter the Australian market in 2010. It produced its first Australian designed and manufactured caravans in 2016. Have your say 'Shocking culture' among suppliers Consumer laws under fire from independent body THE Caravan Council of Australia has fired a broadside at consumer protection legislation. Founder and general manager Colin Young (pictured) ‒ a member of the Australia Institution of Engineers ‒ believes consumer laws are sadly lacking. "The real-world situation for consumers, especially for caravan buyers, is in horrible and serious contrast to their 'honourable' intentions," he said. "One would reasonably expect that all problems, whether minor defects or major failures, would be promptly and professionally rectified by the supplier … at no cost to the consumer. With just a few respected exceptions, the truth is ever so far away from this expectation." Mr Young claims there is a "shocking culture" among suppliers, manufacturers and importers to rigorously ward off complaints by customers with legitimate problems.
More holidays ahead Sur-prize ticket for Lara A VISIT to a caravan show has turned up trumps for one Queensland woman. Lara Miller from Loganholme (pictured with her family) has won a $36,000 caravan with her $12 entrance ticket to Caravanning Queensland's Caravan, Camping and Touring Supershow in Brisbane earlier this year. The delighted Lara commented after collecting her prize from Brisbane Camperland: "As it turns out, this was our first Supershow and we were going to buy a caravan so we could get away from the kids and really relax, but unfortunately our budget blew out. We're so thankful to have won our new Jayco CrossTrak, as it means we can start adventuring on more holidays to explore Queensland and wider Australia. We plan on going to Pottsville first just to see how we go, and then off to Running Creek to turn it up a bit." Have your say
Peak
body manages defibrillator program
Winchelsea's
48hr facility stays open
Rules
relaxed at Kingston park
Cops
weigh in as RVs assemble Older retired grey nomads lead the way Caravanning, camping more popular New figures released by the Tourism Research Australia show that domestic caravan and camping trips are more popular than ever. And older retired grey nomads are leading the way with 32 percent of total nights, while families account for 30 percent. Parents with children living at home chalked up the largest numbers of trips at 4.4 million, while the younger ones with no children were a close runner-up with 4.2 million trips. Australians spent 54.5 million nights caravanning and camping during the year ending March 2019, marking a 6.5 percent increase over the previous year. The total number of trips came to 12.9 million, an increase of 8.5 percent. Regional destinations continued to enjoy more income from caravanners and campers, with nearly a third of all trips in regional Australia in 2018-2019 year involving the sector. Surprisingly, the most popular activity for the year was eating out, with 6.7 million caravan and camping trips involving visits to local restaurants and cafes. Growth was experienced across all states and territories in terms of trips, with double digit growth recorded for the Northern Territory, South Australia, Victoria, Tasmania and Queensland. New South Wales and Western Australia also experienced growth, but at a slightly lower rate. Have your say To view previous editions of Caravanning News, click on the appropriate month: Web pages designed and produced by Dennis Amor No
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