Hero cops rescue mower man from river
POLICE are being hailed as heroes after rescuing a caravan park's assistant manager from under a ride-on mower which had flipped into a river.

Caravan speed merchants amaze police
SPEED merchants have left police amazed at the mentality of some drivers ... including caravanners caught barrelling along at up to nearly 30kph over the speed limit. Despite the soaring road toll, they were among thousands of drivers blatantly ignoring the limit during the festive season. In central Queensland, astonished police clocked one driver with a caravan in tow at 129kph in a 100kph zone at Barcaldine. And on Victoria's Hamilton Highway near Geelong, another caravanner was booked for doing 122kph in a 100kph area.

Honour for Shelley Beach
CEDUNA'S four-star Shelley Beach Caravan Park was honoured in the SA Great Regional Awards. The Family Parks of Australia member received a commendation in the tourism category, the award being received by resident managers Lynton and Anna Brown.

Dick lights Macca's fire
THOUSANDS of roving grey nomads have enjoyed caravan park owner and singer-songwriter Dick Martin's gigs around the campfire. But now Dick's fame is about to spread ... after a carpark meeting with Australia All Over star Ian McNamara. [More]

Spreading complaints bite home at park
HARVEY Bay's largest beachfront caravan park in Queensland is to ban overnight stays at one of its most popular sites. This follows complaints that thoughtless holidaymakers using the pitch at Pialba Beachfront Caravan Park have been spreading their belongings and encroaching on a restaurant. [More]

Adria expands dealerships
EUROPEAN caravan manufacturer Adria has added two new dealerships to its Australian network. The new outlets in Queensland and NSW will help meet a growing demand for the imported caravans.  [More]

New wave set to replace grey nomads
MOVE aside you grey nomads ... there's a new breed of traveller on the way!  Now a government has commissioned special research into the 'happy' and 'liberated' boomers who are hitting Australia's holiday playgrounds. [More]

Bumper show predicted for WA
ORGANISERS of this year's Perth Caravan and Camping Show expect a record-breaking event. "Response from both exhibitors and the public has already been fantastic and everything is pointing to the biggest and most exciting show in its 30-year plus history," a spokesperson told Caravanning News. [More]

Be more security conscious: police
POLICE in New South Wales have urged caravanners to be more security conscious. Caravan parks in the state's south have been showered with leaflets warning holidaymakers to beware of thieves. [More]

A walk down memory lane
THE world of caravanning had its fair share of headlines during 2007.  There were moments tinged with sadness, the downright bizarre and intrepid travellers outrunning cyclones and raging floodwaters. Come with us on a walk down memory lane. [More]

Man jailed after world trip ended in tragedy
AN ENGLISH tourist who stabbed a Scotsman to death at a NSW caravan park has been jailed. The victim and his girlfriend were on the first leg of their round-the-world holiday, the court heard. [More]

Welcome mat out for self-contained 'vans
CARAVANNERS are now welcome to stay at the Hobart Showground in Tasmania.  But the Royal Agricultural Society of Tasmania told Caravanning News caravans will have to be 'self-contained'. [More]

Cash for outback grey nomad scheme
AN OUTBACK council has received a government grant to recruit grey nomads and other travellers for community work. The $100,000 handout to Queensland's Barcaldine Shire Council comes as the skills shortage in the bush continues to worsen. [More]

Couple buy bread as caravan burns
A COUPLE'S caravanning holiday came to a fiery end when they stopped to buy bread in a NSW town. Bob and Joy Ison were on the first day of a five-day trip when they decided to do a spot of shopping in Batemans Bay, 300km south of Sydney. [More]

New lease of life on cards for park
Mid-Western Regional Council is calling for expressions of interest for managing the Cudgegong Waters Caravan Park at Rylstone in NSW. The council wants interested parties to consider offering a range of accommodation and uses, from basic camping to three-star accommodation.

Rally pours $200,000 in peanut town's economy
SHOP tills were jingling merrily when hundreds of caravans hit Queensland's peanut capital, Kingaroy. Members attending the CCCQ's annual rally poured an estimated $200,000 into the local economy. [More]

Rain give cherry pickers the pip
CARAVANNERS were moving out of New South Wales' cherry picking region in droves. It followed days of torrential rain around Orange which decimated the annual crop. Drenched caravan parks reportedly emptied as fruit pickers found themselves without work and headed for other areas.

Now it's the double-decker caravan
NOT exactly designed for Down Under, but from Scandinavia comes the latest in caravans ... a double-decker! However, the company told Caravanning News there are no plans yet to export the sumptuous Royal Tower to Australia. [More]

New ban potty: residents
CARAVAN dwellers in Victoria are up in arms over a ban which is killing their postage-stamp sized gardens. Barwon Water's new restrictions mean that people in caravan parks cannot water their tiny gardens ... because parks are considered commercial businesses. Even pot plants are covered by the ban. Now the four-star Eldorado Tourist Park at Batesford near Geelong has applied for an exemption to water gardens on behalf of its residents.

Caravanners converge on Forbes
MORE than a thousand caravanners converged on a NSW town for their national gathering. The 13th National Caravan Clubs Rally was held at the Forbes Showground until January 7. Staged every three years, the 10-day event came on the back of October's Campervan and Motorhome rally and generated about $2 million for the former gold mining town's economy.

Stink over dump point location
THE location of a dump point in a NSW town has angered local councillors. Now they want the sewage disposal facility, used by visiting caravanners and motorhomers, moved to a more "appropropriate" place. [More]

Uproar over Inskip Point closure
WILD weather and mountainous seas resulted in a popular caravanning and camping area near Gympie in Queensland being closed over the festive season ... much to the indignation of holidaymakers. Hundreds of revellers were ordered by State Government officials - backed by police - to pack up and leave beachside Inskip Point near Rainbow Beach for their own safety. But many criticised authorities for allegedly "overreacting" and using strong arm tactics to force them out. And local businesses reported losing millions of dollars in revenue.

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POLICE chased a stolen caravan for 30km through the UK's Oxfordshire countryside before it finally erupted in flames. Sparks flew after tyres burst leaving the 'van on its rims during the drama, which ended at an on-ramp to the M40 motorway. One traffic cop commented: "It is the first time in 13 years I've been involved in a pursuit with a caravan."

WHEN New Zealand caravanners hold their national rally this year they will spend a penny in greater comfort. The smelly and fly-attracting long-drop toilets at Wairoa A&P Showgrounds are being replaced thanks to a $55,000 grant from a local community trust.

TWO staff members of a UK caravan park are behind bars after planting a pipe bomb outside a house. Made from copper piping filled with gunpowder, the device blew out the front windows. The bombers, who worked at Kessingland Beach Holiday Park in Sussex, claimed a resident at the house had damaged their cars. One was jailed for seven and a half years and the other for three years.

BANFF Links Caravan Park in Aberdeen, Scotland, is set for a staggering half-million dollar facelift in a bid to boost tourism in the area.

MORE than 80 workers downed tools at New Zealand caravan and motorhome builder CI Munro's Hamilton and Otorohanga factories in a pre-Christmas pay dispute.

A PRE-CHRISTMAS party turned into a knife-wielding free-for-all which ended with three people being stabbed at a Canadian caravan park. Police broke up the 4.30am melee at the Peace Arch Camping and Recreational Vehicle Park in Surrey and later charged two people with assault.

MORE than 250 Dutch police officers swooped on a caravan park in the university town of Leiden. Thirty trailers were searched at the park, about 30km south-west of Amsterdam.
Police used sniffer dogs specially trained to find firearms. Reports said they had found a cannabis plantation, drugs and weapons.