By DENNIS AMOR

A GOVERNMENT minister is being asked to intervene as Queensland's caravan parks burst at the seams with southern grey nomads.

Caravanners are complaining about the shortage of pitches and are accusing some unscrupulous park operators of cashing in on the problem by charging exorbitant fees for what is very often just a 'patch of dirt'.

One angry grey nomad has even written to Queensland's Fair Trading and Tourism Minister Peter Lawlor threatening to boycott the state unless things improve.

In his letter, Robert Prior from NSW complains of the 'dilemma' facing many thousands of interstate travellers visiting Queensland to escape the chilly southern states in winter.

"It is almost impossible to get a caravan park site, and if on the rare occasion one becomes available there is a queue for it and at an unaffordable price for we retirees and pensioners," he fumed.

"As one of these grey nomads or retirees who have travelled thousands of kilometres to enjoy the northern Queensland winter sunshine, we are being turned away from holidaying in Queensland ... as well as being subjected to non-existent and very poor accommodation options."

Mr Prior told the Minister that millions of tourist dollars were being lost to the Sunshine State's economy.

"It seems that your tourism department is more concerned in the low vacancy factor of unwanted five-star resorts and hotels, rather than the home grown caravanning retiree, like ourselves," he claimed in his letter to Mr Lawlor.

"The poor options are driving us away, not enticing us to stay. Even lowly council showgrounds are being denied to us, and 'no-camping' signs are everywhere ... which in itself should tell you something because if illegal camping is prevalent, there must be damn good reason for it."

He urged the Minister to start asking "pertinent questions" of his promotional and research staff, who were allegedly oblivious to the problem.

"Frankly, your department is wasting your millions of advertising dollars by ignoring the power of the self-funded and pensioner retirees," Mr Prior wrote.

Victorian caravanners Steve and Anne Edwards supported Mr Prior's claims, telling Caravanning News that some caravan parks on the grey nomad trail were asking more than $40 a night for a powered site.

"Yes, they have all the bells and whistles ... but not everybody wants that," they said. "There's a large contingent of us on a limited budget who prefer a simple park with an affordable price. But there's very few of these in the popular coastal areas."

And grey nomad Ted Aitken, from South Australia, said: "It's no surprise that many caravanners and motorhomers use bush camps or sort out roadside rest areas. They simply can't afford the ridiculous prices charged by many unscrupulous caravan parks out to make a quick buck from what is often just a small patch of dirt."

Caravanning News was still waiting for comments from the Minister as it went to press.

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