Year of sadness, drama ... and the downright bizarre

By Dennis Amor

THE world of caravanning certainly had its fair share of headlines during a year which saw moments tinged with sadness, the downright bizarre and intrepid travellers outrunning cyclones and raging floodwaters.

Lew Farkas with 'aliens' at his park ... just statues, but he says the real thing is keeping an eye on his park

And one remote caravan park in the Northern Territory even claimed visitors from outer space were already in the area!

The year opened with news that researchers had put the performance of caravan parks under the microscope. And they concluded that although a quarter of visitors experienced some form of problem, 90 percent were satisfied with the level of service.

The researchers were Bruce Hayllar from Sydney’s University of Technology, Gary Crilley from the University of South Australia and Barry Bell from Griffith University in Queensland.

Hero Victorian caravan park manager Jamie O'Brien was again in rescue mode. This time the good Samaritan dashed to help an elderly couple whose car suddenly burst into flames close to the Killarney Caravan Park near Warrnambool.

Meanwhile, adventurer Hans Tholstrup proved that with the right combination, a caravan rig could travel from Sydney to Melbourne ... on one tank of fuel.

More and more caravanners were reportedly shunning Queensland's eastern seaboard in the face of caravan parks falling victim to redevelopment, while other parks were cashing in with soaring fees.

February saw the Stuart Highway south of Darwin blocked for 10 days after a major cyanide spill, stranding hundreds of caravanners at local caravan parks.

Travellers were in turmoil after torrential rain and cyclonic winds battered the Esperance area of WA. Caravanners reportedly fled in droves as two fierce and potentially devastating weather systems converged over the area.

Recreational Vehicle Manufacturers Association of Australia president Tony Bellamy announced that Australia's caravan manufacturers "were the best in the world".

And some Aussie caravanners were so attached to their favourite caravan park they are having their ashes scattered there! This was one of the findings of Queensland researcher Kathy Marles during a study of caravanning habits in Queensland, NSW and Victoria.

In March, we reported how caravans shook violently as a strong earthquake rocked West Australian holiday parks. Startled caravanners, many in their pyjamas, dashed from their caravans as the 2.30am quake hit Australia's western most town of Denham near Shark Bay.

On a sad note, we also reported the death of West Australian caravan park pioneer Danny Rigby. Well known and respected in the Kununurra area, Mr Rigby, 78, was the driving force behind the town's development.

The year rolled on with Victoria's Anglesea Family Caravan Park co-owner Errol Morris threatening to slap a ban on quirky Wicked rental campervans daubed with sexy slogans and depicting sex acts and masturbation.

Miracle escape on Bruce Highway. Photo: Dennis Amor

A couple miraculously escaped with their lives in a dramatic highway accident in Queensland. Their caravan was virtually reduced to matchwood after careering off the Bruce Highway and rolling several times down a 25ft embankment near Bli Bli on the Sunshine Coast.

In June, there was good news ... stamp duty on new caravan sales in Western Australia would be scrapped. "This is wonderful news for our industry," Family Parks Australia chief executive officer Noel Guthrie told Caravanning News.

Angry caravan park operators in Alice Springs were up in arms over a television program which painted a grim picture of the popular outback town. They slammed Channel Seven's Today Tonight show which claimed the world famous historic town was riddled with crime and antisocial behaviour.

The following month we reported how a Queensland caravanning family returned after completing a 30,000km round-Australia odyssey which gave hope and comfort to thousands of grieving parents.

Stacey and her two children after their caravanning marathon. Photo: Dennis Amor

Stacey and Gavin O'Brien, together with toddler Kane, had left the same Cotton Tree caravan park on the Sunshine Coast 529 days earlier to tell how they coped when one of their children was stillborn. The couple even wrote a book entitled A Kiss From an Angel.

The giant Adelaide-based Beston Parks Group snapped up another seven caravan parks for $20m. The deal with Cosy Cabins continued the company's incredible expansion.

Then in August, we reported on a seafaring couple in their 70s who jumped ship to embark on a life on the road in a brand new caravan.

Bruce Moir, 76, laboured for 14 years and poured 20,000 man hours into building his dream boat, a magnificent 60ft steel ketch called Liza Jayne after their daughter who was tragically killed in a train accident.

But after seven years sailing the high seas, Bruce and wife Joy, 72, swapped their pride and joy for a new 19ft 6in Galaxy tandem caravan and set off on a new chapter in their fascinating lives. "It's our last hurrah," the intrepid adventurers, who have five children and eight grandchildren, told Caravanning News.

Meanwhile, freak weather marooned hundreds of caravanners at the Country Music Muster at Gympie in Queensland. An estimated 8000 people camped in caravans and tents at the muster were cut off from the outside world. Elsewhere, caravan parks were swamped and caravans washed away as unseasonal torrential rain hit south-east Queensland.

Caravanners poured scorn on an AAMI report that 4WD owners were arrogant and among the worst drivers on the road.

Overnighting at a WA rest area was banned ... because the toilets were full! Main Roads decided to scrap the ancient bush toilet at the popular Yule River 24-hour stop, south of Port Hedland, and allow daytime use of the area only.

Serik and his trusty Jayco. Photo: Dennis Amor

September saw caravanner Serik Abishev still making a proper clown of himself as he made his merry way around Australia. The 57-year-old Russian and his family travel the highways and byways in their 30ft tri-axle Jayco as part of The Great Siberian Circus. And it's a job he loves.

"I can't imagine a better life," the Siberian-born master of mirth told Caravanning News.

In other reports, caravanners expressed disappointment over a drinks ban at one of the outback's favourite tourist attractions. Alcohol was outlawed for private travellers within the Red Centre's Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park where hundreds of tourists gather daily to see the stunning sunset and sunrise over Ayers Rock.

Four travellers cheated death when their caravans were involved in a road smash in outback Queensland. And in another accident, a couple escaped unhurt when their rig careered off a WA highway after a freak gust of wind caught them unawares.

Caravan parks in Tasmania were getting back to normal after two days of torrential rains caused widespread flooding. Parks were submerged as the deluge transformed areas of the Apple Isle into huge swirling muddy lakes.

In October, we revealed that family-owned Gold Coast company Kencraft Marine had built a boat which could double as a caravan. After a day on the water the Southbeach Vacationer can be dragged onto its trailer and easily converted for staying at caravan parks.

Yet another caravan park fell victim to the developer's excavators with news that the popular Bucasia Beachfront Caravan Resort at Mackay in Queensland was pulling down the shutters.

Two convicted child sex fiends were again put behind bars after spying on children at a Victorian caravan park. A jury convicted the perverts after hearing they had set up camp near a toilet block at the four-star Barwon Heads Caravan Park and photographed youngsters as they went to and from the building.

Eagle-eyed caravanners caught Federal Tourism Minister Fran Bailey red handed ... illegally using a mobile phone while at the wheel. They used their camera to snap the Minister who later admitted her indiscretion.

Rhapsody of the Seas anchored off Moorea. Photo: Dennis Amor

November's edition of Caravanning News exclusively revealed how South Australian caravanners feared their luxury cruise ship would be beached during a scary incident in rough seas near Tahiti in the South Pacific.

The grey nomads, on a cruise of a lifetime, claimed it was "panic stations" when their four-star 78,500 tonne liner dragged its anchor just a few hundred metres from a beach on the small volcanic island of Moorea.

And Rhapsody of the Seas captain Olav Nyseter later admitted that for a moment he feared for the safety of his ship when the wind suddenly picked up off the picturesque French Polynesian island.

Back on land, hundreds of heartless drivers sped past a blazing caravan on a Victorian freeway. It took about five minutes before anyone stopped to help the frantic Melbourne caravanners as they tackled the blaze on the Albury freeway near Wodonga.

A new series of colourful stamps from Australia Post traced the history of Australian caravanning. The humorous and colourful retrospective of an iconic Australian past-time looked at how this particular holiday culture had evolved to the present day through five retro-inspired stamp designs.

A popular Victorian nudist resort was given a new lease of life ... as a traditional caravan park. The move brought to an end 35 years of bare romps for thousands of nudists who happily flocked to the resort on the banks of the Goulburn River as the secluded River Valley Nudist Holiday Resort at Echuca, 200km north of Melbourne, adopted a clothes-only policy and become the River Bend Caravan Park.

Meanwhile, furious caravanners blasted a four-star New South Wales caravan park which attempted to charge them for visiting friends staying there. The retired couple from Sydney wanted to call on pals at the four-star BIG4 Easts Beach Holiday Park at the South Coast seaside town of Kiama ... but were asked to cough up $13 for the privilege.

The fledging Oz Parks chain continued to flourish with news that another four caravan parks had joined the group. Launched only two years previously, the chain boasted 36 parks covering all mainland states.

Caravanners scoffed at claims that UFOs and aliens were invading the Northern Territory. But the boss of the BIG4 Wycliffe Well caravan park on the Stuart Highway, where some sightings were reported, told Caravanning News: "There is far more to life than we understand."

As the year drew to a close, it was a time of glitz and celebrations as caravan parks collected a swag of gongs in nationwide tourism awards. BIG4 chain members featured prominently, with some earning a place in February's prestigious National Tourism Awards in Canberra.

And Garry and Dianne Wright made caravanning history, the Sydney couple becoming the proud owners of Jayco's 100,000th caravan to roll off the production line.

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