It's time for grey nomads to head north
Posted: Tue Apr 30, 2013 10:11 am
Diana Plater,
AAPApril 29, 2013, 1:24 pm
As the weather cools down it's when the grey nomads start preparing for their migration to warmer climes.
The legions of travellers who will be exploring the country over the next few months are now beavering away at getting those caravans and vehicles ready to go.
The open road and a freewheeling nomadic lifestyle for retirees is a growth industry in Australia, despite rising fuel prices.
They're contributing significantly to Australia's $7 billion camping and caravanning industry (the third largest in the world), with some figures showing each spending on average $500 a week while travelling.
They're pulling more than 330,000 caravans, motorhomes, camper trailers and campervans, not to mention slide-on campers, fifth-wheelers and pop-tops.
And then there's the off-road rigs, motorbikes and other vehicles to take off into the wildest and most remote bush.
For those who prefer the safety of bitumen, it's easy to stick to it now with Australia's roads much improved over the past 20 years.
And even places that sound rough such as the Oodnadatta and Birdsville Tracks are accessible to conventional caravans and campers.
Careful planning and preparation makes a big difference to the success of what can be a year-long odyssey.
If you haven't already bought a vehicle think carefully about what you want, considering your budget. For example, do you want a bathroom in the rig or are you happy to use facilities at a caravan park?
Towing a caravan can be stressful, and requires different driving skills from normal, so test driving is the key.
It's super busy out there too, with caravan parks often crowded in the dry season, particularly in popular spots such as Cairns and Broome.
Fiona Lyall and her husband, Bruce Hughes spoke to AAP just as they were about to set off on a six-month trip-of-a-lifetime from their home at Murrumbateman near Canberra.
They had recently tested their second-hand off-road van with high-ground clearance, a sturdy frame and truck tyres by spending a month in Tasmania.
Now they are keen to see the Gibb River Road in the Kimberley in far north Western Australia but have no set times or plans.
"If we like a place we'll stay for a week," Lyall says. "If we don't like it, move on, there's something around the corner."
Lyall, who'll celebrate her 50th at Uluru, has taken long service leave while her 61-year-old husband is retired.
"We're a little bit soft," she says. "We tend to choose caravan parks or showgrounds with power so we can put a heater on at night."
But they also have a generator and back-up battery for lights, and gas for the fridge and cooking.
With so many opting to camp in free camping spots, if you pay for a caravan park you often have more privacy.
Source: 7 News. Read more here. http://au.news.yahoo.com/latest/a/-/lat ... ead-north/
AAPApril 29, 2013, 1:24 pm
As the weather cools down it's when the grey nomads start preparing for their migration to warmer climes.
The legions of travellers who will be exploring the country over the next few months are now beavering away at getting those caravans and vehicles ready to go.
The open road and a freewheeling nomadic lifestyle for retirees is a growth industry in Australia, despite rising fuel prices.
They're contributing significantly to Australia's $7 billion camping and caravanning industry (the third largest in the world), with some figures showing each spending on average $500 a week while travelling.
They're pulling more than 330,000 caravans, motorhomes, camper trailers and campervans, not to mention slide-on campers, fifth-wheelers and pop-tops.
And then there's the off-road rigs, motorbikes and other vehicles to take off into the wildest and most remote bush.
For those who prefer the safety of bitumen, it's easy to stick to it now with Australia's roads much improved over the past 20 years.
And even places that sound rough such as the Oodnadatta and Birdsville Tracks are accessible to conventional caravans and campers.
Careful planning and preparation makes a big difference to the success of what can be a year-long odyssey.
If you haven't already bought a vehicle think carefully about what you want, considering your budget. For example, do you want a bathroom in the rig or are you happy to use facilities at a caravan park?
Towing a caravan can be stressful, and requires different driving skills from normal, so test driving is the key.
It's super busy out there too, with caravan parks often crowded in the dry season, particularly in popular spots such as Cairns and Broome.
Fiona Lyall and her husband, Bruce Hughes spoke to AAP just as they were about to set off on a six-month trip-of-a-lifetime from their home at Murrumbateman near Canberra.
They had recently tested their second-hand off-road van with high-ground clearance, a sturdy frame and truck tyres by spending a month in Tasmania.
Now they are keen to see the Gibb River Road in the Kimberley in far north Western Australia but have no set times or plans.
"If we like a place we'll stay for a week," Lyall says. "If we don't like it, move on, there's something around the corner."
Lyall, who'll celebrate her 50th at Uluru, has taken long service leave while her 61-year-old husband is retired.
"We're a little bit soft," she says. "We tend to choose caravan parks or showgrounds with power so we can put a heater on at night."
But they also have a generator and back-up battery for lights, and gas for the fridge and cooking.
With so many opting to camp in free camping spots, if you pay for a caravan park you often have more privacy.
Source: 7 News. Read more here. http://au.news.yahoo.com/latest/a/-/lat ... ead-north/
