In The Coolum News

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OPEN THE OVALS: The Sunshine Coast Council is considering offering low-cost camping at the Nambour Showgrounds.
Contributed

A NATIONWIDE motorhome club with about 70,000 members has praised moves by Sunshine Coast schools to open up their ovals as low-cost camping grounds in the school holidays.

Campervan and Motorhome Club of Australia chairman Vincent Moran said an "urgent need for low-cost camping options" existed to cater for the increasing number of grey nomads.

"This demand will only increase in coming years as more baby boomers reach retirement age," he said.

Maroochydore and Buddina State Schools opened their ovals in the school holidays to raise funds for the school community.

Mr Moran criticised the Queensland Caravan Park Association's attempts to stifle budget camping at school ovals and force campers into commercial caravan parks.

Association operations manager Kristy Ponting said last week that schools should have to apply mandatory rules before being allowed to operate ovals as campgrounds.

Mr Moran said many travellers were actively looking for budget campgrounds.

"They're not seeking an exciting resort-style experience that comes with a commensurate price tag - they simply want a quiet place to stay overnight," he said.

He said the Sunshine Coast had a notable lack of low-cost camping options.

And in peak holiday times, when school ovals were made available, most commercial caravan parks were full anyway.

Mr Moran said many grey nomads had self-contained motorhomes and did not need or want the high-class facilities available in commercial caravan sites.

"If caravan parks are not prepared to offer a basic product, then I suggest they concentrate on their target market of holidaymakers and family groups, and let the more pro-active community organisations provide what a lot of RVers want," he said.

Councillor Greg Rogerson said the council already had low-cost camping at the Kenilworth Showgrounds and the Eumundi Market car park but was investigating adding the Nambour Showgrounds and a site "west of the railway line" in Yandina.

[T1 Terry]

Let's hope commercial sense prevails and the schools see the benefits and drown out the caravan park association. Let's hope it is well policed as well with the mobile phone cameras at the ready and any “Richard cranium” who doesn't do the right thing are named and shamed and banned from ever using these facilities again.
Call me cynical, but I can see the CP mob setting up paid pricks to empty their cassettes around trees and dump grey water, the clear off just before the newspapers turn up after a tip off

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I wouldn't put anything past some self serving caravan park people.

[Greynomad]

I wouldn't put anything past some self serving caravan park people.

We stayed at one Council-provided $5.50/pvpn campground in WA. Skip for rubbish, toilets, BYO-water showers (never seen that anywhere else!). The nearest CP owner (14km away, in the town) used to visit every day and photograph every camper's rig (including tents), ensuring he had their number-plates in shot!
No-one ever heard from any authority for using the site... so his complaints must be falling on deaf ears.
His time might be better spent looking after the people willing to pay him for a site...
And he's wasting fuel being a Big Fuel (I think that's how it is spelled )