Nothing wrong with cruises. Most are great value for the price paid as stated earlier.

I don't stay at CP's unless I need to depending on where I intend to camp (safety issue). As a solo traveler most places do not provide a solo camper discount.

My cost calculations to park the van averages out at $40 x 7days, $280 per week, $1100 per month.

I can live totally off grid so I free camp 95% when traveling long stretches of the country.

I then choose to put my camping savings towards a cruise or overseas trip with family members.

So, I also compare the cost of camping to other forms of travel. It's what I do. It may not be what others do.

There is no right or wrong here, it's an individuals decision how they compare costs as everyone's travel costs are different.

Dick0 wrote:

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My cost calculations to park the van averages out at $40 x 7days, $280 per week, $1100 per month.

 

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 I think your maths is a bit shot, but thats nit picking, we have never paid $40 a day and we prefer to pay to stay, be it park, showgrounds etc, even at 200 at week, we have unlimited power & water, sit on a dunny and have a good dump without having to dispose of waste at some stage, nice hot showers every day to clean the pits and bits.

Tonight we will watch the RL on a big screen TV with like minded people and have a convivial drink or 2, ather than watch ants run around on a small screen.

Gundog wrote:

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Dick0 wrote:

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 My cost calculations to park the van averages out at $40 x 7days, $280 per week, $1100 per month.

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 I think your maths is a bit shot, but thats nit picking, we have never paid $40 a day and we prefer to pay to stay, be it park, showgrounds etc, even at 200 at week, we have unlimited power & water, sit on a dunny and have a good dump without having to dispose of waste at some stage, nice hot showers every day to clean the pits and bits.

Tonight we will watch the RL on a big screen TV with like minded people and have a convivial drink or 2, ather than watch ants run around on a small screen.

---

Whilst I have no need to ever use caravan parks, on my travels I have seen many van parks that charge more than $40/ night, with some up to $70/night. Even at $40/night, being 100% Solar powered, and fully self-contained, means I save over $14,000/ year. No brainer. Cheers

P.S Maths is not too far out, and cost is actually $1216/month. But who's counting, as DickO's point still is valid.

Gundog wrote:

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Dick0 wrote:

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My cost calculations to park the van averages out at $40 x 7days, $280 per week, $1100 per month.

 

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 I think your maths is a bit shot, but thats nit picking, we have never paid $40 a day and we prefer to pay to stay, be it park, showgrounds etc, even at 200 at week, we have unlimited power & water, sit on a dunny and have a good dump without having to dispose of waste at some stage, nice hot showers every day to clean the pits and bits.

Tonight we will watch the RL on a big screen TV with like minded people and have a convivial drink or 2, ather than watch ants run around on a small screen.

---

My maths was just rounded off averages.

$40 x 7 ($280 week) x 4 weeks ($1100 month approx).

For the pedantic... $40 x 7, x 52,  -: 12, $1213.33 month.

I have paid between $35 - $60 but on average around $40.

So when you say you have never paid $40 does that therefore mean you paid over $40 at CP's.

Most CP's in my experience are sardine environments, all packed in as tight as possible.

Brodie Allen wrote:

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hufnpuf wrote:

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Brodie Allen wrote:

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 So a 50 day total is around $67750  - how does that compare with a lay back everything done for you great food wonderful sights bla bla for an

extra $2500? or additional 25% !!!

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 What on earth are you talking about?  You're not making any sense at all, and when you are not making any sense, it's better to watch your tone and not be rude to people.  I'm not sure what you're so upset about, nobody cares if you think cruises are good value.  Good for you.  :)

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 Good on you for finding the typo. Original post is the matter. Gives one something to huff n puff about since

the rest of your post is missing the point in so many ways.

 

The whole point is that caravanning is a very expensive business and made LARGELY SO by inflated

park rates largely protected by Councils that keep free camps out of town at the behest of the

vanparks bleating. that's my opinion. Whats yours?

---

 I am pleased you asked for my opinion.

What I think is that based on your totally inaccurate figures, you should sell your caravan, leave this forum and if you really must, then join a forum which entertains and caters for those retirees and greys that WANT to go on a cess pool disguised as a holiday cruise ship.

Dick0 wrote:

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So when you say you have never paid $40 does that therefore mean you paid over $40 at CP's. We live in our Caravan, our current location its $195 pw, Previous location was $145 pw. 

Most CP's in my experience are sardine environments, all packed in as tight as possible. We choose parks with spacious sites like our current location there are many sites that have sufficient space for Van with Awning extended and room for both vehicle and a boat.

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 Perhaps you need to look beyond the touristy locations.

Gundog wrote:

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Dick0 wrote:

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So when you say you have never paid $40 does that therefore mean you paid over $40 at CP's. We live in our Caravan, our current location its $195 pw, Previous location was $145 pw. 

Most CP's in my experience are sardine environments, all packed in as tight as possible. We choose parks with spacious sites like our current location there are many sites that have sufficient space for Van with Awning extended and room for both vehicle and a boat.

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 Perhaps you need to look beyond the touristy locations.

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Obviously you don't stay in touristy locations hence your quoted rates.

I don't stay at any CP's by choice but only through necessity.

And you can't get more space than by free camping.

Dick0 wrote:

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Gundog wrote:

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Dick0 wrote:

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So when you say you have never paid $40 does that therefore mean you paid over $40 at CP's. We live in our Caravan, our current location its $195 pw, Previous location was $145 pw. 

Most CP's in my experience are sardine environments, all packed in as tight as possible. We choose parks with spacious sites like our current location there are many sites that have sufficient space for Van with Awning extended and room for both vehicle and a boat.

---

 Perhaps you need to look beyond the touristy locations.

---

Obviously you don't stay in touristy locations hence your quoted rates.

I don't stay at any CP's by choice but only through necessity.

And you can't get more space than by free camping.

 

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 So why are you bitching about caravan park prices if you dont use them ????????

Gundog wrote:

_________________________________________________________________________________

You would have to pay me to get on a cruise ship even if the the trip was free.When caravaning if you decide your daily activities.If you find somewhere you realy like you stay a bit longer, on the boat heard you off at a port then all abord we gotta go.The biggest issue to bloody many people, give me a small country town any day of the week, if I dont want to interact with people I have sustinance and entertainment at hand. Brodie has had a bee in the bonnet about caravan park rates, and will denigrate their costs at any chance. Before you shoot off at the lip about Caravan Parks fees, consider the cost to run a park.

My question to Brodie Allen is " have you ever owned or managed a business ? "From you statements it appears you want councils to provide free camps within the town for you, at the expense of caravan parks and local rate payers.

I think your maths is a bit shot, but thats nit picking, we have never paid $40 a day and we prefer to pay to stay, be it park, showgrounds etc, even at 200 at week, we have unlimited power & water, sit on a dunny and have a good dump without having to dispose of waste at some stage, nice hot showers every day to clean the pits and bits.Tonight we will watch the RL on a big screen TV with like minded people and have a convivial drink or 2, ather than watch ants run around on a small screen.

Perhaps you need to look beyond the touristy locations.

 So why are you bitching about caravan park prices if you dont use them ????????

__________________________________________________________________________________

Looks like you have been doing all the bitching.

Horses for courses, today, but consider this:-

Even as little a 20 years ago most towns had a Farrier, but technology means c0ckies now mostly use quad bikes.
So too the video shop has vanished (except for WA where they still seem to have not heard of the Internet).
So many things have changed since caravanning became popular in the 1950s.

But, give it 10-15 years and I foresee the same thing extinctions happening to caravan parks.

Why? because the modern caravan simply doesn't need them.
Why should a camper be forced to pay for facilities that they already have.
The next generation simply wont pay. They will holiday in places that have made provision for the self reliant camper.

The modern van has its own power, heating, cooling, lighting, toilet, shower, etc. All you need is a water tap once a week and a dump point.
You can rent a brand new 25 square home in Melbourne cheaper ($400/week) than you can rent a piece of dirt in a tired old van park at $60 a night.

What does it serve towns to have every second building in main street for sale of for lease, and the van park is the only remaining profitable business left, because they lobbied the council to ban camping anywhere else, and that $350+ a week is $350 that doesn't get spent in other local businesses.

Hylife wrote:

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Horses for courses, today, but consider this:-

snip

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I think you raise some very valid points.

Hylife wrote:

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Horses for courses, today, but consider this:-

Even as little a 20 years ago most towns had a Farrier, but technology means c0ckies now mostly use quad bikes.
So too the video shop has vanished (except for WA where they still seem to have not heard of the Internet).
So many things have changed since caravanning became popular in the 1950s.

But, give it 10-15 years and I foresee the same thing extinctions happening to caravan parks.

Why? because the modern caravan simply doesn't need them.
Why should a camper be forced to pay for facilities that they already have.
The next generation simply wont pay. They will holiday in places that have made provision for the self reliant camper.

The modern van has its own power, heating, cooling, lighting, toilet, shower, etc. All you need is a water tap once a week and a dump point.
You can rent a brand new 25 square home in Melbourne cheaper ($400/week) than you can rent a piece of dirt in a tired old van park at $60 a night.

What does it serve towns to have every second building in main street for sale of for lease, and the van park is the only remaining profitable business left, because they lobbied the council to ban camping anywhere else, and that $350+ a week is $350 that doesn't get spent in other local businesses.

-- Edited by Hylife on Monday 30th of May 2022 10:32:40 PM

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 Well said, exactly my point and agree.

Dick0 wrote:

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They will holiday in places that have made provision for the self reliant camper.

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 You mean the unpowered caravan park sites instead of the powered ones?  You do realize that you can't just park on land that belongs to someone else? 

hufnpuf wrote:

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Dick0 wrote:

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They will holiday in places that have made provision for the self reliant camper.

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 You mean the unpowered caravan park sites instead of the powered ones?  You do realize that you can't just park on land that belongs to someone else? 

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Hey hufnpuf, are you for real?

Don't know where you got that quote from. Not one of mine! You might want to let everyone here know the source where you got my (above) "alleged" quote.

Are you on the right Forum and Blog?

Dick0 wrote:

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Don't know where you got that quote from.

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 The post before mine.  It was Hylife's quote, but you posted  "Well said, exactly my point and agree" to his/her post.  The window for amending is over, so I can't fix it.  Sorry

hufnpuf wrote:

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Dick0 wrote:

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Don't know where you got that quote from.

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 The post before mine.  It was Hylife's quote, but you posted  "Well said, exactly my point and agree" to his/her post.  The window for amending is over, so I can't fix it.  Sorry

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Glad that got sorted. 

The meaning to that quote was a reference to designated free camps and not camping on unauthorised private sites. Read the quote carefully again.

hufnpuf wrote:

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Brodie Allen wrote:

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and pampered attention 24 hours of the day.

Come off it, do you really think some person in a 4-berth cabin in steerage is being waited on hand and foot?

So then I totalled the approximate costs for a say 50 - day sprint in the van.

$100,000 in depreciating real estate to drag about and depreciatng at about $25 per day

A $100,000 van doesn't depreciate to 0 in 10 years.....  It isn't depreciating at $25/day.  In the current market, people are sometimes getting more than they paid.

not to mention $1000 ins then rego on top of that

You are paying WAY too much in insurance.  $1000 every 50 days is extortionate.  Who is paying $6000/yr?  Find a better insurer.

Fuel to visit 50 destinations - say 200 k per day is roughly $20 daily.

Why have you allowed for 50 destinations, when the cruise only does 20?  If the cruise is 50 days and has 20 destinations, that's not one every day

even distantly comparing with the luxury of a cruise ship

Do you really think they give you palatial bathrooms on a cruise ship?  Unless you are very, very wealthy, the cabins and facilities are tiny.

now averaging $45 - 60 for the dirt Overnight.

I haven't paid that much, not sure where those rates apply

Now it is acknowledged that these figures are illustrative only, but to my mind

$135 is way too much considering the difference in quality of travel - particularly

around the South Pacific.

You haven't taken into account that the cruise is a one-off and having a holiday van/home allows you to go again and again.   Whatever the cost (and I don't think your figures stack up) isn't all gone at the end of one trip.  Food is a fixed cost, you'll be paying for that whether at home or away, how much it costs you depends on how frugal you are, you don't need to pay $25/day, car expenses aren't restricted only to the period away, you can use that car to get about at home, it's not just a cost of a short holiday. 

If people want to (and can, a lot of people don't have large sums of money lying about) pay $10000 for a cruise that's up to them.  I don't know why they'd care about what other people choose to do or why they'd think it justifies their expenditure.  Horses for courses.

 

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 Not to mention that I consider a ship to be germ carriers as I do planes. Even back to 2004.

Never get me on a ship again. I prefer to pick where I go and stay. As you said, a van can and is used pretty regularly.

Dick.

-- Edited by hufnpuf on Tuesday 3rd of May 2022 07:40:10 AM

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I don't where yu got the $60 per night from except for the costal tourist area there are many Caravan Parks across Australia that are under $30 per Night and many offer stay 7 pay 6 or stay 7 pay 5.

I realy love it when the tight ar$e free campers get up in arms about towns that restrict free camping, a great example was the Rocky saga. So please show me where in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane and Darwin is the the large area's catering for free campers. I applaud those towns where their council has guts to support their local caravan park by restricting free camping. I offer brick bats to councils who do the opposite.

What does it serve towns to have every second building in main street for sale of for lease, and the van park is the only remaining profitable business left, because they lobbied the council to ban camping anywhere else, and that $350+ a week is $350 that doesn't get spent in other local businesses.

What a load of BS towns have been in decline for 50 years, Why its because of the motor car ownership, your argument is blown out of the water by example When we were in Blackall a few years ago the local council had spent a big swag of money upgrading the town free camp with toilets and showers etc, there would be up to 80 vans a night staying there, Blackall had that same main street with lost of old shops for sale or lease, the post office was in transision from a company store to an agency, the comonwealth was closed. Just imagine if every one of those 80 free campers spent $30 per night in the town would be $100,000 per week in to the local economy, but thats not going to happen because many free camper being self sufficient, would fill their water tanks empty their dunnies and drive away the next day or so to the next free camp not spending a red cent in town.

Gundog wrote:

Just imagine if every one of those 80 free campers spent $30 per night in the town would be $100,000 per week in to the local economy, but thats not going to happen because many free camper being self sufficient, would fill their water tanks empty their dunnies and drive away the next day or so to the next free camp not spending a red cent in town.

---

iirc the last time I camped in the bush for about eight weeks near the small town of Robinvale (NW Vic) I spent around$1300 in the town. Had I not been able to bush camp I would not have stayed in the area.

Mike Harding wrote:

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iirc the last time I camped in the bush for about eight weeks near the small town of Robinvale (NW Vic) I spent around$1300 in the town. Had I not been able to bush camp I would not have stayed in the area.

---

 Near is the over is the important word, To the best of my knowelege there is no free camping in the Robinvale/Euston townships.

However there are many camping spots along the length of many rivers in NSW and Vic, but there are not many Murray River towns that provide bush camping withih the townships.

Gundog wrote:

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What a load of BS towns have been in decline for 50 years, ................

.........if every one of those 80 free campers spent $30 per night in the town would be $100,000 per week in to the local economy, but thats not going to happen because many free camper being self sufficient, would fill their water tanks empty their dunnies and drive away the next day or so to the next free camp not spending a red cent in town.

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 What you overlook is that freecampers DO spend money on provisions, fuel, services, cafes, etc. If they do as you say and move on to the next freecamp, maybe that town is going to get their business. Someone who predominantly uses freecamps still spends, and they are more likely to spend in a town where they are staying rather than one they are just driving through. Some will do it on principle .... I know I will preference an RV friendly town over one that isn't.

Just to clarify my terminology ..... when I refer to freecamping I am thinking of what may be better worded as freedom camping. Not necessarily free, but not being obligated to pay for facilities I don't need, as well as not having an analogy to a sardine can.

Also, I think you meant $10,000.

Gundog wrote:

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I don't where yu got the $60 per night from except for the costal tourist area there are many Caravan Parks across Australia that are under $30 per Night and many offer stay 7 pay 6 or stay 7 pay 5.

I realy love it when the tight ar$e free campers get up in arms about towns that restrict free camping, a great example was the Rocky saga. So please show me where in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane and Darwin is the the large area's catering for free campers. I applaud those towns where their council has guts to support their local caravan park by restricting free camping. I offer brick bats to councils who do the opposite.

What does it serve towns to have every second building in main street for sale of for lease, and the van park is the only remaining profitable business left, because they lobbied the council to ban camping anywhere else, and that $350+ a week is $350 that doesn't get spent in other local businesses.

 

What a load of BS towns have been in decline for 50 years, Why its because of the motor car ownership, your argument is blown out of the water by example When we were in Blackall a few years ago the local council had spent a big swag of money upgrading the town free camp with toilets and showers etc, there would be up to 80 vans a night staying there, Blackall had that same main street with lost of old shops for sale or lease, the post office was in transision from a company store to an agency, the comonwealth was closed. Just imagine if every one of those 80 free campers spent $30 per night in the town would be $100,000 per week  in to the local economy, but thats not going to happen because many free camper being self sufficient, would fill their water tanks empty their dunnies and drive away the next day or so to the next free camp not spending a red cent in town.

---

Hmmm. Maths shows 80 X $30 = $2400 per day/night. Seven days/week is 7 X $2400 = $16,800 I think? But, hey, what does the odd $83,200 really matter? And as already pointed out, these campers all need fuel for their cars and snags to put on the barbie. Cheers

P.S Free camp is $10/night and was absolutely packed when I was there so I back pedalled 8km to a bush camp, way off the road. Blackall is a fantastic little place for a stop, with genuinely friendly people and enough shops. Ram Park Museum is a "must see" with its guided tours conducted by an old cowboy who knows heaps about the towns history. Shows wagon-wheel making, water pumps powered by horse walking in circles, a few old Army type "Blitz" trucks.

Gundog wrote:

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Mike Harding wrote:

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iirc the last time I camped in the bush for about eight weeks near the small town of Robinvale (NW Vic) I spent around$1300 in the town. Had I not been able to bush camp I would not have stayed in the area.

---

 Near is the over is the important word, To the best of my knowelege there is no free camping in the Robinvale/Euston townships.

However there are many camping spots along the length of many rivers in NSW and Vic, but there are not many Murray River towns that provide bush camping withih the townships.

 

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 Yes, there are free camps there. Check Wikicamps. Short distance to shops...check the reviews.

We find it difficult to put a value on bush camping as you don't have to put up with the riff-raff.

We need be paid to stay in caravan fenced compounds.

Yobarr wrote:

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P.S Free camp is $10/night and was absolutely packed when I was there so I back pedalled 8km to a bush camp, way off the road. Blacksll is a fantastic little place for a stop, with genuinely friendly people and enough shops. Ram Park Museum is a "must see" with its guided tours conducted by an old cowboy who knows heaps about the towns history.

-- Edited by yobarr on Wednesday 1st of June 2022 01:14:34 PM

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 Thanks for updating price Yobarr.  Looks like they upped it in 2019 from $8 to $10.